BYOkay, for any of you who have been reading for awhile, you’ll know that I have uber-picky eaters at my house, namely my husband and my son. So imagine my surprise when I made this Chipotle Chocolate Chili for the first time last year and both of them ate it up. Willingly. And then they had more. And then my husband told me that this was THE chili recipe he’d been longing for the whole time we’d been married. So imagine his surprise when I told him that this was no ordinary chili–there’s a rather unusual ingredient that you’d think would be gross, but it adds a depth and complexity to the flavor of the chili that makes it taste as though it’s been simmering all day. Luckily for you, it’s more like 30-40 minutes. Which is totally doable. The super-secret ingredient? Unsweetened chocolate. Wait! Come back! Have we led you astray yet? I didn’t think so. Hear me out…
Heat 1-2 tablespoons olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Saute onion, garlic, bell pepper, and ground turkey until meat is cooked through.
Add salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, brown sugar, and unsweetened cocoa powder.
Add the tomatoes, beans,
and beef broth.
Chipotle Chocolate Chili
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 6-8
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground turkey
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 2–3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 2 15-oz. cans diced or crushed tomatoes
- 2 14-.5 oz. cans kidney beans, drained
- 1 15-oz. can beef broth
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- Adobo sauce (from a can of chipotle chilies)
- 1/2 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate, grated or chopped
- 3–4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- Sour cream, chopped green onions, and shredded cheddar cheese for topping
Instructions
Heat 1-2 tablespoons olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Saute onion, garlic, bell pepper, and ground turkey until meat is cooked through.
Add salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, brown sugar, and unsweetened cocoa powder. Add the tomatoes, beans, and beef broth.
Nutrition
- Calories: 244kcal
- Sugar: 14g
- Sodium: 1188mg
- Fat: 9g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 25g
- Fiber: 6g
- Protein: 20g
- Cholesterol: 56mg
We just had this for dinner with the naughty cornbread. YUM! Even my picky 3 year old ate it. Well, after I pureed it. Baby steps. I’m a huge wuss for spice, though, so I only put a tiny bit of chipotle sauce. Just the chili powder gave it plenty of kick for my weak tastebuds! Thanks for another great one!
I just made this for dinner tonight, along with the naughty corn muffins (cake :)) My suggestion would be to only use half a can of the chipotle sauce if you want your younger kids to eat it. It was very spicy, but good nonetheless.
I tried this last night and it was a hit with my family. I reviewed it over on my blog:
http://thegoodshiplollipop.blogspot.com/
Thanks!!
CHOCOLATE!!!
Sara – I really can’t think of a better “secret ingredient”.
mmmmmmm. . . looks delicious!
Am I the only one not having a chili cook-off?! Maybe I need to host one at my house, lol.
Chili is sounding very yummy today- and I agree that chocolate adds the perfect flavor (hello- what does chocolate NOT add the perfect flavor to?)
I am with Erika, I am going to be using this for our wards Chili cook off. And we are having it on Halloween!
I am definitely going to try this. I already have my chili recipe for this year’s cook off, so maybe this will be my secret weapon next year!
Love that secret ingredient! I’m going to try making some of this in my slow cooker.
That looks way yummy. I’m always on the lookout for new chili recipes! My family loves chili. Thanks again for another “recipe to try” added to my list!
I am soooo trying this! We have a chili cook off next week for our ward Halloween party, and I’ve been looking for a good recipe that’s original, and I think I just found it!!! Thanks! Ü