Fiery Chicken Chili with Herb Focaccia

I really starting to finally feel like its fall. The weather's getting cooler, the leaves are changing, I've pulled out my sweaters from storage. So I was really feeling a good, warm, hearty dish. Thus, I decided to give RecipeGirl.com's Fiery Chicken Chili a test drive. However, whenever I have soup/stew/chili, I love to have some bread on the side for dunking. About a week ago, M and I were dining out and he ordered a chicken and rice soup that was served with a side of focaccia bread. I LOVED it. So I thought I'd bake some to go allow with the chili. I used an Herb Focaccia recipe from AllRecipes.com. I was a little concerned because the chili definitely had a Mexican taste and the focaccia is very Italian, but they actually paired together great.


How Long is This Gonna Take:
If you're good at multi-tasking, about one hour. If you can't handle having a few things going at a time, add 30 minutes.


What You'll Need:
6 tbsp EVOO, divided
1 yellow onion, chopped, divided
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 tsp dried oregano
2.5 tsp ground cumin
1.5 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1-2 chipotle chili in adobo sauce, finely chopped, sauce reserved
3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced into bite-size pieces
2-28oz cans diced tomatoes with their juice
2-15.5oz can of pinto beans
cheddar and sour cream to top if you wish (I left them off)
1 pkg Pillsbury Hot Roll Mix (found in the baking aisle)
1 cup warm water
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried thyme


What To Do:1. Preheat oven to 375F. In a large pot, heat 3 tbsp EVOO over medium heat. Add 3/4 of the onion, garlic, oregano, cumin, salt, and paprika. Stir occasionally and cook until the onions are soft, about 7 minutes.



2. While the onions cook, mix up the focaccia dough. Mix together the hot roll mix and the yeast (included in the box). Add in the water, egg, and 2 tbsp EVOO. Beat for 2 minutes or until the dough starts to pull away from the bowl.





3. Now back to the chili- add in the chipotle, 1 tbsp adobo sauce, and the chicken. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken begins to turn opaque (about 2 minutes). Add in the tomatoes and beans and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Uncover and simmer briskly, stirring often, for 30 minutes or until its thickened to your liking.


4. While the chili cooks and reduces, knead the dough on a floured surface until smooth and elastic. Place in a bowl coated with cooking spray and turn over dough so that all is coated in oil. Let rest for 5 minutes.


5. While the dough rests, saute the remaining onion, 1 tbsp EVOO, rosemary and thyme until the onions are soft.




6. Roll out dough- depending on what baking pans you have, this is the shape you're going for. The original recipe calls for 2-12in pizza pans. I used a one large bar pan. Whatever pan you use, coat with cooking spray and place dough in pan(s). Use your finger to create indentations 1 inch apart. Spread onion/rosemary/thyme mix over the bread, cover, and allow the rise in a warm place until doubled (about 30 minutes). Cook for 14-18 minutes.


7. While the focaccia is rising and cooking, the chili will have gotten to its appropriate thickness. Cover and turn to low to keep warm but stop reducing. Feel free to add more adobo sauce if you'd like more heat at this point (I added an extra tbsp and it definitely gave it a punch and I was very happy I had the bread to help with the heat). Once the focaccia is done (it will be slightly browned on top), allow to cool slightly, slice (I used a pizza cutter) and serve as a side to your chili.


8. Yum!