A New Take on Your Favorite Bar Food: Buffalo Chicken Chili with Blue Cheese Crumbles

I’m pretty excited about the recipe I’m sharing with you today.  Did you realize it was possible to turn buffalo chicken wings into a hot bowl of chili?  Well, not only is it possible… it’s really freakin’ delicious.  This dish literally incorporates every aspect of your favorite sports bar grub.  You start with ground chicken, spice it up with cayenne and tabasco, throw in the carrots and celery that usually come on the side, and top it all off with crumbled blue cheese.  It even incorporates the cheap beer that you can’t eat buffalo wings without!  This little number just screams football season.  Double the recipe and it would be the perfect tailgate dish!

Buffalo Chicken Chili with Crumbled Blue Cheese

From Closet Cooking

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground chicken
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1/2 cup celery, sliced
• 1/2 cup carrots, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 teaspoon cumin, toasted and ground
• 1 cup beer (I used Bud light)
• 1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (15 oz) can cannelloni beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/4 cup hot sauce (or to taste – I recommend Frank’s)
• Crumbled blue cheese and Fritos, to garnish

Directions

1. Cook the chicken in a large pan over medium heat and set aside.
2. Heat the oil in the pan, add the onions, celery and carrots and cook until tender, about 10-15 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and cumin and cook until fragrant, about a minute.
4. Add the beer, chicken, tomatoes, beans, paprika, oregano, cayenne and hot sauce and simmer for 15 minutes.
5. Top with crumbled blue cheese and serve with Fritos for dipping!

Serves 4

Slow Cooker: Implement step 1, optionally implement steps 2 & 3, place everything except the blue cheese in the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-10 hours or high for 2-4 hours. (I have doubled the recipe and done this to great success to feed a crowd!)

I have been slacking on my weekly favorites as of late!  Well, we had some good ones last month, so I thought I’d bring back the tradition.  Here’s a recap of September:

Week 35 Favorite: Prosciutto, Leek and Red Quinoa Lasagna with Goat Cheese and Fresh Thyme
Week 36 Favorite: Curried Quinoa Wrap with Avo-Citrus Slaw
Week 37 Favorite:  Tofu, Broccoli & Pineapple Rice Bowl with Spicy Peanut Sauce
Week 38 Favorite: Buffalo Chicken Chili

September Winner: Curried Quinoa Wrap with Avo-Citrus Slaw – New lunch staple!

Johanna