cream of refrigerator soup: snow day edition

I haven't been to the grocery store or farmer's market it over two weeks. The weather reports at which I looked predicted flurries today and a little bit of accumulation in the afternoon. Instead, we got what looks to be about four inches of snow that fell in fat, fluffy clumps all day. Needless to say, I got hungry and had to make do with rations I'd reserved in my freezer. Because I'm a genius, however, my concoction turned out most delicious. And so, I give you my "recipe."

Chicken and Black-eyed Pea Chili

2 chicken breasts, poached and shredded (1 qt poaching liquid reserved)
2 tbsp EVOO
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 sweet red pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 qt broth (I used vegetable because it's what I had, but I probably would have used chicken, were it available.)
1 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes
1 1/2 lbs pre-cooked black-eyed peas
3 tbsp chipotle in adobo, minced
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp Mexican oregano (Conventional oregano will NOT do. It's not the same thing.)
1 tsp chili powder
salt and (tellicherry, of course) pepper to taste
3 cups pre-cooked rice (I used basmati because it's what I had and it's my favorite, but any rice will do.)

1. In the bottom of your Dutch oven, sauté the onions and red and green peppers in olive oil until they begin to soften. Add garlic and sauté for a minute or two more.

2. Add can of tomatoes, broth and reserved poaching liquid and bring to a boil.

3. Add the shredded chicken, black-eyed peas, chipotle and other spices. Bring the whole shebang back up to a boil. Reduce heat to a pretty serious simmer and cook for 20-30 minutes until the flavors meld.

4. Spoon 1/2 cup or so of rice into the bottom of a bowl. Ladle soup/chili over the top.

5. Slurp hungrily.

If you have it, it would probably be pretty tasty if you garnished it with chopped cilantro, fresh minced jalapeños and a squeeze of lime juice, but, alas, I didn't have any of that stuff.

No joke. This turned out really well and I'm trés impressed with myself that I just made it up with random crap I had in the house. Not too shabby, considering my limited resources.

Bon Appétit!