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

Mexican Chocolate Chili Recipe

This Mexican Chocolate Chili was inspired from a dish from what was my favorite Mexican restaurant of all time, Casa Mia in Santa Monica Canyon, CA. While the restaurant is gone, the memory of their incredibly delicious Colorado chili lives on. This is extremely similar, though my version is a Mexican chocolate chili recipe.
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: 442kcal
Author: Valentina K. Wein

Ingredients

  • 3 strips applewood smoked bacon, diced
  • 2 cups diced yellow onion
  • 1½ tablespoons garlic, minced
  • 1½ 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 finely chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce,
  • 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

Nutritional information is automatically calculated, so it should only be used as an estimate.

Nutrition

Calories: 442kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 42g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 117mg | Sodium: 263mg | Potassium: 852mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 224IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 82mg | Iron: 6mg