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The BEST Chili
With football season right around the corner, I wanted to share one of my favorite recipes to make on Sunday afternoons while watching the Patriots. It's spicy, complex, rich, and versatile thanks to the combination of spices and a can of beer. You can serve it by itself in bowls, top nachos with it, or stir it into queso too! The possibilities are endless. This chili can be made with any type of meat; pork, beef, chicken, turkey, venison, or a combo. For this post, I used chicken but feel free to sub the protein of your choice.
Start by prepping the vegetables; onion, red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, and garlic.
Heat several tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy pot (I use a cast iron, enameled dutch oven) and saute the vegetables with a big pinch of salt. Start with just the peppers and onions until they're tender and then add the garlic for the last minute or so.
While the vegetables are cooking, rinse two cans of beans. You can use any combination you like, I prefer kidney beans and black beans, but any two cans work!
Once the vegetables are tender, it's time to add the spices. Frying the spices in the hot oil helps to really develop the flavors and makes all the difference in this chili. The list of spices is long, but it's worth it. Each one serves it's own purpose and round out the hot, smoky, fruity flavors. You'll need chili powder, chipotle powder, cumin, paprika, smoked paprika, ancho chili powder, oregano, black pepper, cayenne, and more salt.
Let the spices cook with the vegetables for a minute or two. The spices will absorb the rest of the olive oil so at this point, I usually add another few tablespoons before adding in the ground chicken.
Cook the ground chicken, breaking it up with a spoon, for several minutes until it is cooked through and the pan is starting to develop some brown bits on the bottom.
Pour in a can of your favorite beer (nothing flavored!) and a can of crushed, no salt added tomatoes. I prefer unsalted so I can control the flavor better, but if you can't find the unsalted kind, just keep tasted the recipe as you go to make sure it doesn't get too salty.
Simmer the pot for a few more minutes until it starts to boil again, then add a few tablespoons of sugar. The sugar balances out the heat of the spices and the acid in the tomatoes, and I would definitely say it's my secret ingredient. I also add a bit more salt at this point since the tomatoes don't have any. Add the beans and cook for just a few more minutes until the beans are heated through.
I like the serve the chili in big bowls topped with shredded cheddar, sour cream, and a squeeze of lime. If I have it, I'll add some diced avocado or crushed tortilla chips to the top as well. You could also serve the chili over rice or a baked potato. This recipe freezes extremely well, too, so you can save some for another day.
Recipe:
Total Time: 45 minutes| Serves: 6-8
Ingredients:
1 red bell pepper, small diced
1 yellow bell pepper, small diced
1 white onion, small diced
1 tbs minced garlic (about 3-4 cloves)
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tsp salt, divided
1 tbs chili powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp regular paprika
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp chipotle powder
2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp ancho chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 lb ground chicken, turkey, beef, pork, venison, or a combo
1 can beer
1 12 oz can no salt crushed tomatoes
2 tbs granulated sugar
2 15.5 oz cans of beans, any two kinds, rinsed and drained
1. Heat 1/4 cup olive oil over medium high in a heavy pot, such as a dutch oven. Add the peppers and onions and saute until tender with 1 tsp salt, about ten minutes. Add the garlic and saute for one minute more.
2. Add the chili powder, smoked paprika, regular paprika, black pepper, oregano, chipotle, cumin, ancho chili powder and cayenne. Saute the spices with the vegetables for about two minutes.
4. Move the vegetables to the edges of the pot and add another two tablespoons of olive oil. Add the ground chicken to the pot with 1 tsp salt and stir, breaking up with a spoon. Cook for another ten minutes until the chicken is cooked and some browned bits start to form on the bottom of the pot.
5. Add the beer, then the tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Add the sugar as well as the last teaspoon of salt. Taste the chili to see if it needs any more salt or sugar - it should be well balanced.
6. Stir in the beans and cook for just another minute until they are heated through. Serve with toppings such as sour cream, lime, cheese, avocados and tortilla chips.