Ground Chicken "Chili" (Not Really. It doesn't have beans)
[Note: Throughout this text, I’m calling this dish “chili.” Technically, by divine definition, it’s simply not chili unless it has beans. May God forgive me for making so called, “chili” without beans. Every time someone makes so called “chili” without beans, it makes Baby Jesus cry when he looks down on the meat soup.]
Tyson ground chicken was on sale for $1.29 per pound at the store. I bought as many packages as I thought I could fit into my already loaded refrigerator and freezer. This morning my alarm went off at 0600 so I could get up and make “chili” with the ground chicken as chili needs to simmer and sit around for many hours before it’s safe to eat. :-)
I don’t use recipes when I cook unless I’m baking because my grandmother and mother taught me, “you don’t need no damn recipes when you cook.” Also, they taught me when I’d ask how long to cook something, the answer is always, “until it’s done.”
I began by browning three pounds of chicken one pound at a time in the magic wok. Long Yau! Ground chicken is typically packed with lots of water so after the water seeped from the chicken I drained it and put it back into the fire hot wok. I stir fried each batch until the Maillard reaction kicked in and the chicken was browned and caramelized. Whether it’s beef or chicken, or pork, I like my chili meat to be “al dente” with a caramelized crust.
Once the browned chicken was in the pot, I took a handful of jalapeños and stir fried them in the magic wok until the seeds were slightly toasted. This was quite painful. I was so glad I no longer wear contacts. My sinuses were dry before I did this and I’ve been sitting around with a box of Kleenex now for the last few hours. Remember! DON’T RUB YOUR EYES! If you’re a mellophone player, you should probably get a man to fry the jalapeños for you.
I tossed the fried jalapeños into the pot with the meat. Then I chopped up four yellow onions and a couple of large red peppers, or “poivron rouges” as we call them in the French speaking part of Texas. When they were softened and lightly caramelized, it was into the pot with them.
It was at this point I realized I was going to need a bigger pot, so I transferred everything to a 5 gallon stock pot. I sliced a half dozen stalks of celery and stir fried them as well. My Aggie Ring told me that I could have just used celery salt and no one would know. “I’d know.” I told him.
From that point on it was just a matter of toasting whole cumin seeds and grinding them in my mortar. My mama didn’t raise no son who uses pre-ground spices unless there’s a hurricane a blowing. I probably put a half dozen or so other spices in the “big ass” pot along with some whole pealed Italian tomatoes.
I had diced and wok fried a couple of pounds of garlic until the pieces were crispy a few days ago. I threw in about half a cup of those. One cannot have too much garlic in chili.
And the best part last! I added a couple of pounds of sliced okra because I had it in the refrigerator. What kind of savage doesn’t keep okra on hand in their refrigerator? I’m not some yokel from East Texas. I was raised properly. We eat okra in my home.
After bringing the “big ass” pot of chili (forgive me Jesus for calling something without beans chili) to the boil, I put it on a slow simmer where it will remain for about three hours until reduced. I don’t like a runny chili. As always, chili is always better the next day. It looks as if I’ll have about two gallons. I’ll likely be freezing much of it in one quart plastic bags.
[To be continued]
Ground Chicken "Chili" (Not Really. It doesn't have beans)
[Note: Throughout this text, I’m calling this dish “chili.” Technically, by divine definition, it’s simply not chili unless it has beans. May God forgive me for making so called, “chili” without beans. Every time someone makes so called “chili” without beans, it makes Baby Jesus cry when he looks down on the meat soup.]
Tyson ground chicken was on sale for $1.29 per pound at the store. I bought as many packages as I thought I could fit into my already loaded refrigerator and freezer. This morning my alarm went off at 0600 so I could get up and make “chili” with the ground chicken as chili needs to simmer and sit around for many hours before it’s safe to eat. :-)
I don’t use recipes when I cook unless I’m baking because my grandmother and mother taught me, “you don’t need no damn recipes when you cook.” Also, they taught me when I’d ask how long to cook something, the answer is always, “until it’s done.”
I began by browning three pounds of chicken one pound at a time in the magic wok. Long Yau! Ground chicken is typically packed with lots of water so after the water seeped from the chicken I drained it and put it back into the fire hot wok. I stir fried each batch until the Maillard reaction kicked in and the chicken was browned and caramelized. Whether it’s beef or chicken, or pork, I like my chili meat to be “al dente” with a caramelized crust.
Once the browned chicken was in the pot, I took a handful of jalapeños and stir fried them in the magic wok until the seeds were slightly toasted. This was quite painful. I was so glad I no longer wear contacts. My sinuses were dry before I did this and I’ve been sitting around with a box of Kleenex now for the last few hours. Remember! DON’T RUB YOUR EYES! If you’re a mellophone player, you should probably get a man to fry the jalapeños for you.
I tossed the fried jalapeños into the pot with the meat. Then I chopped up four yellow onions and a couple of large red peppers, or “poivron rouges” as we call them in the French speaking part of Texas. When they were softened and lightly caramelized, it was into the pot with them.
It was at this point I realized I was going to need a bigger pot, so I transferred everything to a 5 gallon stock pot. I sliced a half dozen stalks of celery and stir fried them as well. My Aggie Ring told me that I could have just used celery salt and no one would know. “I’d know.” I told him.
From that point on it was just a matter of toasting whole cumin seeds and grinding them in my mortar. My mama didn’t raise no son who uses pre-ground spices unless there’s a hurricane a blowing. I probably put a half dozen or so other spices in the “big ass” pot along with some whole pealed Italian tomatoes.
I had diced and wok fried a couple of pounds of garlic until the pieces were crispy a few days ago. I threw in about half a cup of those. One cannot have too much garlic in chili.
And the best part last! I added a couple of pounds of sliced okra because I had it in the refrigerator. What kind of savage doesn’t keep okra on hand in their refrigerator? I’m not some yokel from East Texas. I was raised properly. We eat okra in my home.
After bringing the “big ass” pot of chili (forgive me Jesus for calling something without beans chili) to the boil, I put it on a slow simmer where it will remain for about three hours until reduced. I don’t like a runny chili. As always, chili is always better the next day. It looks as if I’ll have about two gallons. I’ll likely be freezing much of it in one quart plastic bags.
[To be continued]