Treat yourself to a delicious bowl of hearty Grilled Chicken & Black Bean Soup. This recipe will have you creating perfection with your ceramic grill.
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE
- Seasoning the chicken under the skin as well as on top gets the Mexicano seasoning directly against the meat, rather than relying on surface seasoning alone
- Blending two-thirds of the soup while leaving the rest chunky gives the final bowl a creamy base with visible texture, rather than an entirely smooth or entirely chunky soup
- Reserving and mincing the chicken skin instead of discarding it turns it into a crispy garnish later, using a part of the bird that would otherwise be thrown away
- Thinning the finished soup with water to the desired consistency rather than a fixed amount lets you control how thick or thin the final bowl turns out, since the blended portion can vary in thickness
Grilled Chicken & Black Bean Soup
Tom Jackson
Rated 4.5 stars by 6 users
Category
Entree
Cuisine
Mexican
Servings
8
Prep Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour
Calories
693
Shake off the chill with a bowl of Grilled Chicken & Black Bean Soup, prepared over a charcoal fire in the Kamado Joe Classic III Ceramic Grill.
Ingredients
- 1/2 chicken
-
Cattleman’s Grill Mexicano Seasoning
-
2 tbsp Colonial Chile Infused Oil
- 8 oz Mexican chorizo
- 2 cups yellow onion, small dice
- 1 cup carrots, small dice
- 1 cup poblano peppers, seeded, diced
- 1 tbsp garlic, minced
- 2 (16 oz) cans black beans, drained, rinsed
- 1 quart chicken stock
- 1/4 cup cilantro, minced
- 1/4 cup queso fresco OR cotija cheese
- Mexican crema or sour cream for garnish
Directions
- Preheat your Kamado Joe Classic II to 400ºF, set up for direct grilling, with a cast iron half moon griddle in place.
- Season the chicken with Cattleman’s Grill Mexicano Seasoning under the skin, and all over the meat.
- Grill the chicken on the griddle until the internal temperature reaches 155ºF in the deepest part of the breast. Remove from the grill. Pull the skin from the meat and the meat from the bones. Discard the bones. Mince the skin and reserve. Shred the chicken by hand.
- Stabilize the grill temperature at 350ºF.
- Place a Staub 4 Quart Dutch Oven in the grill to preheat.
- Add the 2 tbsp Colonial Chile Infused Oil. Add the chorizo, onion, carrot and poblano. Cook until the onions are translucent and carrots are tender, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic. Cook for one minute, stirring.
- Add the beans and chicken stock. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Transfer 2/3 of the soup to a blender. Blend until smooth. Note: Be very careful blending hot liquids. Start slowly until you’re certain the liquid won’t explode out of the blender. Transfer the blended soup back to the dutch oven with the chunky soup.
Add the chicken to the soup. Bring to a simmer. Thin with water to desired consistency. Remove from the heat. Add the cilantro.
- Crisp the minced chicken skin on the griddle.
- Serve the Grilled Chicken & Black Bean Soup topped with crumbled cheese, minced cilantro, crispy chicken skin and a drizzle of sour cream.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why season the chicken under the skin as well as on the surface?
Getting the Cattleman's Grill Mexicano Seasoning directly against the meat, not just on top of the skin, seasons the chicken more thoroughly than a surface rub alone.
Why blend only two-thirds of the soup instead of the whole pot?
Blending part of it smooth while leaving the rest chunky gives the final soup a creamy base with visible pieces of beans and vegetables throughout, rather than one uniform texture.
Why save the chicken skin instead of discarding it with the bones?
Mincing it and crisping it on the griddle turns a part of the bird that's usually thrown away into a crunchy garnish for the finished soup.
Why thin the soup with water at the end instead of adding a fixed amount of stock upfront?
Since the blended portion of the soup can come out thicker or thinner depending on how much liquid was in the pot, adjusting with water at the end lets you dial in the final consistency rather than guessing beforehand.
Does pulling the chicken at 155°F mean it's fully cooked?
Not on its own — poultry needs to reach 165°F throughout, and 155°F falls short. This recipe does return the shredded chicken to the simmering soup afterward, which should carry it past 165°F, but confirm with a thermometer rather than assuming that step alone closes the gap.
What internal temperature should the chorizo actually reach?
This recipe cooks it alongside the vegetables until the onions turn translucent, without stating a target temperature. As a raw pork sausage, chorizo needs to reach a minimum internal temperature of 160°F to be safe — check with an instant-read thermometer rather than judging by the vegetables' doneness alone.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
4 out of 5 — the soup itself comes together entirely in a dutch oven on the stovetop; a hot cast iron skillet or broiler can handle the chicken in place of the grill.
Recipe Highlights
Under-skin seasoning: Gets flavor directly against the meat.
Partial-blend texture: Balances a creamy base with visible chunks.
Reserved crispy skin: Turns a discarded part into a garnish.
Water-adjusted consistency: Lets the final thickness be dialed in at the end.
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Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 11.56 oz
- per serving
- Calories
- 693
- Carbs
- 79 grams
- Protein
- 39 grams
- Fat
- 26 grams
- Sodium
- 733 milligrams
