Okay, 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
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.
- Add all of the chipotle sauce from a small can of chipotle chilies. Heat to boiling and then reduce to a simmer (uncovered), stirring occasionally, until thickened as desired (I like it about 30-40 minutes). If desired, add some chopped chipotle chilies. Add 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar. Chop or grate 1/2 ounce of unsweetened baking chocolate and add a little at a time until desired richness is reached. If necessary, add more red wine vinegar to cut the sweetness of the chili. This is where you can play around a little with the flavors.
- When thickened and seasoned as desired, serve with chopped onions or green onions, sour cream, and shredded cheddar cheese.
Questions & Reviews
Ha! I took this to my ward chili cook off and won Most Traditional! This is really good!