Pureed White Bean & Chicken Soup

Pureed White Bean & Chicken Soup is a delicious soup that pays homage to my Italian roots while celebrating my love for a Mexican flare utilizing Tuscan beans, shredded chicken breasts, onions, garlic, heavy cream and perfectly seasoned with chopped cilantro, cumin, Mexican oregano. This wonderfully flavored soup is topped with sharp cheddar cheese, jalapeno slices and extra chopped cilantro for maximum deliciousness in every bite.

Fusion cooking has always been my true forte over the years, I love combining two cultures and making a new creation for you all to enjoy. In Tuscany, Italy you can enjoy a wonderful soup called Vellutata di Fagioli Bianchi which is made with Sorana beans; that is so rare and extremely expensive they are even hard to find there. Sorana beans are pearly white, small and with a very thin skin, these beans are grown in small plots on a few hectares along the Pescia River. 

In my soup recipe today, I have utilized Tuscan beans which are much more cost efficient for most budgets. I have also used Great Northern and Navy beans to make this wonderful soup in the past. Below you will find a briefly educated explanation of differences between the three types of types of beans mentioned above.

Cannellini beans (Tuscan Beans) are large and have that traditional kidney shape. With a slightly nutty taste and mild earthiness, they have a relatively thin skin and tender, creamy flesh. They hold their shape well and are one of the best white beans for salads and ragouts.

Great Northern beans are smaller than cannellini and suitable for any number of uses: salads, soups, stews, ragouts, purees. Their texture is slightly grainy, with a nutty, dense flavor. Popular in North America, Great Northern look like white baby lima beans.

Navy beans are small and oval and cook relatively quickly (which, as Aliza Green notes in The Bean Bible, has made them popular with commercial baked bean manufacturers). Known as Boston beans, the white coco, pea beans or alubias chicas, Navy beans are perfect for dishes that don’t need the full bean shape to shine: purees, soups, stews, and baked beans.

Pureed White Bean & Chicken Soup

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 jalapeno peppers seed removed, diced
• 3 -15-ounce cans of Tuscan beans
• 4 cups of chicken stock
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/4 of a cup chopped cilantro
• 1/2 tablespoon of cumin
• 1 teaspoon of dried Mexican oregano
• dash of cayenne pepper
• 2 pre-cooked chicken breasts, shredded
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• kosher salt, to taste
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Garnish or toppings

• sliced jalapeno peppers
• grated sharp cheddar cheese
• chopped cilantro

Directions

1. Place a medium, heavy soup pot over medium heat. Add the butter, olive oil, and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally until the onions are softened, approximately 5-6 minutes.
2. Add the diced jalapeno peppers and cans of white beans and stir to combine ingredients.
3. Add the stock and bring the mixture to a low simmer. Add the garlic, chopped cilantro, cumin, Mexican oregano, a dash of cayenne pepper and simmer until the garlic is softened about 10 minutes.
4. Pour the soup into a large bowl. Carefully ladle 1/3 to 1/2 of the soup into a blender and puree until smooth. Be careful to hold the top of the blender tightly to contain hot liquids.
5. Pour the blended soup back into the soup pot.
6. Puree the remaining soup.
7. Once all the soup is blended and back in the soup pot, add shredded chicken breasts, heavy cream, kosher salt, and pepper. Simmer on low for 6-7 minutes before serving.
8. Garnish or top with sliced jalapeno peppers, sharp cheddar cheese, chopped cilantro.

5 from 10 votes

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Pureed White Bean and Chicken Soup

Prep Time

30 mins

Cook Time

30 mins

Total Time

1 hr

 

Pureed White Bean & Chicken Soup is a delicious soup that pays homage to my Italian roots while celebrating my love for a Mexican flare utilizing Tuscan beans, shredded chicken breasts, onions, garlic, heavy cream and perfectly seasoned with chopped cilantro, cumin, Mexican oregano. 

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chicken, Soup, White Beans

Servings: 6 people

Author: hmccallum

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
• 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 large Onion chopped
• 3 Jalapeno peppers seed removed, diced
• 3-15- ounce cans Tuscan beans
• 4 cups Chicken broth or stock
• 4 cloves Garlic minced
• 1/4 cup Cilantro chopped
• 1/2 tablespoon Ground Cumin
• 1 teaspoon Dried Mexican Oregano
• 1 dash Cayenne pepper
• 2 Pre-cooked chicken breasts shredded
• 1/2 cup Heavy cream
• Kosher salt to own taste
• Freshly ground black pepper to own taste

Garnish or toppings

• Sliced jalapeno peppers
• Fresh grated sharp cheddar cheese
• Fresh chopped cilantro

Instructions

1. Place a medium, heavy soup pot over medium heat. Add the butter, olive oil, and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally until the onions are softened, approximately 5-6 minutes.
2. Add the diced jalapeno peppers and cans of white beans and stir to combine ingredients.
3. Add the stock and bring the mixture to a low simmer. Add the garlic, chopped cilantro, cumin, Mexican oregano, a dash of cayenne pepper and simmer until the garlic is softened about 10 minutes.
4. Pour the soup into a large bowl. Carefully ladle 1/3 to 1/2 of the soup into a blender and puree until smooth. Be careful to hold the top of the blender tightly to contain hot liquids. Pour the blended soup back into the soup pot. Puree the remaining soup.
5. Once all the soup is blended and back in the soup pot, add shredded chicken breasts, heavy cream, kosher salt, and pepper. Simmer on low for 20 minutes before serving.
6. Garnish or top with sliced jalapeno peppers, sharp cheddar cheese, chopped cilantro.