Buffalo Chicken Chili

This is another Rachael Ray favorite of our family. If you like chili and chicken wings, you will like this. It is spicy hot so keep that in mind. Delicious though.

Ingredients:

•2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
•2 pounds ground chicken
•2 large carrots, peeled and finely chopped
•1 large onion, chopped
•4 ribs celery with leafy tops, finely chopped
•4 cloves garlic, chopped
•1 tablespoon smoked sweet paprika or chili powder
•1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
•Salt and freshly ground black pepper
•2 cups chicken stock
•1/4-1/2 cup hot sauce (depending on how hot you like it)
•1 can tomato sauce (15 ounces)
•1 can stewed, fire-roasted or crushed tomatoes (15 ounces)
•1 sack whole grain tortilla chips, lightly crushed
•3/4 pound Maytag Blue cheese, crumbled
•A handful of flat leaf parsley, chopped

Preparation

Place a large pot over medium-high heat with the EVOO, 2 turns of the pan. Add the ground chicken and break it up, lightly browning it for 5 minutes.

Add the carrots, onion, celery, garlic, paprika and bay leaf and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 7-8 minutes. Add the chicken stock and scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pot.

Add the hot sauce, tomato sauce and the stewed, fire-roasted or crushed tomatoes to the chili and bring up to a bubble. Simmer for 8-10 minutes more to let the flavors come together.

While the chili is simmering, pre-heat the broiler.

Spread the chips out on a cookie sheet. Top with the crumbled blue cheese and transfer to the oven to melt the cheese, 2-3 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the chopped parsley.

Top each serving of Buffalo Chicken Chili with a few blue cheese chips.