Chex Mix
Lidey Heuck
241 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
241
1 hour, plus cooling
Chili
Updated July 3, 2024
- Total Time
- 1½ hours
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:6 to 8 servings
- 2tablespoons neutral oil, such as grapeseed
- 2pounds ground beef, preferably 20 percent fat
- Salt and pepper
- 1large yellow onion, coarsely chopped
- 4garlic cloves, finely chopped or grated
- 1tablespoon ground cumin
- 1tablespoon store-bought or homemade chili powder, plus more if needed
- 1chipotle pepper in adobo plus 1 teaspoon sauce (or 1 additional tablespoon chili powder)
- 1(15-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2(15-ounce) cans beans (such as pinto, black or any bean you like in chili), with their liquid
- 1½teaspoons apple cider vinegar, plus more if needed
- Grated sharp Cheddar, sour cream, hot sauce, sliced scallions, chopped white onion, cilantro leaves, crushed tortilla or corn chips, for serving (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
475 calories; 27 grams fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 12 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 30 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 29 grams protein; 836 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high. Working in batches if necessary to avoid crowding the pot, use your hands to break the beef into small chunks (about 2 inches each) and add a single layer to the pot. Season with salt and pepper, then cook, flipping once, until browned on two sides, 4 to 6 minutes. (Meat won’t be cooked through.) Transfer to a bowl, leaving the fat in the pot.
- Step 2
Reduce heat to medium, add the onion and season with salt and pepper. Cook until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin and chili powder, and stir until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Step 3
Add the chipotle pepper and adobo sauce, plus the beef and any juices in the bowl. Use a spoon or potato masher to break up the beef into small pieces. Stir in the tomato sauce and cocoa powder.
- Step 4
Cover, reduce heat to low and cook, stirring frequently to avoid scorching, until the beef is tender and the sauce is flavorful, 25 to 30 minutes.
- Step 5
Add the beans, including their liquid, and cook, uncovered, stirring often, until the liquid is slightly thickened and the beans are warm, 10 to 15 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes, then stir in the apple cider vinegar. Taste and add salt until chili is rich and loudly spiced. Eat with desired toppings. Chili keeps for up to 3 days refrigerated; warm over low heat and adjust consistency and seasonings with water, salt, vinegar and chili powder. (Leftovers will keep for up to 4 months if frozen.)
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
NIck Santa FeNM
I'm thinking when we make a recipe that some cooks who have made it rave about and for us, it comes out bland to your taste, 9 times out of ten the dish is bland because NEEDS SALT...because the new cook used too little or forgot the salt altogether (it happens!). So if you make a recipe "to the instructions" and it comes out bland, try adding some salt, perhaps only a bit at a time.
Joe B.
A dark beer and a cup of strong coffee added flav.
Jennifer Almonte-Gonzalez
Added more chile powder as my family likes spicy. Added beef broth because it was a little thick. I made it all the night before except the beans and then refrigerated overnight. About 4 hours before serving time I added the beans and broth and simmered on low. The flavors blended beautifully. My family loved it!
Barnegat Leight
Smoked paprika instead of chipotle?
PatrickM
This is the best Chili I have ever eaten. Remarkably to this newbie cook is that I made it. I’m looking forward to making it again and sharing it with more. I am also enjoying this app and the shopping list shared to apple notes is especially useful.
Arlene
Really delicious. I made a few adjustments for my personal preferences but I came here to say that I enjoy the addition of vinegar. This is not an ingredient that I normally use in chili and it really rounds out the flavor. Thank you.
Martha
Great chili — complex flavors with chipotle and cocoa. Will be my standard from now on!
Dave T
Seemed a little bland so I added another Tbsp chili powder, more adobo sauce, and a big pinch of MSG. After more cooking then adding black & kidney beans flavors came together wonderfully.
Caterina in Marin County
Yes a bottle of beer is essential. This is a fine recipe but the sine qua non of chili recipes is the classic Half-time Chili from Epicurious. Google it. The spice blend is more complex. I do add some Lindt salted dark chocolate squares and some cubes of steak and pork chop in addition to the 3 lbs of ground round. And use 3 cans of different beans for added texture and complexity: pinto, butter, cannellini. Serve w/ cornbread and condiments. Freezes beautifully.
Elizabeth
I made a more diet-friendly version, and it was still delicious! I used only 1 lb. of 93% lean ground beef, and then sautéed 1/2 lb. chopped green peppers and 1/2 lb. sliced mushrooms along with the onions in Step 2. I also chopped the chipotle pepper into small pieces before adding it to the chili.
Ellen W
Thank you Ali Slagel! This is the best chili I have made (and I have made a lot). Only two minor changes. I had a jar of chipotle sauce only, no peppers, so added three additional teaspoons to compensate. Also used my own home cooked beans and their broth. Agree with the poster who said that people who find it bland probably should add more salt. It was perfect.
KM
I reduced the beef to 1lb - personal preference, but that ratio of meat to beans felt good to me. I also cooked some bacon in the pot first, sauteeing the onions in the leftover bacon grease, to amp up the smokiness in the dish. Really solid, and even better the next day.
Highlander Rob
I have not made Chili in many years and found this recipe was very good. I did embellish with doubling tomato sauce, adding 1 teaspoon of espresso powder and a pint of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Now that I have an immersion blender, I was able to breakup the pinto beans to help thicken and smooth the chili. For this 69 year old, makes it much easier to eat plus less ill-effects from having whole beans in my digestive system later. Once again, NYT Cooking scores a touchdown. Cheers
susan brown
Added a can of diced tomatoes (with juice) and a bunch of chili powder. Then it was great!
Colleen Glass
Interesting addition of cocoa. My substitution was Beyond Beef instead of ground beef. Before frying it separately I mixed in one egg, two crushed garlic cloves and half of the cumin and chili powders. U prefer green pepper chopped and some crunch with celery and a crrotMy mom also would add half a bay leaf at the end. Whoever got the bay leaf in their bowl of chili was the 'lucky' one. It all tastes delicious on this last snowy day of February.
Kristin
This is a great recipe for a quick, flavorful chili. Of course I made adjustments based on tasting, but very pleased. Actually surprised at the depth of flavor in such a short time. Deeply browning the meat, caramelizing the onion, toasting the spices all lends itself to rich flavor. Used homemade chili powder. Added ancho chili powder and smoked paprika because I didn’t have chipotle in adobo. Also used unsweetened chocolate since I was out of cocoa powder.
Bruce
I typically use New Mexican chile powder which is available in several different levels of heat.
James M.
I’ve made many chile recipes throughout my nearly fifty adult years. This one wins hands down for ease of making, cook time, and outstanding flavor. The suggested toppings are a must of course, as they really make this recipe sing. I served this chile with buttermilk cornbread made in an iron skillet. I thought and hoped there would be leftovers, as it was only four of us. One of my guests was scrapping the pot the chile was made in with a spoon.
Noah Dowd
Add one more can of beans
Cory
This was delicious and not all that difficult to put together on a weeknight. Made pretty much as advertised but added in a few tomatoes that needed to be used up. Left out the vinegar as the tomatoes seemed to add the right amount of acid.
Helen Betts
Although the flavor itself was good in the end, I didn't get the reason for the complicated way of browning the beef nor why 80 percent hamburger -- which is already very fatty -- required 2 Tbsp. of oil to brown, with the result that the onions were sauteed in a virtual pool of fat and excessive oil in the finished dish. I also found one 15 oz can of tomato sauce inadequate for such a huge amount of beef and beans, so added two cans of Rotel for at least a bit of liquid.
Tom 190
Great recipe. Just taste and adjust. In step 3, first add pepper, then tomato sauce, bring to boil. Then add the meat & cocao. For those wanting vegan: Impossible or other imitation burger is too expensive for chili. Its flavor is lost when cooked above that of a burger, so simmering in chili is too high for too long in a highly flavored stew. I have used lentils, which are flavorful. TVP is said to work. For flavor, use some soy sauce and possibly a pinch of nutritional yeast.
Delicious!
We treat recipes as a general guideline, especially when it's something easier, like chili. This was delicious! I added a poblano pepper (diced) with the onion because we had one in the fridge, 1 Tbsp of Hungarian smoked paprika at the same time as the chili powder, and a bottle of porter with the tomato sauce. Next time I might add corn or some other vegetables, but it's not needed.
Tai
I used canned beans in tomato sauce and an extra can of chopped tomatoes. It was outstanding.
ArtsBeatLA CA
They say to follow the recipe at least once before you adapt it, but I have compiled the best of - and will be following - the suggestions posted here in comments: Add oregano Add Sugar double the chipotle chilies in adobo add beer Use black and pinto beans Add mushroom Add barley a bit of lime juice near the end
Brushjl
Delicious! I soaked and boiled my own pintos, but the rest of the seasonings were divine. Perfect for a cold February night
Glyn Churchman
I'll scroll on past the beans and all that tomato sauce and complain about the "1 tablespoon store-bought or homemade chili powder, plus more if needed". AMEN to the "if more is needed"! A lot more... I've NEVER seen vinegar in chili! Sugar is missing. Why sugar? A little can help kill the bitterness of some chili powders. It's a mediocre chili recipe that cumin can't make up for. It will be okay... Caveat: A Texan, I've competed in local New England chili cookoffs and my Red was loved!
billie
Wait, one chipotle chili, not the whole can (14) ..? I liked it but the rest of the household was reaching for the sour cream.
Mary in Maine
This looks like a good recipe for our family dinners, but some of our members are vegetarian/vegan. Has anyone tried making it with the fake hamburger? Maybe add some butter (I know, not vegan, but they can cope).
Helen Ullric
Realized too late that I didn’t have tomato sauce so instead used two cans of diced tomatoes (thank you Ro-Tel), some tomato paste and beef broth for additional liquid. Also added another chipotle chili and sauce for some more heat and funk. Delicious!
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