Still January, still cold. Time to make some chili!
While the KitchenAid mixer is “mine”, all the specialty attachments we have for it are “Eric’s”. We have the pasta maker attachment (featured in “An Italian Christmas Dinner“) and the sausage maker attachment which we use to make ground chicken for chicken chili. (Yes, you can easily buy pre-ground chicken, but then we wouldn’t be able to use the cool attachment!) Eric & Kelly are big Rachael Ray fans and this recipe is adapted from her Just in Time! Cookbook. We pair it with cornbread that I adapted from the Fanny Farmer Cookbook. The combo hits the spot on a cold winter’s evening.
Italian Chicken Chili (adapted from Just in Time! Rachael Ray Cookbook)
Yields: 2-4 servings
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
We use boneless chicken breasts (which we always have on hand) and grind it ourselves.
- 1 1/2 pounds ground chicken
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 carrot, peeled and grated
- 3 large cloves of garlic, crushed or minced
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 jarred roasted red peppers, drained
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 sprigs thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
If you are grinding your own chicken, cut it up into chunks and run it through the grinder.
Grinding the chicken at home saves money and doesn’t add too much time to the process.
Place a large, heavy pot over high heat with 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil in it. Add the ground chicken to the pot and cook it until it is lightly browned, about 5 minutes, breaking the chicken up into pieces with a wooden spoon.
Brown the ground chicken in extra virgin olive oil.
Add the onions, carrots, crushed or minced garlic and the bay leaf to the pot and cook until the veggies are browned, about 8 minutes more. Stir in the balsamic vinegar, scraping up the brown bits from the bottom of the pot.
While the veggies are browning, puree the roasted peppers in a food processor. Stir the puree into the pot then add the chicken broth, thyme, chili powder, paprika and allspice, and season with salt and pepper. Bring the chili to a boil. Once it is boiling, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, skimming the fat from the surface, if desired.
Simmer the chili for 20 minutes after bringing it to a boil.
Rich Corn Cake (adapted from The Fanny Farmer Cookbook)
Put together the cornbread while the chili simmers.
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup milk or water
- 2 eggs
- 4 Tablespoons butter, melted
Thoroughly mix the sour cream, milk or water and eggs and add it to the dry ingredients. Whisk in the melted butter until smooth.
Add the wet ingredients and stir until well combined.
Turn out into a greased 9 X 9 pan or into 12 muffin tins lined with paper. Bake the 9 x 9 for 20 minutes or the muffin tin for 15 minutes. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center. The toothpick should come out clean and the top of the conrbread should be lightly golden in color. Let the cornbread rest for 5 minutes, cut in into 9 pieces if it is in the 9 x 9 or take the muffins out of the muffin tin.
Makes 12 muffins or 9 pieces if a 9 x 9 is used.
Italian Chicken Chili (adapted from Just in Time! Rachael Ray Cookbook)
Yields: 2-4 servings
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 pounds ground chicken
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 carrot, peeled and grated
- 3 large cloves of garlic, crushed or minced
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 jarred roasted red peppers, drained
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 sprigs thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
If you are grinding your own chicken, cut it up into chunks and run it through the grinder.
Place a large, heavy pot over high heat with 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil in it. Add the ground chicken to the pot and cook it until it is lightly browned, about 5 minutes, breaking the chicken up into pieces with a wooden spoon.
Add the onions, carrots, crushed or minced garlic and the bay leaf to the pot and cook until the veggies are browned, about 8 minutes more. Stir in the balsamic vinegar, scraping up the brown bits from the bottom of the pot.
While the veggies are browning, puree the roasted peppers in a food processor. Stir the puree into the pot then add the chicken broth, thyme, chili powder, paprika and allspice, and season with salt and pepper. Bring the chili to a boil. Once it is boiling, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, skimming the fat from the surface, if desired.
Rich Corn Cake (adapted from The Fanny Farmer Cookbook)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup milk or water
- 2 eggs
- 4 Tablespoons butter, melted
Thoroughly mix the sour cream, milk or water and eggs and add it to the dry ingredients. Whisk in the melted butter until smooth.
Turn out into a greased 9 X 9 pan or into 12 muffin tins lined with paper. Bake the 9 x 9 for 20 minutes or the muffin tin for 15 minutes. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center. The toothpick should come out clean and the top of the conrbread should be lightly golden in color. Let the cornbread rest for 5 minutes, cut in into 9 pieces if it is in the 9 x 9 or take the muffins out of the muffin tin.