Chili Recipes for Chilly Months (2024)

Here in Virginia, the cold usually hits us in late-October. And for me, there is no better time to cook chili than the next few months. The slow cooker keeps these recipes going all day long (and sometimes into the next day). They are perfect recipes for tailgating, gatherings or a relaxed day spent hibernating in the home. All recipes make 6 servings.

WHITE CHICKEN CHILI

• 2 cans great northern beans - rinsed and drained
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 green pepper - diced
• 1/2 red onion diced
• 3 scallions - diced
• 1 jalepeno - diced (seeds removed)
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp oregeno
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• salt, pepper, crushed red pepper
• sour cream
• cilantro
• Mexican cheese blend

OPTIONAL: Diced Tomatoes, Substitute spices with a McCormick White Chicken Chili seasoning packetDIRECTIONS: Cut chicken breasts into 1-inch cubes. Add oil to pan and cook chicken. Add onions, saute until translucent. Add diced peppers & scallions and seasoning. Add beans to pan along with broth and chicken- bring to a boil. Continue to simmer uncovered and allow to thicken. When serving, stir in cheese and top with a dollop of sour cream and cilantro.

TERRIFIC TURKEY CHILI

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• 1 1/2 pounds ground turkey
• 1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon chili pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can beef broth
• 1 (7 ounce) can salsa
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can crushed tomatoes, or coarsely chopped tomatoes packed in puree
• 1 (7 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 3 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS: Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Crumble turkey into the pot, stirring with a wooden spoon to break apart as much as possible. Season with taco seasoning mix, coriander, oregano, chili flakes, and tomato paste, and mix until meat is evenly coated with seasonings. Continue cooking, reducing heat if necessary, until turkey is well browned. Pour in beef broth, and simmer to reduce liquid slightly, about 5 minutes. Add salsa, tomatoes, and green chilies, and continue cooking at a moderate simmer for ten minutes. Adjust the thickness at any time you feel necessary by adding water. While chili is still cooking, heat one tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook onion and green bell pepper, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes, or until onion is translucent and bell pepper is lightly browned. Add onion and bell pepper to the chili, and continue cooking at a very low simmer. In the same skillet, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini, and cook stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Add the zucchini to the chili, reduce heat, and continue cooking 15 minutes more. Again, adjust the consistency with water as needed. Ladle chili into serving bowls. Top with sour cream, green onion, and cheddar cheese, and serve.

DING DONG EIGHT ALARM CHILI

• 2 oz dried ancho chiles (4 large), stemmed and seeded
• 6 large garlic cloves, 3 of them finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon salt, or to taste
• 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder (not pure chile)
• 4 lb well-marbled beef brisket or boneless chuck, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2- to 2-inch pieces
• 3 to 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 (28- to 32-oz) can whole tomatoes in juice
• 1/4 cup canned chipotle chiles in adobo
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 1/2 lb white onions, chopped (4 cups)
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano (preferably Mexican), crumbled
• 1 to 4 fresh serrano or other small green chiles, finely chopped, including seeds (1 is fine for most tastes; 4 is the eight-alarm version)
• 1 (12-oz) bottle beer (not dark)
• 2 cups water
• 2 1/2 cups cooked pinto beans (optional; 30 oz), rinsed if canned

OPTIONAL: cubed avocado; chopped white onion; shredded Cheddar; chopped fresh cilantro; sour cream INSTRUCTIONS: Soak ancho chiles in hot water to cover until softened, about 30 minutes. Drain well. While chiles soak, mince 1 whole garlic clove and mash to a paste with 1/2 tablespoon salt, 1/2 tablespoon cumin, and 1/2 tablespoon chili powder. Pat beef dry and toss with spice mixture in a large bowl until coated. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a wide 6- to 7-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown beef in 3 or 4 batches, without crowding, turning occasionally, about 5 minutes per batch (lower heat as needed; spice mixture burns easily). Transfer beef as browned to another bowl. (Do not clean pot) Purée anchos in a blender along with tomatoes (including juice), chipotles in adobo, cilantro, remaining 2 whole garlic cloves, and remaining 1/2 tablespoon salt until smooth. Add enough oil to fat in pot to total 3 tablespoons, then cook onions and chopped garlic over moderate heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits from beef, until softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Add oregano, remaining tablespoon cumin, and remaining tablespoon chili powder and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add chile purée and 1 chopped serrano and simmer, stirring, 5 minutes. Stir in beer, water, and beef along with any juices accumulated in bowl and gently simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally and checking often to make sure chili is not scorching, 2 hours. Taste sauce, then add more serrano if desired and continue to simmer, partially covered, until beef is very tender and sauce is slightly thickened, 1 to 2 hours more. (If chili becomes very thick before meat is tender, thin with water as needed.) Coarsely shred meat (still in pot) with 2 forks and cool chili completely, uncovered, then chill, covered, 1 to 2 days to allow flavors to develop. Reheat over low heat, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until hot, about 30 minutes. Add beans (if using) and simmer, stirring, 5 minutes. COCONUT CURRY CHILI

• 1/2 pound ground turkey
• 2 (10.75 ounce) cans tomato soup
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
• 1 (15 ounce) can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup chopped carrot
• 1/4 cup mango chutney
• 3 tablespoons curry powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup coconut milk, divided

OPTIONAL: Diced Potatoes, Thinly-sliced Mangos INSTRUCTIONS: Break the ground turkey into small pieces into a large skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir the turkey, continuing to break it into smaller pieces, until completely browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain as much grease as possible from the turkey. Combine tomato soup, water, and minced garlic in a large pot; bring to a boil. Add the turkey to the pot and return the mixture to a boil and reduce heat to medium-low. Stir chickpeas, red kidney beans, carrot, chutney, curry powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper through the turkey mixture; bring to a simmer, place a cover on the pot, and cook until the chickpeas are tender, about 15 minutes. Stir 1/4 cup coconut milk through the chili, return cover to the pot, and simmer another 15 minutes. Pour the remaining 1/4 cup coconut milk into the chili, stir, and simmer 30 minutes more. QUINOA CHILI

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
• 2 cups water
• 1 pound extra lean ground beef
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 (19 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

OPTIONAL: Zucchini (chopped), remove ground beef for vegetarian chili INSTRUCTIONS: Bring the quinoa and water to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender, and the water has been absorbed, about 15 to 20 minutes. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and stir in the ground beef. Cook and stir until the beef is crumbly, evenly browned, and no longer pink. Drain and discard any excess grease; set beef aside. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion, garlic, and jalapeno pepper; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Season with chili powder and cumin; cook 1 minute more to release the flavor of the spices. Stir in the tomatoes, black beans, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, zucchini, oregano, and parsley. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Simmer until the bell peppers are tender, about 20 minutes. Once the red and green peppers are tender, stir in the quinoa, beef, and corn kernels. Return to a simmer, and cook 5 minutes to reheat. Stir in the cilantro to serve. BEEF N' STEAK CHILI

• 1 1/2 cups onion soup, prepared from a packet of dry onion soup mix
• 1/4 cup bacon grease (see notes)
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless beef round steak, cut into 1/3-inch cubes
• 1 1/2 pounds beef sirloin steak, cut into 1/3-inch cubes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3 (15 ounce) cans kidney beans, undrained
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup cola soft drink (such as co*ke®)
• 1 tablespoon yellow sport pepper sauce (such as Texas Petes's®)

NOTES: Placing steaks in freezer for about 15 minutes will stiffen them up and make them easier to cut. To get bacon grease, cook about 4 slices of bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Remove bacon slices (save cooked bacon for another use). Retain about 1/4 cup of bacon grease; discard the rest, if any. Use regular cola, not diet or caffeine-free. You can serve immediately, but for best results, transfer into the insert of a slow cooker, and chill for at least 8 hours to overnight. (you can keep the chili refrigerated up to 48 hours if need be). When ready to serve, heat in covered slow cooker on High for about 3 hours; then set to Low for serving. INSTRUCTIONS: Prepare soup from a packet of onion soup mix according to the package directions, and set 1 1/2 cups aside. Place bacon grease into a large stainless steel soup pot over medium-high heat, and cook and stir the cubed round and sirloin steak meat in the bacon fat until well browned, about 10 minutes. Pour in the reserved onion soup, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 7 minutes, stirring to dissolve any browned flavor bits from the pot. Stir in salt, chili powder, cumin, black pepper, kidney beans, tomato paste, and tomato sauce. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring frequently to avoid burning the bottom, then cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Stir in the cocoa powder, cola, and hot sauce, and simmer for 20 more minutes. Serve hot. Have a bread maker and looking for that perfect side item for your chili? How 'bout some chili bread?
CHILI BREAD

• 7/8 cup beer
• 1 teaspoon beef bouillon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon hot chile oil
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 1/4 cups bread flour
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon dried minced onion
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast

INSTRUCTIONS: Place the ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order suggested by the manufacturer. Select the French Bread or White Bread setting, and then press Start.