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Chocolate Chipotle Colorado Style Chili in a ceramic golden bowl with cheese and cilantro on top.
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5 from 2 votes

Mexican Chocolate Chili Recipe

This chili is is rich, hearty and exploding with latin flavors.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time3 hours 30 minutes
Total Time4 hours
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: best beef stew recipes, comfort food recipes for winter
Servings: 4 to 6
Calories: 518kcal

Ingredients

  • 3 strips applewood smoked bacon, diced
  • 2 cups yellow onion, diced
  • tablespoons garlic, minced
  • pounds stew meat, cut into approx 1-inch pieces (i.e., Chuck Shoulder, Rump Roast)
  • 2 tablespoons Mexican oregano
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • ½ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ½ cup dry red wine, such as Merlot, Pinot Noir, Shiraz
  • 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes in tomato juice
  • 1 tablespoon chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, finely chopped
  • 1 (14-ounce) can Kidney beans, drained
  • 1 (14-ounce) can black beans, drained
  • 3 tablespoons semisweet chocolate, finely chopped or chips
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • optional garnishes: sour cream, grated cheddar cheese, finely chopped red onion, and cilantro leaves or chives

Instructions

  • Cook bacon, onion and garlic. Add the diced bacon to a large pot (a Dutch oven is perfect), and place it over medium heat. Moving it around occasionally, cook the bacon until the pieces are becoming crisp, about 5 minutes.
    Stir in the onion and garlic and cook until the onions are soft and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. (You shouldn't need to add oil to the pan -- the bacon fat should be sufficient.)
    Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon-onion mixture and place it in a bowl. Set aside.
  • Sear the meat. Sprinkle the meat with salt and pepper, and turn the heat up to high. Add the meat to the pan. (You should hear a sizzling sound -- if you don't the pan isn't hot enough.) Sear the meat, browning it on all sides.
  • Return bacon mixture to pot and add spices. Return the bacon-onion mixture to the pot and add the oregano, cumin, chili powder and cloves -- continue to cook for another couple of minutes.
  • Deglaze. Deglaze the pot with the wine and tomatoes, and use a wooden spatula to scrape any bits of food off the bottom of the out and into the mixture.
  • Add chipotles and simmer. Stir in the chipotles, turn the heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer until the pieces of meat are super tender -- almost (but not quite), falling apart, 2½ to 3 hours. Stir the chili from time to time.
  • Add beans and chocolate. Mix in all of the beans and the chocolate and cook on low for about 10 more minutes. Season to taste with salt.
  • Serve with any or all of the garnishes is desired.

Notes

Calorie count is only an estimate.

Nutrition

Calories: 518kcal