This year I'm serving a crowd-pleasing chili as the centerpiece. Because my Super Bowl guests range from toddlers and teenagers to X'ers and boomers, and because many of them don't eat red meat, I set out to develop a chicken chili--one dish to satisfy everyone.
I started with the bird, but I quickly realized that poaching whole chickens to make stock and meat for the chili would take nearly two hours. Then inspiration hit: I could save a big chunk of time simply by using rotisserie chickens from the supermarket and canned chicken broth as my chili base. That way, the chicken was already cooked and the stock made.
I headed to the store for two chickens and, after separating the meat from the carcass, I tossed the skin and bones into the simmering broth to intensify its flavor. Meanwhile, I pulled the chicken into bite-size pieces and prepared the remaining soup ingredients. By the time I was ready to start making chili, the skin and bones had given up all of their flavor to the broth to make a doubly rich soup base.
Next I sauteed the cumin, oregano and cayenne pepper before adding them to the chili; that helped to release more flavor so the spices permeated the entire dish. Because the broth already was flavorful and the chicken fully cooked, there was no need to simmer the chili for hours; I cooked it just long enough for the flavors to blend, about 30 minutes. I decided to use canned hominy for an authentic Southwestern accent, and I pureed some of it to thicken the chili. What, exactly, is hominy? It's dried corn kernels (hulls removed) that have been reconstituted--the corn kernels burst like popcorn. You can find it in the canned-vegetable aisle of a well-stocked supermarket. Or use an equal amount of white beans (I like cannellini or great Northern), remembering to reserve 2 cups of beans to puree for thickener.
And finally, because I like a more pungent garlic kick, I added garlic at the very end of the cooking process. But I kept chile-pepper levels low for those with heat-sensitive palates, and set out bottles of green hot pepper sauce for those who like it hot and spicy.
And to drink... Authentic margaritas call for lots of fresh lime juice--both expensive and time-consuming. I've found I can shortcut the process by using frozen limeade. And for a festive non-alcoholic drink, combine a 12-ounce can of limeade (thawed) with a 48-ounce bottle of sparkling water.
Copyright 2004 USA Weekend and columnist Pam Anderson. All rights reserved.
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