Chicken Chili with Cheddar Cornbread Croutons
Ok, so I know that having chili in the middle of summer is like having Christmas in July. But there are times when the hankerin hits and you just gotta have it. Like having roasted turkey in May. An uncontrollable urge that has to be satiated.
So on a recent cool snap here in Virginia I wanted chili. But not the good ol' standby with beef. I wanted chicken chili!
And what do you HAVE to have with chili? Well, cornbread of course! Only, I was feeling picky. So I didn't want squares of plain cornbread. I wanted crunchy, sweet and cheesy cubes of cornbread. And I have a confession to make. I used a box cornbread mix. I can't help it. I have always liked Jiffy cornbread mix. I spruce it up a bit with some extra's but it's real good in my humble opinion.
So here is what I came up with.
Chicken Chili
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes (optional if you want it spicy)
1/2 can of Green Tomatillo Salsa (found in the Mexican Foods Isle of your grocery store)
4 cups chicken broth
4 cooked chicken breasts, chopped
1 can Great Northern Beans, drained
Saute onion and bell pepper in oil in a stock pot until soft. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes more. Add the next 7 ingredients, stir until combined and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, add chicken and beans and cook till reduced to desired consistency.
Serve with Cheesy Cornbread Croutons (see below) and whatever other accompaniments you like with your chili.
Cheesy Cornbread Croutons
1 box Jiffy Cornbread mix
1/3 cup milk
1 egg
3 tsp Splenda (or sugar)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
Mix all ingredients together and pour in a greased 8x8 pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until done.
Remove from the oven and allow to sit and cool for 10-15 minutes. Then invert pan onto a cutting board to release bread. Cut cornbread into cubes then place on a sheet pan and spray with olive oil. Make sure the cubes aren't stacked on top of each other, give them space. Place pan in oven and cook for another 15-20 minutes or until browned.
Remove from oven and serve with Chicken Chili.
*Note: The croutons will crisp up more when allowed to cool.