Protein Chili
It is such a staple in our household. It’s packed with protein and flavor. It tastes better the next day, is great for leftovers, and is cost-effective. Many folks have many feelings about whether beans should be in a chili recipe, and my take is that I LOVE BEANS. It adds volume and texture to chili. Not to mention, super budget-friendly. I’ve tried so many chili recipes for the past decade that I’ve made my own that hits the spot.
ingredients
3 lbs ground beef
1 large yellow onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
24oz chicken bone broth, I like Bonafide or Kettle & Fire
4 dried chili ancho peppers, deseed
3 dried guajillo peppers, deseed
8oz tomato paste
14.5oz fire-roasted diced tomatoes
15oz 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
15oz 1 can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 bell peppers, diced
2 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp chili
1 tbsp paprika
3 tbsp brown sugar
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
Topping as desired — diced jalapeno, chopped cilantro, greek yogurt, shredded cheddar cheese, diced avocado, chopped red onion, corn chips
instructions
Remove seeds from dried ancho and guajillo chiles and place in a blender. Pour in 2 cups of boiling water and let sit with the top on until chiles are softened for 20 minutes. Blend on high until smooth then set aside.
In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat over medium-high. Pour oil and add ground beef in batches by “breaking” small chunks so you get browned crispy bits and pieces. Season beef with salt and pepper. I work in 2-3 batches, cook, and turn pieces over, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a large bowl.
In the same pot (remove any excessive oil if wanted), reduce heat to medium. Add onions and garlic to the pot. Cook, stirring often to loosen the browned bits from the bottom of the pot, until onions are very soft. Add cooked beef followed by cumin, chili, paprika, and brown sugar, and stir until combined for 2 minutes. Add tomato paste until combined then diced tomatoes, chili puree mixture, and bone broth. Continue to cook for 5 minutes, add bell peppers and beans, and cook anywhere from 10-30 minutes. The longer it cooks, the better. Taste and adjust with salt to your liking.
Serve in a bowl with all the toppings and enjoy!
Notes:
I like using grass-fed ground beef with 85%-90% lean and 10-15% fat mix although any ground meat and mix ratio would work just as well!
I enjoy my chili a little chunky but to help break down the meat a little, this meat masher gadget is so handy!
If you’re using frozen bone broth, there is no need to defrost it fully since it’s going straight into heat where it can melt away.