Fumbling Toward Culinary Talent: Black and White Bean Chicken Chili

I made a recipe tonight that I'm sure I'll try again. It's based on a recipe from The Washington Post, but what I provide here is how I modified it and how I plan to make it in the future. 

Ingredients

• 2-3 TB of olive oil
• 1 medium size yellow or Vidalia onion, chopped finely
• 1 serrano pepper, chopped finely (more if you want it spicy)
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 TB of smoked paprika
• 2 TB of ground cumin
• 2 TB Tastefully Simple Wahoo Chili seasoning
• 6 cups of low-sodium chicken stock
• 1 can of cannellini or great northern beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 lb. of chicken breasts or boneless thighs, cooked in a slow cooker and shredded
• 2 4 oz. cans of diced green chili peppers
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1-2 TB of Penzey's Justice seasoning

Process

Some of the modifications I made were amount of chicken stock, the chili seasoning, and the canned green chili peppers. Also, I wouldn't use an immersion blender to half of the cans of the white beans. What's the point? 

Use the slow cooker for the chicken for about 6-8 hours on low. I've been marinating my chicken in pickle brine, so I just marinate it overnight and put the bird parts into the slow cooker. 

Once ready to make the chili, put the olive oil into a pot, add the onions, and sauté on medium-high heat for 5-10 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, add in the hot pepper and cook for two minutes. Then add in the garlic and cook for a minute.

Dump in the smoked paprika, cumin, and chili seasoning. Stir the spices around to coat the aromatics. Add in the chicken stock and scrape the bits off the bottom. 

Get it simmering for ten minutes. During this time shred the chicken. Add the chicken, beans, and green chilis to the broth. Simmer for approximately ten minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add in Penzey's Justice seasoning.