chipotle chocolate chili . . .

Have you ever heard of chocolate chili?

I had heard of it, but had never tried it . . . that is, until I found a recipe for Chipotle Chocolate Chili in one of my sister-in-law's cookbooks . . . and made it the day after arriving home from our Winter vacation. I just couldn't wait!

It's made with unsweetened cocoa powder and chocolate, kidney beans, and chipotle sauce (along with other traditional chili ingredients). It's not only easy to prepare, but it's incredibly rich and flavorful.

I love how the flavors of this chili compliment one another. There's a balance of sweetness (kidney beans & brown sugar), spiciness (chipotle sauce, cumin & chili powder), acidity (diced tomatoes & red wine vinegar), and richness (unsweetened cocoa and chocolate).

Chipotle chocolate chili . . .

a wonderfully, delicious play on a classic!

You'll even fall in love with it's deep color . . .

Ingredients

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 large onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 15-oz. cans diced tomatoes

2 14.5-oz. cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 15-oz. can beef broth

3 Tbsp. brown sugar

2 Tbsp. chili powder

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

1/2 tsp. salt

Chipotle sauce

1/2 oz. unsweetened chocolate 

~ be careful, because too much unsweetened cocoa will make your chili bitter ~

3-4 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

Toppings

fresh cilantro
sour cream

chopped green onions

shredded jack or cheddar cheese

Instructions

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Sauté onion, garlic, bell pepper, and ground beef until meat is cooked through. Add salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, brown sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, tomatoes, kidney 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 (about 30-40 minutes).

If desired, add some chopped chipotle chilies (only if you like HEAT!). Add 3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar and a small amount of grated chocolate 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, serve with chopped green onions, sour cream, and shredded jack or cheddar cheese. I also served Garlic Naan bread alongside the chili.

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Simply Suzannes at Home

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Simply Suzannes at Home

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More chili recipes . . .

Taco Chili

Creamy White Bean & Chicken Chili

easy Fall entertaining with friends . . .

We welcomed Halloween with COOL temperatures and light rain (ahhhh) . . . the perfect kind of evening for a cozy and casual dinner with friends before trick-or-treating.

It's a family tradition to have chili on Halloween, so I prepared a dinner very similar to this one, here.

Given the high energy of the evening, I kept our dinner low-key and served home-made traditional chili in a big cast iron pot right from the stove top, along with a toppings bar that I set up on our kitchen island that included three cheese, fresh avocados, sour cream, tortilla chips, and fresh cilantro.  

Since I didn't decorate for Halloween this year, spooky decor for our evening gathering was scarce. Instead, I opted for lighting tea lights . . . and placed them around the kitchen and dining room for an eerie twinkle.

I also lit upwards of 20 tea lights and placed them around our entry room, along with our glowing Jack O'Lantern, where we greeted trick-or-treaters.  I loved the eerily glow . . . something that I will absolutely do next year. I shared a few photos on Instagram.

"H" is for Halloween!

Here's a photo of our toppings bar. Sorry for not including the food in the photos. I didn't add the toppings to the bowls until just before our guests arrived, as I wanted everything to be as fresh as possible.

These sweet corn cakes were a HIT, along with the chili! YUM! I always serve them with chili. Their tender sweetness is amazing on top of warm spicy flavors.

Orange CRUSH made for the perfect Halloween bubbly!  

And there's nothing like offering your guests a warm drink to take on their way out trick-or-treating with their little ones. I offered Hot Cocoa, Apple Cider, and Pumpkin Spice coffee. 

One of the highlights of our evening was the rain! It added to the fun and excitement. We had a wonderful evening . . . and hope that you did, too!

Two of my little ones 

with their Halloween make-up on.

  

 

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Sharing with . . . .

Stephanie Lynn, It's Overflowing, Twelve O Eight, Carrie This Home, Baking in Pajamas, Huckleberry Love, Dwellings, Smart Party Planning,  The Dedicated House, Mod Vintage Life, Lori's Culinary Creations, Home Stories, StoneGable, An Extraordinary Day, I'm Not a Trophy Wife, Between Naps on the Front Porch, Rustic Refined,  Tumbleweed Contessa, A Stroll Thru Life,, Life With Garnish. Elizabeth & Co,  My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Savvy Southern Style, The Recipe Critic, Janine Huldie, Carolyn's Homework,  Fluster Buster   Designs by Miss Mandee,  Craftie Allie,  Wednesday morning The Blissful Bee,  The Newlywed Pilgrimage,  Chic California, Lamberts Lately, Live Laugh Rowe, Sweet Bella Roos, The Charm of Home, From My Front Porch to ours, Delightsome Life., Posed Perfection, Katherine's Corner, Nancherrow, The Freshman Cook,  Jann Olson, Home  Maid Simple, Anderson + Grant,  Rooted in Thyme, Everyday Enchanted Home, Pure Grace Farms A Dish of Daily Life, Bacon Time, Sunflower Supper Club, Tater Tots and Jello,  Cooking with Curls, Made from Pinterest, Simply Gloria

creamy white bean & chicken chili with roasted sweet potatoes

I wanted to share this post again, since chili is a popular dinner served on Halloween.

It's easy to see why . . . it's simple to prepare and ever-so-hearty.  A delicious on-the-go dinner for busy trick-or-treaters. 

Chili has a special place in my heart! It reminds me of my late grandma, Monie, who made it every year for our family's Annual Halloween Celebration! Her chili was famous!  

  

It was rich . . . thick . . . and hearty! Made with a tomato base, meat, salsa, and LOADS of spices . . . It was amazing.

Shortly after her 97th birthday she shared with us that she didn't think she was going to host Halloween that year, because it was just too much. And although we all offered to help, she still declined because she knew she couldn't host it the way that she always did, and wanted to . . . so our chili tradition ended, sadly.

Several of us asked her for the recipe, so as to carry on the "chili tradition" in our own homes . . . but her response was "Honey, there is no recipe." 

What!?! How could that be? 

Determined to have it, I asked her to prepare it one afternoon so that I could watch and record. My attempt proved quite difficult because she didn't measure a single ingredient, and used a lot of "this and that." 

My culinary skills have grown over the years, and what I've come to realize is that chili is probably one of the most versatile recipes, and that some of the best chili's don't have a recipe! 

Monie's chili is still THE BEST CHILI I have ever eaten , and knowing what I know now . . . It wasn't amazing because of a 'special ingredient' . . . It was amazing because she prepared it with LOVE . . . and a lot of it! ((Her century-old cast iron pot ~ laden with more flavor than you could imagine ~ might have helped a little too. Smile!))

I haven't tried to re-create her chili. I'm not sure that I ever could, even if I tried. And that's ok. It was HER chili, and she will always be remembered for it!

Since marrying my husband, I've prepared a few chili recipes . . . and tend to lean towards white bean and chicken chili's. I appreciate their light and fresh flavors . . . and love that I can add ROASTED Fall vegetables for an extra special treat.  Roasted sweet potatoes are my favorite . . . as their sweetness is a pleasant play off the warm cumin and chili spices. 

I recommend serving your favorite garlic bread with THIS chili  . . . and don't forget a few great toppings too! CRUMBLED BACON makes this ever so good!!

Ingredients

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, shredded

(If you don't have time to roast your own chicken, then a rotisserie chicken works great too)

1 medium onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 medium sweet potato, chopped and roasted

1 tablespoon butter

2 cans (15-1/2 ounces each) great northern beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (14-1/2 ounces) chicken broth

1 can (8 ounces) chopped green chilies

1 teaspoon salt

2  teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Garnish with . . . fresh Italian flat leaf parsley or cilantro, sour cream, shredded Pepper  Jack Cheese, and CRUMBLED BACON

Directions

In a large saucepan, saute the onion in butter until tender, stir in seasonings, allowing them to heat. Add garlic and saute. Stirring frequently.

Add the beans, broth, chilies, and salt & pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. 

Add roasted sweet potatoes and shredded chicken. Cover pot with lid. 

Remove from the heat; stir in cream. 

Serves 6-8

bon appetit!

~ This post is dedicated to my late grandma, Monie ~

We miss you!

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