Chipotle Chili Crockpot Recipe

It started snowing on my way home last Wednesday afternoon, and I was thinking about chili; specifically, chipotle chili.

It snowed on and off overnight, and snowed hard through mid-afternoon Thursday, dumping about a foot of that heavy, white stuff. The last time we had "real" snow like this in southeastern New Hampshire was October.

I was still thinking about chipotle chili on Friday, when the sun came out, and it looked for all the world like Christmastime might have looked, if we had snow.

With chipotle chili weighing heavily on my brain, and tempting my stomach, I made good use of Google, looking up about a half dozen chipotle chili recipes; all similar in some regards, with a variety of additions (and subtractions) to personalize it. Not one of them "spoke" to me.

I finally threw up my hands, closed the browser, and added what I wanted in my chipotle chili to my shopping list. I gathered the ingredients on my way home from work Friday, and did the deed Saturday morning.

Here's how it went down in the Chez Ellen Kitchen, step by step (recipe follows):

I sprayed my handy-dandy cast iron skillet with extra-virgin olive oil, and unceremoniously dumped in lean ground sirloin. While it started browning, I chopped up an onion, and added it to the beef. (It looked and smelled so good!) When it was done, I scooped it into the crockpot.

Note to self: Don't leave your wooden spoon leaning on your in-use cast iron skillet while you multi-task.

I dumped the beans into a colander to drain them, then rinsed them well, and transferred them to the crockpot. I poured the broth into crockpot. I added the tomatillo to the crockpot.

I split open half the chipotle peppers, and removed the seeds and ribs, then rough chopped them. (While the peppers themselves provide some heat, it's subtle - unless you include the ribs and seeds, at which point there is nothing subtle about it.) I added the de-seeded, de-ribbed, rough-chopped chipotle peppers to the crockpot.

I assembled the seasonings and added them to the crockpot, "ooh"-ing and "aah"-ing over the fragrant conglomeration before giving it a stir, putting the lid on it, and setting the crockpot to low.

I made sure it was plugged in, then walked away from it for lots of hours, and considered wearing a bib to catch my drool as my house started smelling like chipotle chili Heaven. Nine hours later (six is plenty), I uncovered the chili and enjoyed the near-instantaneous opening of my sinuses.

I plated it by scooping a serving over a bed of Romaine, then adding salsa con queso and a corn tortilla. Lastly, I opened a bottle of double chocolate stout - the first stout I've liked. I may be in love.

I enjoyed, and rejoiced in the plentiful leftovers. No, not the leftovers of the stout. Leftover double chocolate stout? Are you kidding?

Here's the recipe (for the chili, not the stout):

Chipotle Chili Recipe for a Crockpot

Ingredients

• 2 pounds of meat (lean beef, chicken, turkey - your choice), browned (optional; can easily be meatless)

• 1 large white onion, diced and sauteed (with meat)

• 2 30-ounce (29.3-ounce) cans of beans, drained and rinsed

• 2 32-ounce containers of fat-free, low-sodium broth (I used chicken; could use beef or vegetable)

• 1 large can of crushed tomatillos

• 1/2 small can of chipotle peppers with adobo sauce, rinsed, de-ribbed, de-seeded, and rough-chopped

• 2 tablespoons cumin

• 1 tablespoon low-sodium Adobo seasoning

• 1 teaspoon chili powder

• 1 teaspoon black pepper

• 1 teaspoon salt (more to taste)

• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Method

1. Spray a large skillet with cooking oil, and add meat of choice to start browning.

2. Dice a large white onion, and add it to the meat for sauteing. Add to the crockpot when done.

3. Open the cans of beans, and dump them into a colander. Rinse well. Add to the crockpot.

4. Add both containers of broth, plus the tomatillos, to the crockpot.

5. Divide the can of chipotle peppers, splitting open, de-ribbing, de-seeding, and rough chopping half the peppers, then adding them, along with the Adobo sauce, to the crockpot. Put the remaining peppers into an airtight container, and refrigerate.

6. Add spices. Note: I chose not to use the cayenne pepper, because I didn't want the extra heat. If you want that extra heat, I'd start with 1 teaspoon and work up from there.

7. Stir it all together, then cover it, and cook it on low for at least 6 hours.

8. 30 minutes before serving, add cilantro.

9. Serve and enjoy - with a Double Chocolate Stout. 😉

Are you a chili lover? If yes, what's your favorite kind?