Chef notes
Nothing says “go team!” quite like a fabulous Super Bowl party centered around a large, hot pot of chili. I love to entertain with chili by arranging a large, interactive toppings bar, letting everyone choose their own cheesy, spicy and salty additions.
This recipe is inspired by my former boss and mentor, Rachael Ray. I’m pretty sure we buffalo-ed every item you could think of during my tenure with the program (buffalo glazed turkeys were a hit!). I’ve made this recipe so many times I can cook it with my eyes closed — and maybe that’s how my version of her famous Buffalo Chicken Chili evolved. I added beer and chickpeas, the latter of which adds a delightful texture along with the ground meat.
The formula for chili is quite simple, so change up the ingredients as you please. Swap in ground beef for ground chicken, tomato sauce for diced tomatoes, a can of green chiles in place of hot sauce and black beans and you’ve got a completely different dish.
Get Ingredients: If you don’t have everything you need on hand, you can easily purchase all of the ingredients (just click the orange button below that says ‘Get Ingredients’). You can pick and choose exactly what ingredients you need based on what’s in your pantry and they’ll be on your doorstep before you know it.
Technique Tip: Use a potato masher to brown and break down your ground meat quicker and easier.
Swap Option: If you like heat, increase the hot sauce to 1½ cups. If you like the flavor of buffalo but not the spice, decrease it to 1/2 cup and add in an additional can of diced tomatoes. Omit the beer and replace with an extra cup of chicken stock to make this recipe gluten-free.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil
- 2 pounds ground chicken
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and chopped (about 3/4 cup)
- 4 celery stalks, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
- 2-3 large carrots, peeled and finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
- 12 ounces lager beer
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chiles
- 1 cup Frank's hot sauce
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- green onions, finely chopped
- fresh cilantro, stemmed and finely chopped
- corn chips, such as Fritos
- tortilla chips
- crumbled blue cheese
- shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese
- pickled jalapenos, drained
- cubed avocado
- sour cream
- hot sauce, such as Frank’s
- lime wedges
Preparation
1.In a heavy-bottomed pot such as a Dutch oven set over medium-high heat, add oil. Once the oil is hot, add chicken and break it up with a potato masher. Cook until chicken browned, 8 to10 minutes
2.Add onion, celery, carrots and garlic and stir to combine. Cook until softened, 4 to 5 minutes.
3.Deglaze pan with beer. Scrape the edges and bottom of the pan to pull up the flavorful browned bits. Cook until the beer is reduced by less than half, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in diced tomatoes, hot sauce and chicken stock and bring to a boil.
4.Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Add chickpeas and cook 2 to 3 minutes more.
5.Serve with optional toppings.
