Chili is a delicious satisfying meal, perfect for an Autumn Football Sunday.  Here are four of our favorite chili recipes.  All of these can be done on the stove top or can be started in a pot on the stove top and moved to a slow cooker on low setting, or to keep warm,  to enjoy later in the day or throughout the whole game!

Beef or Turkey Chili

This recipe can be made with ground beef or turkey.

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, diced (1 cup)

1 red bell pepper, diced (1 cup)

1 green bell pepper, diced (1 cup)

2 carrots, diced (1/2 cup)

1 lb. lean ground beef, or ground turkey

1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes

1 cup water

1 chipotle chili in Adobe sauce seeded and minced (optional)

2 teaspoons Adobe sauce (optional)

1 15.5 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 15.5 ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 15.5 ounce kidney beans, drained and rinsed

3 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

salt and pepper to taste

Garnish with grated cheddar and sour cream

Please note you can use any chili seasoning you prefer in any of these recipes to make it to your liking!

In a Dutch oven or large pot heat the oil and on medium heat sauté the onions, peppers and carrots until they are soft.  Add salt, pepper, cumin and chili powder and stir.  Warm up the seasoning to bring out the flavors.  Add ground beef, raise heat and brown.  Stir in tomatoes, chili and Adobe sauce.  Lower heat.  Simmer for 30 minutes.  Add beans and cook 20 more minutes in low heat.  Serve with grated cheddar and a dollop of sour cream.

Vegetarian Lentil Chili

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

1 large green bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 large red bell pepper, seeded and diced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

4 cups vegetable broth

1 (16 ounce ) package lentils, we use brown lentils

1 (15 ounce) cans diced tomatoes

3 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

salt and pepper to taste

cilantro to garnish

In a Dutch Oven or large pot heat the olive oil.  Sauté the onions and peppers until the onions start to become translucent, add the garlic and continue to sauté to soften the garlic.  Stir in the seasoning.  Let the seasoning warm up.  Stir in the broth, lentils and tomatoes.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat.  Stir again, and let it simmer partially covered on low heat for about 45 minutes.  You can garnish it with cilantro.

Chicken and White Bean Chili 

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 whole bone in, skin on chicken breasts

1 medium onion, diced

3 gloves garlic, minced

1 (8 ounce) can roasted green chiles, drained

1 teaspoon cumin

4 cups chicken broth

2 (15 ounce)  cans white beans, rinsed

salt and pepper to taste

sour cream and chives to garnish

In a Dutch Oven or large pot heat the olive oil.  Season the chicken with salt and pepper and lay it skin side down in the hot oil to brown.  Brown both sides of the chicken and transfer to a plate.  Add more oil if needed and sauté the onions for a couple of minutes, add the garlic and sauté. Add the chiles and cumin and stir to warm up the seasoning.  Add the chicken broth.  Place the chicken back in the pot. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer, add the white beans and simmer partially covered until the chicken is cooked through, about 1 hour.

Remove the chicken.  Take the skin and bone off the chicken breast and discard.  Shred the chicken.

To thicken the soup you can use a hand blender to partially blend some. Or you can remove about 1 cup of beans and 1 cup of brother and thicken it in a blender, then add it back to the pot.

Add the chicken back to the pot and serve.  We like to garnish with sour cream and chives.

Cowboy Sirloin Chili

4 slices bacon, chopped, this is optional, if you don’t want to use bacon, you can use 2 Tablespoons of vegetable oil

1/2 cup flour

salt and pepper

2 pound sirloins, chopped into 1 inch cubes or bite size chunks

2 large onions, chopped

1 large green bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 large red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 jalapeño, seeded and diced

3 gloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon cumin

1 (12 ounce) bottle of beer, we like to use an brown ale

2 cups beef stock

4 cups crushed tomatoes

2 cups canned black beans, rinsed and drained

2 cups canned kidney beans, rinsed and drained

Garnish with the browned bacon crumble, grated cheddar, sour cream and chopped scallions

Heat a Dutch Oven or large pot and brown the bacon.  While the bacon is browning, in a pie plate add the flour and some salt and pepper and toss the sirloin to coat.  Remove the browned bacon and set aside.  Shake of the excess flour on the sirloin and brown the sirloin in the bacon fat.  Remove the sirloin, sauté the onions, peppes and jalapeño for about 3 minutes, and the garlic. Add the chili powder and cumin and stir.  Add the sirloin back to the pot and pour the beer, beef stock and tomatoes.  Bring to a boil  reduce to a simmer and simmer on low heat partially covered for about 1 hour.  Stir in beans and simmer for 15 more minutes.  Serve garnished with crumble down bacon, cheddar cheese, sour cream and scallions.

Enjoy!!