
Spicy Chili
This chili recipe is quite busy, but worth the effort! It's an older one and calls for some specific ingredients; I've tried to offer substitutions when I can.
Servings 10 servings
Ingredients
- 1 pkg ground chicken not ground breast
- 1 lb ground beef 90/10
- 2 Tbl flour masa flour if you have it
- 1 large onion, small dice about 1-1.5 cups
- 1 red bell pepper, small dice
- 4-5 cloves garlic, minced about 2Tbl
- 2 Tbl chili powder use half if you are spice sensitive
- 1 Tbl ancho powder skip if you can't find it
- 1 Tbl cumin
- 1 Tbl smoked paprika or more, if you skipped ancho
- 1 tsp each black pepper and salt
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes to taste
- 2-3 chipotles w/ adobo, minced to taste; sub 2 tsp EA cayenne and chipotle powder
- 2 Tbl tomato paste
- 1 8oz can tomato sauce
- 1 28oz can diced or crushed tomatoes Rotel with green chiles is excellent
- 1 can Bush's Chili Starter Texas Medium any version is fine, this adds beans and thickeners - it's a nice time saver
- 2 Tbl molasses, agave or sugar adds a little depth and sweetness to balance the spices
- Toppings: sour cream, shred cheese, scallions serve with chips
Instructions
- Gather ingredients and prep veg first.
- In a 5-6 qt soup pot, sauté chicken and beef over med hi heat for about 5 minutes.
- Add flour to meat and sauté another 2-3 minutes.
- Add onion, garlic and pepper; continue to sauté until veg is softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add all the spices and stir to thoroughly integrate and cook out, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add chipotles, all tomato products and chili starter. Bring to a simmer and stir to integrate. Adjust heat to keep at a slow simmer for another 20 minutes.
- Check S/P and adjust, then add sweetener. At this point, if chili is too tight, add a little water, chicken stock or even beer to loosen it up to your liking. Bring back to simmer for a final 5 minutes then take off heat.
- Serve with sour cream, shredded cheese, scallions and chips.
Notes
Photo credit: simplyrecipes.com
As with all chili, it gets better after it's been in the fridge for a couple of days. You will have to adjust the salt after it's been refrigerated, but the spices should bloom nicely as it sits.
This chili freezes very well.

