Chili con carne (Chili) is Spanish for “chile peppers with meat.” Traditionally, chili is a simple stew made of chile peppers, meat, cumin, garlic and onions. Beans and tomatoes are often added but are disputed as authentic ingredients of chili. Chili has become a signature dish of the United States and is especially known in Texas.
In my variation of chili, I use ground turkey or chicken. With all of the spices, my family doesn’t miss the beef. I include tomato paste to get the flavor of tomatoes in the broth without the chunks of tomato and pinto and black beans for extra lean protein and fiber. I also use some of my homemade jalapeño chicken stock for a kick. You can use regular chicken stock or additional chicken broth, depending on what you have on hand. That’s one of the great things about chili: you can add whatever ingredients you would like, including corn, beans, peppers and tomatoes.
I like to serve my chili with Cornbread Muffins, Jalapeño Cornbread, cheesy bread or Irish Soda Bread. Freeze leftovers or make Fiesta the following day to transform your chili into a new meal.
- 1 - 1.25 pounds of ground turkey, chicken or beef
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp cumin
- ¼ tsp oregano
- ¼ tsp chili powder
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 pasilla pepper, chopped
- 1-2 jalapeño or serrano peppers, chopped
- 1 15-ounce can of pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 15-ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed
- 4 Tbsp tomato paste
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- ½ cup jalapeño chicken stock, optional
- 1 Tbsp chili powder (ideally a mix of chiles such as ancho and chile de arbol)
- ½ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- ¼ tsp paprika
- Coat the bottom of a pan with oil and heat at medium-high.
- Brown the meat with the spices (1/4 tsp salt - ¼ tsp chili powder).
- The meat can still be raw in the center because it will continue to cook as the chili simmers.
- Lightly coat a large pot with oil and cook the onion, garlic and peppers over medium heat until they are translucent.
- Add the browned meat and the remaining ingredients to the pot.
- Let the chili simmer for thirty minutes to an hour (or longer), continuing to season it to taste once the meat is fully cooked.
- Top the chili with grated cheese, chopped onions, chopped tomatoes, shredded cilantro and/or light sour cream.
- Add the browned meat and the rest of the ingredients to the slow-cooker.
- Let it cook for several hours.
