Issue Date: January 19, 2003
Super Bowl strategy
Rotisserie Chicken Chili With Hominy & Chiles, Below
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Pick up store-bought roast chicken, and make a great pot of chili.
Super Bowl Sunday has evolved into one of the biggest feast days of the year. 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 sautéed 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 puréed 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 purée 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.
Contributing Editor Pam Anderson is the author of "CookSmart" (Houghton Mifflin, $28).
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Rotisserie Chicken Chili With Hominy & Chiles
2 store-bought roast chickens, meat picked from bones and pulled into bite-size pieces, skin and bones reserved separately
2 quarts (8 cups) chicken broth
6 Tbs. vegetable oil
1/4 cup ground cumin
4 tsps. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 large onions, cut into medium dice
2 4-ounce jars or cans diced mild green chiles
2 20-ounce cans hominy (about 6 cups), or equal quantity of canned white beans, such as cannellini or great Northern
6 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 cups frozen corn, preferably shoepeg
Sour cream, cilantro or scallions, lime wedges, green hot sauce
Bring skin and bones, chicken broth and 1 quart of water to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer about 30 minutes. Strain and discard skin and bones. Heat oil over medium-low heat in a soup kettle. Add cumin, oregano and cayenne and cook until spices are fragrant, about 1 minute. Add onion; increase heat to medium; sauté until soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in chicken and chiles. Add 4 cups hominy and all but 1 cup of the broth and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally,
25 to 30 minutes. Process remaining 2 cups hominy and 1 cup broth until silky smooth; add to soup. Stir garlic and corn into soup. Simmer for a minute or so longer, then cover and let stand for 5 minutes.
Ladle into bowls and top with sour cream, cilantro or scallions. Pass separately the lime wedges and green hot pepper sauce.
Serves: 12 to 16.
Per serving, based on 12: 398 calories, 32g protein, 27g carbohydrates, 19g fat (4g saturated), 4g fiber, 1,771mg sodium.
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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.
Easy Frozen Margaritas
2 quarts ice cubes
1 12-ounce can frozen limeade
12 ounces tequila (measure with empty limeade can)
1/4 cup Cointreau
Garnish: margarita or kosher salt for the rims, lime slices cut in half
Working in 2 batches, place 1 quart ice cubes in a blender. Add 1/2 can limeade, 6 ounces tequila and 2 Tbs. Cointreau. Blend at highest speed until drink is almost smooth. Pour into a pitcher and repeat with remaining ingredients. Store in the freezer. To salt the margarita glasses, pour a single layer of salt on a salad plate. Moisten each glass rim with lime; dip each rim in the salt. Pour margaritas into each glass; garnish with lime. Serve immediately.
Makes 8 6-ounce drinks.
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Other great Super Bowl food ideas from past years:
Pam's BBQ ribs and other Super Bowl food ideas.
 Wings, Rings, and Simple Things
-- Jumbo Onion Rings with Sesame Bread Coating
-- Winning Wings With AFC or NFC Sauce
-- Easy Appetizers
-- Perfect Jumbo Onion Rings With Sesame Bread Coating
Super Bowl Barbecue
-- Honey-Sesame Grilled Shrimp
-- Righteous Ribs
-- Chicken on a Throne
-- Firecracker Coleslaw
-- Ultimate Garlic Bread
-- Grilled Pineapple with Rum Raisin or Vanilla Ice Cream
-- Sweet & Smoky Barbecue Sauce
-- Quick & Smoky Baked Beans
Soups for a "Souper" Bowl
-- Vermont Maple-Spiked Chili with Cheddar Stars
-- Caribbean Black Bean Soup
-- Thai Chicken Soup with Coconut Milk and Lemongrass
Photo by Brian Leatart for USA WEEKEND
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