{cold wintery nights with a steamy bowl of chipotle-chocolate chili}

as the days become colder, the more i begin to crave a big steaming bowl of chili for dinner. i've made chilis a few times in my life, but, there's always something lacking...although don't get me wrong, they were quite tasty. i've tried ones with beer, ones in a slow cooker, ones over a stove top... i can never seem to get it quite to my liking. in my continual quest to find new chili recipes, i stumbled upon this recipe for chiptole chocolate chili on a food blog...exotic sounding. hm! I figured i would try the recipe and review it on my blog.


now this chili is quite spicy. be prepared! so, for the faint of heart, consider cutting down the spicy ingredients {chipotle sauce, chili powder, cumin}. I used nearly the exact amounts the recipe called for, except that i left out the red wine vinegar since i didn't have any on hand and made notes along the side of the original recipe if i made any changes. the only other thing i changed was that i added a smidge of a 1:1 flour/water mixture to thicken the sauce and then cooked it for a bit to get rid of the raw flour taste. why? because i love thick chili and despite cooking it for a long time, it never thickened.

i actually really enjoyed the recipe, as well as my family. there is depth to the flavor profile of this chili. the chocolate is a subtle note on your tongue. and honestly, it is not something you would notice immediately if noone told you that it was in the recipe. the heat from the chili is powerful. and it tastes even better with time. i'll definitely make it again...maybe for care group? :) if you serve this, i recommend making it with a side of the Trader Joe's Cornbread mix. Easy and a-must-compliment to the chili!

if you have any recommendations of other awesome chili recipes, please leave me a comment with a link to the recipe. i'll give it a whirl!


Chipotle Chocolate Chili {taken directly from Our Best Bites}

1 lb. lean ground turkey {i would consider making it with beef next time}
1 large onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, minced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans {no salt-added} diced tomatoes
2 cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can beef broth
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. chili powder {i added only 1 to 1.5 Tbsp}
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder (NOT Nesquik! That would be very bad!)
1/2 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
Chipotle sauce (from the can of chipotle chilies) {i could only find the san marcos chipotle peppers in adobo sauce}
1/2 oz. unsweetened chocolate (1/2 unsweetened baking cube), chopped (optional; use to taste as needed; be careful, because too much will make your chili bitter)
Light sour cream
Chopped green onions
3-4 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
Shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions
-Heat some olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Saute onion, garlic, bell pepper, and ground turkey until meat is cooked through.
-Add salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, brown sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder {i would add the seasoning first to the meat, before you add the liquid. i'm not sure if it flavors the meat more..but in my mind, it would}
-Add tomatoes, beans, and beef broth.
-Add all of the chipotle sauce from a small can of chipotle chilies. Heat to boiling and then reduce to a simmer (uncovered), stirring occasionally, until thickened as desired (I like it about 30-40 minutes). If desired, add some chopped chipotle chilies.
-Add 3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar and a small amount of chopped chocolate at a time until desired richness is reached. If necessary, add more red wine vinegar to cut the sweetness of the chili. This is where you can play around a little with the flavors.
-When thickened and seasoned as desired, serve with chopped onions or green onions (green onions, though not pictured, are better, in my opinions!), sour cream, and shredded cheddar cheese.