Buffalo Chicken... Um... Chili?

Well winter decided to come in with a roar last night here in the great plains! The wind certainly came sweeping down over them, and we even saw some snow blowing around, enough to accumulate on our ice-covered lawn. Of course, in classic Oklahoma fashion, it didn't stick around long after the sun came up this morning. But it is still chili outside! And any time it's chili outside, that means it's time to make some chili inside.

Of course, my old-fashioned roots in old-timer recipes buck the idea of calling this 'real' chili. I mean, come one now, where's the cow? And the beans? Vegetables?! You have got to be kidding me!

The old stand-by meat'n'beans campfire favorite just got shoved aside. Not so unhealthy itself (lean beef, and please, limit the brown sugar!), this chicken counterpart still beats it in the nutritional value. And with the end of football season just around the corner, dieters everywhere are bemoaning the loss of their beloved buffalo chicken wings. So on a chili evening still in football season, this dish should satisfy all present! It surprised the husband and wowed the cook who, I admit, was skeptical of ground chicken. This is definitely a repeater!

The original recipe had less liquid, and since I wanted to stretch it a little further, I simply added more! Adjust as you wish to achieve your desired consistency. :)

Ingredients:
3 carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise, and sliced thin
3 stalks celery, sliced thin
3 cloves garlic, minced (I used BIG ones... because more garlic is always better!)
1 pound ground chicken
1 Tbsp ground chili powder
1 Tbsp flour
3 cups spicy V-8
1/8-1/4 c Lousianna hot sauce
1/4 tsp salt

Directions:
- Coat a large pot with cooking spray and preheat over medium-high heat. Saute carrots and celery approximately 10 minutes, or until tender. Then add all that lovely garlic and saute for another minute or so.
- Add the chicken and cook through, breaking into small chunks as you go.
- Sprinkle the chili powder and flour over meat mixture, stirring quickly to distribute evenly.
- Add V-8 and hot sauce, bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes.
Yields: 2 large servings

350 calories packed with 50 grams of protein?! I think YES!!!