For Kim Sewell - A great recipe for Grits

At the Capitol City Dinner Dance this past Saturday night, I had a great visit with two wonderful friends of mine. John and Kim Sewell are what my mother would have called "truly good people." During our visit, I discovered that Kim, who is not generally a follower of blogs, follows this one and even calls herself a "fan." Well...I've never had anyone describe themselves as a "fan" so suffice it to say that I am touched. I asked Kim to tell me her favorite food and her answer was PB&J or Grits. So Kim, here is a recipe I have created for you. Before today, it didn't exist.
Bon Appetit!
~Tom
Kim's Grits
2/3  cups quick grits (not instant)

1 1/3 cups whole milk

1 1/3 cups chicken stock

½ cup shredded colby/jack cheese

¼ rotisserie chicken*

4 slices smoked bacon

1 bunch green onions

1 tsp. Creole seasoning

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter

Paprika

Fresh ground black pepper

Salt

Prep

Finely chop green onions. Chop chicken into very small pieces, less than ½” cubes.

Cook

Cook the bacon in an iron skillet and reserve 1 Tbsp. of rendered bacon fat. Crumble bacon and set aside. In a large pot or saucepan, combine bacon fat, milk, chicken stock and grits with a pinch of salt and 1 Tbsp. butter and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and continue cooking, whisking frequently, until the grits are fully cooked and the proper consistency** is reached. Add cheese, crumbled bacon, Creole Seasoning, chicken and ½ of the green onions. Add butter, 1 Tbsp. at the time and when each one is melted, taste for flavor and add more butter if needed. You can also add more Creole seasoning if desired.

Plate

Serve in a shallow bowl and garnish with paprika, green onions and fresh ground black pepper.

*Most grocery stores have very good rotisserie chicken for sale. You decide if you want to use white or dark meat for your quarter chicken.

**If your grits are too thick, you can add a little whole milk to thin them a bit.

(Serves 8)