From Our Tables to Yours: Buffalo Chicken Chili

Guest Post by Dennis Henry of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture

Hello, Dennis here!  I am the Licensing Officer for the Indiana Grain Buyers & Warehouse Licensing Agency (a mouthful) and on the Social Media Team with the Indiana State Department of Agriculture.  Our team was tasked with bringing you a favorite recipe and we decided with the cold weather a good Chili recipe would be good.  Well I knew right off the bat; I had the recipe to showcase.

 I by no means am any gourmet chef, I like simple food that tastes good, is easy to make and has a little different twist to it.  I love Chili and from growing up in Michigan I found out there are many different varieties when I moved here to Indiana.  It seems that every area of the country has their own way of making this warm and hearty dish.  Knowing this, I am always trying out different recipes. 

When visiting my Sister on Holiday, we were looking thru some of her Recipe Magazines and I stumbled across this one I am going to share with you.  This Buffalo Chicken Chili has become a household favorite, we have even taken the ingredients with us to make during our camping trips one autumn trip.  What a wonderful dish to eat around the campfire during the cool autumn camping season.  I found that if I chop my vegetables and boiling my chicken breast before we leave and place them in containers, I can whip up a batch in no time.

Ok enough about me, here is my favorite Chili recipe; Buffalo Chicken Chili.

Ingredients:

1 Tbs. Canola Oil

2 Ribs Celery, diced

1 large Green Pepper, diced

1 large Onion, diced

2 cloves of Garlic, minced

2 lbs boneless, skinless Chicken Breast, cut into 1” pieces

1 pkg. (1.6 oz.) Buffalo Wings seasoning mix

1 can (14 oz.) diced Tomatoes with Mild Green Chilies

1 can (6oz.) Tomato Paste

1 can (19 oz.) Red Kidney Beans, rinsed and drained

2 cups Vegetable or Tomato Juice

2 tsp. Frank’s RedHot Sauce

1 cup chopped fresh Cilantro*

1 bottle of your favorite Bleu Cheese salad dressing

I begin by heating the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat.  

Then I added the Celery, Green Pepper and Onion to the pan and sautéed until the vegetables start to soften, at which time I added the Garlic and continued to sauté for a total of about 5 minutes. 

I then added the diced Chicken to brown.  I add in the Buffalo Seasoning Mix and continue to stir often, to brown all sides of the Chicken.

 Once the Chicken has done, I then transfer the mixture to my slow cooker.  After this I add the tomatoes with their juice, the tomato paste, beans, vegetable juice and the hot sauce.  

I let this slow cook on High for a good two hours or on Low for four to six hours.  About ½ hour before you serve, add 2/3 cup of Cilantro.  *I prefer this recipe without the Cilantro, so I reserve and let each guest add their own.  The more it cooks, the better it gets!