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This Sweet & Smoky Chipotle Chili is a step up from your run-of-the-mill traditional chili. A balance of sweetness, smokiness, acidity, and a touch of subtle heat make this hearty THM E meal a flavor bomb! Use your favorite locally-sourced low-glycemic sweetener in place of the THM Super Sweet Blend to taste and you have a recipe that can be made with no special ingredients!
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I already have a chili soup recipe in my first cookbook, Necessary Food, but this recipe is a little thicker with more complex flavors. (Plus I wanted to offer a chili soup recipe on my website! Chili soup is a classic staple, if you ask me.) If you have canned tomato juice on hand and don’t want to mess with chipotle peppers, check out the cookbook recipe.
This recipe makes a 5.5 quart Dutch oven full of filling, hearty chili. If you have a big family, you’re in luck! If you have a smaller family, enjoy leftovers for a few days. It’s just Ryan and me here and we polished off this chili over a few suppers/lunches. 😉 I LOVE leftovers! And chili is a prime candidate because the flavors get even better after they develop in the fridge overnight, right? It would probably be great to freeze for later meals as well, but I haven’t tried that.
Where does the smoke come from?
The smoked paprika, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, and liquid smoke are all essential elements of the “smoke” flavor in this chili. Don’t leave ‘em out! Canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce do contain a small amount of sugar, but the amount per serving in this chili is very small. I like La Costena brand available at Walmart. The chili does have a little kick of heat, but nothing too overwhelming (at least to my taste buds, and I’m a heat wimp).
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MY RECIPE INDEX
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RECIPE INDEX BY FUEL TYPE/ALLERGY/THEME
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HEARTY BARBECUE SOUP
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VEGETABLE BEEF SOUP
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- 3 lbs. lean ground meat (I used ground beef, but ground turkey or venison would work as well.)
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- 1 large onion (peeled and diced)
- 3 large garlic cloves (peeled and minced)
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons each onion powder, smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon each garlic powder, black pepper
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- 1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
- 2 (16 oz.) cans mild chili beans (undrained)
- 1 (15 oz.) can black beans (rinsed and drained)
- 1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
- 6 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (chopped)
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon THM Super Sweet Blend (or more, to taste)
- 2 teaspoons molasses
- 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
- 4 cups water (to desired consistency)
- 2 teaspoons salt (to taste)
- Brown the ground meat in a splash of water in a large soup kettle or Dutch oven on the stovetop. If using meat that is 96% lean or leaner, just crumble it and set it aside in a separate bowl so you can use the soup kettle again. If using meat that is not 96% lean (use the leanest you can!), rinse in hot water and drain after cooking, then crumble and set aside.
- Dry fry the onion and garlic in the soup kettle/Dutch oven, adding the spices as the onions fry.
- Once the onions are starting to get soft, add the ground meat and the rest of the ingredients, letting the chili heat up while you’re dumping things in. Add the water and salt after the rest of the ingredients. Add enough water to bring the chili to your desired consistency; I used 4 cups. Add salt to taste; the amount may vary depending on the ingredients you used.
- Bring the chili to a boil, cover, and simmer at least 15 minutes (preferably longer to let the flavors develop).
- Taste and adjust as desired before serving. If the sweet/smoky flavors fade after long cooking, feel free to add more sweetener and liquid smoke as desired, then cook 5 minutes to mellow things out before serving. You can adjust the salt and heat as well.
-Canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce do contain a small amount of sugar, but the amount per serving in this chili is very small. I like La Costena brand available at Walmart.
-The smoked paprika, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, and liquid smoke are all essential elements of the “smoke” flavor in this chili. Don’t leave ‘em out! The chili does have a little kick of heat, but nothing too overwhelming (at least to my taste buds, and I’m a heat wimp).
-Nutrition calculated for 12 large servings with 96% lean ground beef (undrained).
ALLERGY INFO:
-Gluten free: use gluten-free ingredients
-Egg free
-Dairy free
-Nut free
You can pin this recipe here:
Hey there! My family has enjoyed this wonderful recipe for a few years now (everyone’s fav!), and now I have a question: I’m out of Super Sweet–if I use Swerve “brown sugar” blend, would I leave out the molasses? Other option would be replacing Super Sweet with Gentle Sweet and keep the molasses…?
Thank you! We are craving this chili today, even with the heat outside 🙂
It really doesn’t matter – either of the options you gave is fine!
Briana, this chili is wonderful! I am always trying different recipes to alternate with my own version of chili, and this one is a definite keeper. Thanks so much for sharing😊
Lot’s of snow today so it’s Briana Chili Recipe Day. I have made this recipe may times and it is the best! All those smoky flavors and those yummy chili beans make it perfect. You will love this recipe!
So glad you enjoy this one, Laura! It’s my favorite too. 🙂
Wow. Amazingly delicious! This recipe is a keeper for sure!
Sweet girl, I love your recipes so much but this chili!!! Oh my goodness!! So delicious!! So easy!! Thank you for keeping on writing and experimenting and cranking out your wonderful ideas! You are a blessing to the THM community! Yum!
I’m so glad you liked it, Wanda! Thanks for trying it!
Oh my, this is soooooooo good! Because of KJ York, I decided to try it , and I’m sad I waited this long!
I think this is the best chili ever! I made it when my family came over and everyone loved it. It makes a great crossover btw😉 (I didn’t drain the beef.) Also I did freeze some and it reheated and tasted great!
Do you think that you could start this on the stove and then cook in a crock pot? This looks like an amazing recipe!
I don’t see why not! I just wouldn’t want to get both my Dutch oven AND my crockpot dirty…haha.
I just made two huge batches of this for a church get-together last night and it was a hit!! Everyone loved it! I did add green bell peppers to the recipe, though. I can’t imagine any chili recipe without green bell peppers. Also, one batch I made with the two full tablespoons of chili powder and the other I made with only one tablespoon. A lot of people preferred the milder version. But it’s a personal choice. I will definitely be making this again!
Yay! I’m so glad y’all enjoyed it! I don’t remember ever having a chili that contained green bell peppers, but I’m glad you tweaked it to what you like! Thanks for the review and for telling us how you did it!
I thought that beef in a meal makes it an “S”?
You can use lean ground beef in limited amounts in an E meal provided that it’s 96% lean or leaner OR that you rinse it in hot water and drain after cooking to remove the excess fat. 🙂 (You can see directions for this in the recipe instructions.)