Buffalo Chicken Chili

Chuck and I both love buffalo-style chicken, either as wings, or on a pizza, or in a salad; so when I saw this recipe over on Everything Rachael Ray I decided to give it a whirl. Chuck was not crazy about it, but after tasting it, I have already decided on the modifications I will make next time, which are below. I really liked it though, and have it for lunch today!

He said it was not thick enough to be called a "chili" which I think is partially my fault because I forgot the crushed tomatoes. So I had to use diced tomatoes with their juice, so that added more liquid. That and I think there was too much chicken broth. I may actually try this next time in a slow cooker for a few hours so that it really thickens up and absorbs all the flavor. But please, give it a try and let me know what you think!

Oh, and I am a blue cheese freak so in addition to the chips, I also added more crumbles to my bowl! Yum!

Buffalo Chicken Chili
slightly adpated from Rachael Ray
Makes 4-6 servings

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
2 tablespoons butter
2 pounds all-white meat ground chicken breast
1 large carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1 large onion, chopped
3 ribs celery, finely chopped
5 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon smoked paprika (you can substitute with chipotles or chipotle chili powder)
1 bay leaf
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup chicken stock or broth
1/4 to 1/2 cup hot sauce, depending on how hot you like it
1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
several handfuls of tortilla chips
about 1 cup blue cheese, crumbled

Preheat oven to 375°F or broiler to medium.

Place a large pot over medium-high heat, add 1 turn of the pan of EVOO, about 1 tablespoon, and the butter. Once the butter has melted and the pot is hot, add the ground chicken. Brown it, using the back of a wooden spoon to break it up in to small pieces, about 5-6 minutes.

Add the carrot, onion, celery, garlic, paprika, bay leaf and some salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 3-4 minutes.

Add the chicken stock and scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pot. Add the hot sauce, tomato sauce and crushed tomatoes, and bring up to a bubble. Simmer for 8-10 minutes to let the flavors come together.

While the chili is simmering, spread the tortilla chips out on a cookie sheet. Top with the crumbled blue cheese and transfer to the oven to melt the cheese, about 4-5 minutes. If using the broiler, 2-3 minutes should do the trick.

Remove the bay leaf from the chili. Top each serving of buffalo chicken chili with a few blue cheese-topped tortilla chips.