Chicken and black bean tortilla soup with spicy chipotle yogurt

• Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel; season generously with salt and pepper. 

In a large sauce pot over medium-high heat, warm 1 to 2 tablespoons oil until hot but not smoking. Add the chicken and cook, turning once, until lightly browned but not yet cooked through, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Do not clean the pot. While the chicken is browning, start preparing the remaining ingredients.

• Peel and coarsely chop the onion; finely chop enough onion to measure ¼ cup [½ cup] and set aside for garnish.
• Rinse the black beans.
• Coarsely chop the cilantro for garnish.

In the same pot used for the chicken, add the coarsely chopped onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the chicken and any accumulated juices, black beans, tortilla soup base, and 1 cup [2 cups] water and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes.

Remove from the heat. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, transfer the chicken to a plate to cool, then using a fork, shred the chicken into 1-inch strips. Return the chicken to the pot and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer the soup to individual bowls. Garnish with the Mexican cheese blend, finely chopped onion, cilantro, chipotle yogurt, and as much pickled jalapeños as you like. Serve the tortilla chips and any remaining yogurt and jalapeños on the side.