Chocolate Chili: What Your Grandmother Didn’t Know
Sneak Preview: Chocolate Chili is a recipe for beefy chili with chocolate added. No one will guess chocolate is the secret ingredient that smooths out the flavors and adds depth.
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My younger sister told her future husband she was stirring up some chili. It surprised him to see macaroni in the chili, just like my mom made it.
Of course, her future husband informed my sister that she was serving chili-mac, not chili. So I made a mental note: “Never add macaroni to my chili—or kidney beans.”
But chocolate? Just say, “yes.“
Three Reasons Why You Should Say “Yes” to Chocolate in Chili
- Chocolate balances out all the spicy flavors.
- Chocolate adds richness.
- Chocolate adds umami.
If you tell your family that you’re serving Chocolate Chili for dinner, the might be skeptical. So don’t tell them. It’s not much.
Happy Cooks Speak Up
“Made this yesterday…best chili that I have ever made! I’m going to enter it in our families annual pumpkin craving/chili contest this year! We don’t eat much beef so we used turkey and pork for all the meat. We also added a can of mild chili beans. Thank you for sharing! “–MARIA
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Vegetable Oil: Use olive oil, corn oil, canola oil, or avocado oil. If your meat contains a lot of fat, you may not need much. Use olive oil, corn oil, canola oil, or avocado oil. If your meat contains a lot of fat, you may not need much.
- Meat: Freshly ground meat is always the best if you can get it. For me, chili is a chance to clean out the freezer. Try adding one or all of the following:
- Leftover beef roast, stew meat, or leftover grilled meat ground up in the food processor
- Ground turkey will substitute for the pork.
- Frozen pork chops or loin chops–barely thaw them, cut them into 1-inch chunks, and use your food processor to process them into ground pork.
- I don’t have a hunter in my family, but ground deer or venison is a viable option.
- Onions: Substitute frozen onions for fresh onions if you are sensitive to fresh onions. If I’m in a hurry, using frozen onions is a timesaver. Also, they’ve never made me cry.
- Spices: Since this recipe was first published, I’ve changed how I put this chili recipe together. Add the spices after softening the onions in oil before adding the meat. Hot oil allows the spices to “bloom” and intensifies the flavor.
- Tomatoes: My favorite tomatoes are the Red Gold Brand. Use your favorite. I use one can of crushed tomatoes and one can of diced tomatoes. Suit yourself or use what you have in the pantry.Corn Masa: If you don’t have corn masa hanging around the house and don’t want to buy an entire bag for two tablespoons, you can substitute flour or even leave it out.
- Chocolate: This recipe for chocolate in chili calls for semi-sweet baking chocolate. If you prefer, use bittersweet or dark chocolate for less sugar. Unsweetened cocoa powder is a substitute for solid chocolate. Use about 2 tablespoons.
- Have you ever tried the Chocolate Hummus sold at Trader Joe’s? (I see that other stores have versions of this product, but I haven’t tried them, so I can’t recommend them from personal experience.)
- This idea may sound crazy, but dump a container of chocolate hummus into your chili instead of hummus and corn masa. It is the BOMB! I’m telling you. Just stir it in–it couldn’t be easier.
- The flavor is indescribable. The velvety smooth beans in the hummus give the chili body and thickness, while the chocolate smooths out the flavors and ties it all up with a bow on top.
Variations
- Add more tomatoes or substitute beef broth or chicken stock for some of the tomatoes for a chili that feels lighter on your tummy.
- Make Texas chili and step up the heat. Add hot sauce, chopped jalapenos, chipotle, or chipotle chili powder.
- Add pinto beans to your chili. Some would scoff, but they probably wouldn’t add tomatoes, either.
- If you missed it above, substitute chocolate hummus for the corn masa and semi-sweet chocolate.
- Keto follower’s favorite: Add more veggies by filling your bowl with mashed cauliflower before adding the chili. Use the chili as gravy.
- Another way to add more veggies is to clean the produce drawer in your fridge. Add chopped carrots, celery, or scallions.
This Makes a Lot! What Else Can I Do With This Chili Recipe?
- Add warm chili to a lettuce salad with a little cheese and a few tomatoes.
- Pour over a hot dog or hamburger. Add shredded cheese and mustard, if desired.
- Make breakfast for dinner by adding chili to your fried eggs and eating with a
tortilla . - Make chili enchiladas. Fill corn tortillas with chopped onions and Cheddar cheese and roll. Line up enchiladas in a casserole dish. Cover with chili and lots more cheese. Bake at 350˚F until the whole dish is hot and melty. Please invite me for dinner.
What Goes Well with Chili?
- Saltines are traditional.
- Cornbread is my choice. Here’s my favorite Jalapeno Cornbread recipe.
- If you like Mexican food, try topping your soup with sour cream, shredded Cheddar cheese, corn chips, jalapeños, guacamole, green onions, fresh chopped tomatoes, or cilantro. A combination of these ingredients makes an instant party.
- Cornmeal Dinner Rolls or Cornbread Twists
- This is fun! Make soup bowls from homemade bread and fill them with this chili.
How To Make Chili with Chocolate:
Frequently Asked Questions
The taste will be unrecognizable. But somehow, the chocolate mysteriously adds depth and smoothness to chili. Of course, adding cheese, sour cream, and cilantro doesn’t hurt the flavor either.
Yes. Divide chili into smaller packets and store them in the freezer. Making chili ahead is just one of the methods I employ to make homemade food convenient.
Store frozen chili for up to six months.
Yes. Making chili a day ahead helps the flavors marry, resulting in a richer taste.
According to the Kitchn website: Stirred into the pot right before serving, a spoonful of vinegar brightens up the finished product and gives it that full, rounded taste.
I like aged balsamic vinegar the best. Red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar would also work.
Parting thoughts: Sometimes, I still like to make Chili-Mac for old times’ sake. But I never call it chili and usually add a little chocolate. 😉
Help at Your Fingertips: For questions or suggestions, email Paula at saladinajar.com. If you need help, I’m happy to troubleshoot via email (faster than leaving a comment). Attach pictures and as many details as possible for the best advice.
Chili with Chocolate Recipe
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Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons (37 g) vegetable oil
- 1-1/2 cups (200 g) chopped onions 1 medium onion
- 2 teaspoons table or sea salt divided
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 4 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground oregano
- 6 tablespoons chili powder
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 3 pounds (1361 g) ground beef
- 1 pound (452 g) ground pork
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 2 28-oz cans (1588 g) peeled and diced tomatoes
- 4 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons corn masa “Masa Harina de maiz”
- 2 ounces (56 g) semi-sweet chocolate baking bar
- 1 tablespoon vinegar balsamic or apple cider (optional)
Instructions
- Heat 3 tablespoons (37 g) vegetable oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add 1-1/2 cups (200 g) chopped onions. Cook until softened for 2-3 minutes.
- Add 2 teaspoons table or sea salt, 2 teaspoons ground coriander, 4 teaspoons ground cumin, 1 teaspoon ground oregano, and 6 tablespoons chili powder. Cook until the spices are fragrant. Stir often so they won’t burn.
- Add 4 cloves garlic, chopped and cook for 1 more minute.
- Turn up the heat to medium and add 3 pounds (1361 g) ground beef, and 1 pound (452 g) ground pork, to the pot and brown. Season with the remaining teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper.
- Add 2 28-oz cans (1588 g) peeled and diced tomatoes and 4 bay leaves. If you want the tomatoes to disappear into the chili, crush them with your hands or use a potato masher. Or put them in the blender for a few seconds.
- Simmer chili for 1 hour. Two hours is even better.
- Remove bay leaves and stir in 2 tablespoons corn masa until smooth; then add 2 ounces (56 g) semi-sweet chocolate baking bar.
- Optional: Add 1 tablespoon vinegar.
- Continue simmering for 10 more minutes to combine flavors.
- Freezes well.
Notes
- If you don’t have corn masa hanging around the house and don’t want to buy it for just two tablespoons, you can substitute flour or even leave it out. Add flour along with the spices before the hour-long simmer.
- Fresh onions can be substituted for the frozen. I prefer frozen because they are milder and easier on the digestive system after the freezing process-and they’ve never made me cry.
- Step up the heat by adding hot sauce, chopped jalapenos, or some chopped chipotles.
- I like to add beans to my chili when eating it straight in a bowl. Some would scoff, but they probably wouldn’t add tomatoes either.
- This chili is even better the next day which will also give you a chance to remove any congealed fat off the top that you don’t want.
- If this chili is too rich for you, add 2-3 cups of water or more tomatoes. It will be more like “Wendy’s chili” if you’ve ever tried that.
- Substitute 8 ounces of chocolate hummus for the masa and chocolate bar.
Equipment
Nutrition
All images and text ©️ Paula Rhodes for Salad in a Jar.com
Paula Rhodes, owner
As a retired home economist, I created Saladinajar.com to share my belief that you don’t have to be a chef to find joy in creating homemade food worth sharing. Bread machines (used in an unconventional way), homemade yogurt, and quick microwave recipes are my specialty.