Chicken Fried Chicken Chili

Hello!  I just want you all to know that I am very excited about “AG Me On!” and hope you will join me in the excitement.  I was overjoyed to be asked to join fellow ISDA bloggers.  I never imagined that I would be part of the blogosphere, let alone have my own blog, just from submitting guest articles and recipes for the Indiana’s Family of Farmers (IFOF) blog.  My name is Dennis Henry - I work for the Indiana Grain Buyers & Warehouse Licensing Agency under the Indiana State Department of Agriculture.  Among my many duties as licensing officer with the Agency, I manage our part of the ISDA website – this is how I became involved in social media.

My hopes for “AG Me On!” are to bring to you recipes with a twist.  Something you have not thought of before, recipes that you just HAVE to try - all focusing on Indiana Agriculture.  Mostly I hope to engage my audience with your ideas, challenges and even bring you all on “AG”ventures to some of Indiana’s great food finds.

When we were brainstorming to start this blog, we went back to what I had previously created for the IFOF blog – “BBQ Pulled Pork Chili” and “Buffalo Chicken Chili.”.  Both of these chilis are must tries in my book!

 OK, now we have our theme for the Month, Chili – now what recipe should I share?  I had so much fun with the BBQ Pulled Pork Chili that I had created last year; I knew I had to keep these creative juices flowing.  Then suddenly it came to me – Chicken Fried Chicken Chili.

Chicken Fried Chicken Chili

·         3 large Chicken Breasts – diced

·         2 medium or 1 large Onion – diced

·         3 Jalapeños – finely diced (remember to wear gloves)

·         2 – 3 cloves of Garlic

·         2 tablespoons of Chili Powder

·         1 tablespoon of Cumin

·         1 teaspoon of Pico de Gallo

·         1 teaspoon of Cocoa Chile Blend ( a spice mix of Cocoa Power & Chipotle Pepper Powder)

·         2 – 4 oz cans of diced Green Chiles

·         1 – 48 oz jar of Great Northern Beans

·         1 cup of frozen Corn

·         4 cups of Whole Milk

·         2 cups of Chicken Broth

·         Olive Oil

Add one tablespoon of Olive Oil to a large fry pan.  Add the chicken, onion and spices – brown the chicken and add the Jalapeños and garlic when the chicken is almost done and the onions have started to soften.  In a large pot, combine the milk & chicken broth under a medium low heat (you do not want to scorch the milk).  Add in the chicken mixture and the remaining ingredients.  Simmer until hot, you may also want to put the ingredients in a slow cooker and let is cook that way.  I thickened up the chili with a mixture of water and corn starch.

Now here comes the Chicken Fried part of this dish.  We are chicken frying oyster crackers – yes, oyster crackers.  These came out so good; you may want to use these with other chili and soup dishes.

You will need:

·         One bag of Oyster Crackers

·         3 cups of Cooking Oil

·         ½ cup of Buttermilk

·         1 cup Flour

·         Spices: Salt, Pepper & Chili Powder – to your taste.

In a small pot – heat up the cooking oil – I like peanut oil for this.  Prepare your work area with 2 bowls, 1 containing Buttermilk and the other containing the flour & spices.  Use the assembly line method – dredge the crackers in Buttermilk, then coat with the flour mixture, then deep fry them.  They will only take about 20 to 30 seconds.  Scoop out the deep fried crackers and let them drain on a cooling rack over paper towels to catch extra oil.  Let cool and enjoy with the Chili!

Until next time – Keep your Foodie Fluids Flowing, and AG Me On!