Buffalo Chicken Chili

Happy Monday! If you are anything like me, you see Monday's as only being good for a few things: feeling accomplished that you made it through the first day of the week alive, getting back in the gym to work off those sneaky calories that always seem to pile up on weekends, watching Monday night football and eating/drinking some of those calories that you just burned off at the gym (all while sulking because you wish the NHL lockout would hurry up and be over so you could flip back and forth between football and hockey), and being twenty-four hours closer to the weekend. Hate to say it, but Mondays you are not my favorite.

One way to make Mondays a smidgen more tolerable is to make a delicious meal. And what meal goes better with MNF then Buffalo Chicken Chili?

This dish combines two awesome foods that you typically find at any tailgate or football party-hearty chili and spicy buffalo wings. As you can imagine, this chili is stocked full of flavor. The cumin, paprika, tomatoes, and beans all give this dish the traditional chili vibe, while the buffalo sauce kicks it up a spicy notch. While I made this chili and ate it straight out of a bowl, you could make a layered dip with this delicious recipe and serve it with chips. Whatever way you decide to serve it, this recipe is perfect for curing those Monday blues right along side of your favorite football game or show.

Buffalo Chicken Chili (adapted from Closet Cooking)
(5 one-cup servings)

1 lb ground chicken
1 onion, diced
1/2 cup diced carrots
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp ground cumin
1 cup beer or water
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes with green peppers, onions, and celery, drained
1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp ground cayenne
1/2 cup buffalo sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Add the ground chicken to a nonstick skillet. Season with salt and pepper and cook over medium heat until browned. Remove the chicken from heat and set aside.

Spray a large stock pot with cooking spray. Add onion and carrots. Cook over medium heat for about 5-10 minutes or until soft. Add the minced garlic and cumin and cook for one minute or until fragrant. Deglaze the pan with beer or water. Stir in browned chicken, diced tomatoes, beans, paprika, oregano, cayenne, and buffalo sauce. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Serve warm sprinkled with blue cheese or shredded mozzarella cheese.

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Nutritional Info
Servings Per Recipe: 5
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 224.3
Total Fat: 8.1 g
Cholesterol: 60.6 mg
Sodium: 1117.1 mg
Total Carbs: 16.3 g
Fiber: 4.6 g
Sugars: 2.6 g
Protein: 21.4 g

Pros:
-Great recipe for football parties/tailgating
-Unique twist on traditional chili
-Delicious, hearty dinner
-Great leftovers
-Versatile- add ground beef instead of chicken, throw in other chili ingredients, or use leftovers to make a dip

Cons:
-Spicy; get milk buffalo sauce if you don't like spicy food
-High in sodium

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5