Take the cup of dried beans, cover with water and let sit overnight

Dice chicken in to small cubes (you can run it through a food processor as well)

Dice up onion. Put butter in a Dutch oven and turn on medium high heat. Once melted, toss in onion. Stir occasionally until onion is sweating. Throw in garlic and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds)

Once veggies are cooked, add in diced chicken. Once chicken is about half cooked, throw in all your spices except for the bay leaf. Cook until chicken is done

Pour in diced tomatoes and chili's with their juices. Cook, stirring constantly, until juices are reduced by half

Turn to high heat. Pour in chicken broth, half and half, pumpkin puree and beans. Stir until everything is incorporated. Bring to boiling then reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring once halfway through.

At the 30 minute mark, add in bay leaf and cheese. Stir to incorporate everything. Stir every 15 minutes until soup is thickened to a chili consistency (took about an additional 45 minutes for me). Taste as you go at this point to make any additions of salt as needed.

Serve with optional shredded cheddar or white cheddar, sour cream and enjoy