Is anyone else over winter? I’m so done with cold weather. Overnight it dumped more snow here. Thankfully, it’s a snow day. So we will indulge in some cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate. Which I think I deserve after shoveling 4 inches of snow off my driveway.
A big pot of warm soup sounds great for dinner tonight. This chili is great because it is a one pot meal, which means less dishes which is always a plus. Since this chili has the cornbread on top in the form of dumplings, you don’t even really need to make a side dish. This was a hit with grown-ups and kids alike. Stay warm and enjoy!
Chicken Chili with Cornmeal Dumplings (Serves 6-8)
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots
1 poblano chile, seeded and chopped small
½ teaspoon black pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons cumin
3 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 cups water
1 (15 ounce) can cannellini bean (low sodium if you can find it), rinsed well
1 (15 ounce) can hominy, rinsed well
1 cup green salsa
2 chicken breasts, roasted and meat shredded
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
¾ cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup whole wheat flour
½ cup cornmeal
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup buttermilk, chilled
1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter, melted
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. (You can roast the chicken in this oven while the rest of the chili cooks. Just cook the chicken to 165 degrees F).
- Heat oil in Dutch oven or large oven safe pot over medium heat. Add onion through poblano. Cook until veggies soften, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, pepper, and cumin. Cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 30-60 seconds.
- Stir in broth through salsa. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes.
- While simmering, make dumpling dough. Mix flours, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir buttermilk and butter together in a separate bowl until butter starts to clump. Add to flour mixture and combine with a spatula until dough forms.
- Add chicken and cilantro to chili. Using a ¼ cup measuring cup lightly sprayed with cooking spray, scoop dumplings onto the top of chili, spreading around pan as much as possible. You should get about 8 level scoops.
- Bake, uncovered, until dumplings are golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Nutrition information (amount per serving):
Calories: 481
Protein: 24 g
Fat: 17 g
Saturated fat: 8 g
Cholesterol: 67 mg
Carbohydrates: 51 g
Fiber: 7 g
Sodium: 874 mg
Recipe notes: Celery and carrots aren’t traditional chili ingredients. But this is kind of a cross between chili and chicken pot pie, so I felt they worked just fine. Use whatever chile you have a heat tolerance for – poblano, anaheim, jalapeño. If you had white whole wheat flour, you could use that for all the flour. If you use entirely all-purpose flour, you could probably decrease the sugar to 1-2 tablespoons. I kept it at 3 to help with the bitter taste of the whole wheat flour.
Source: Slightly adapted from America’s Test Kitchen