Chili has always been one of my favorite things to cook. There’s just nothing quite like a big pot of hot, spicy chili on a cold day. I started developing my recipe a long time ago and it’s gone through a lot of changes over the years. When Rachael came along I was excited to make it for her, but she thought it was too thick and described it as ‘chili dip’. In retrospect I think she was correct and this recipe has a more traditional chili consistency.
Rachael insisted that I call this ‘award winning chili’ because I won a chili cook off at work a while back. This chili is as healthy as it is flavorful and now I’m finally ready to share my secret recipe with the world! Seriously though, the only ingredient that might be considered a little outside the box would be the semi-sweet chocolate chips. They add a touch of sweetness, along with a hint of those rich chocolaty tones.
I made this chili colorful by adding 3 different colors of beans and bell peppers. I just think it looks pretty. I use dried beans in the recipe because they’re cheaper, healthier, and taste better. See this article on SquakFox for further info on the virtues of dried beans. I use the 99% lean ground turkey breast in this recipe to keep it extra healthy, but be sure to add the meat add the very end to prevent it from drying out.
This recipe makes quite a large batch, but chili is an extremely versatile leftover that you can do a lot with. Below are a few suggestions.
- Chili dogs
- Chili cheese burritos
- Chili burgers
- Chili poured over corn bread
- Chili mac and cheese
- Chili spaghetti
- Chili omelets
- Chili nachos
- Chili cheese fries
- Chili with Fritos Scoops Corn Chips
You get the idea. What do you do with your leftover chili?
Bill
- 1 cup dried pinto beans
- ½ cup dried black beans
- ½ cup dried red kidney beans
- 6 (14.5 ounce)cans diced tomatoes
- 2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
- 2 large onions (1 chopped, 1 quartered)
- 4 large cloves garlic
- 3 celery stalks, cut into thirds
- 1-2 hot peppers to taste – such as jalapeno, Serrano, or habanero
- 1 green pepper, chopped
- 1 red pepper, chopped
- 1 yellow pepper, chopped
- 1 tablespoon semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons olive oil + 1 tablespoon
- 1¼ teaspoons cumin
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 2 teaspoons ancho chili powder
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- ½ tablespoon cracked black pepper
- 1 pound (99% lean) ground turkey, browned and cooked
- Cook all dried beans together according to package directions. Set aside.
- In a large Dutch oven, pour cans of tomatoes and chicken broth and turn heat on low.
- In a food processor fitted with a metal blade – add garlic, celery, hot peppers, and the quartered onion. Add about a ladle full of some of the juice from the pot and process on high until smooth. Place into the pot with the chicken broth and tomato mixture. Next, add diced onion, green pepper, red pepper, yellow pepper, chocolate chips, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, cumin, paprika, ancho chili powder, granulated garlic, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 3-4 hours. Add in the beans during the last hour or so of cooking time.
- In a large pan, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium-high heat. Add ground turkey and fully cook. Stir turkey into the pot of chili right before serving.
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