Turkey Chili with Beans and Chocolate!



You heard me right, I said chocolate! I love a true Mexican mole sauce made with chocolate & chilies together, and found this terrific chili using ground turkey and chocolate.

There are other recipes that call for cocoa powder, but this one actually uses 1 oz. of semi sweet chocolate. It had a fantastic smoky flavor. I added cannellini beans as well as pinto beans and it was a wonderful, easy Sunday winter dinner.



Turkey Chili w/ Beans and Chocolate (adapted from Epicurious):

1 large onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
6 garlic cloves, chopped
2 pounds ground turkey
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 15-ounce cans pinto beans, drained
1 can of canellini or white Northern beans, drained
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
3 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
1 ounce semisweet chocolate, chopped (I used 70% cacao))



In a large Dutch oven, add onion, bell peppers and garlic and sauté over high heat in olive oil until vegetables begin to soften, about 8 minutes.

Add turkey and sauté until no longer pink, breaking up large pieces with back of fork, about 5 minutes. Mix in chili powder, cumin and oregano and stir 1 minute. Add beans, tomatoes with juices, broth and chocolate.

Bring chili to boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered until chili thickens, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour. Season with salt and pepper.



Enjoy with some corn bread!

Comments

Anonymous said…
What fat ratio turkey do you use for this recipe? I make the Barefoot Contessa's turkey meatloaf all the time and us 97/7. Thanks.
Stacey Snacks said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
Stacey Snacks said…
My market only sells one kind of turkey, it's a pretty high fat ratio, like 95%, because you need fat since turkey is so lean.
I think it's the Shadybrook Farms brand. Beggars can't be chosers.
Stacey
The JR said…
Chocolate? Okay, I thought that's what you said....
wow, this looks so good right now..thanks for sharing this. hope you have a nice day.
Margaret said…
Hi Stacey! Thank-you, this looks like a wonderful simple delcious recipe which I will definitely try! I made a turkey meatloaf last week, using lean ground thigh turkey meat, bread crumbs, herbs, onions, garlic, chopped cranberries, homemade orange cranberry sauce on the side which turned out well.
Margaret from B.C.
Suanne said…
I've been putting chocolate in my chili for years! Oh I am so happy you posted this, isn't it delicious?! And it's one of those dishes that actually benefits from an overnight in the fridge, it's even better the next day. Don't fear the chocolate!
Anonymous said…
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Lisa Faley said…
mmmmmmm.... I use chocolate in my chili too! Sometimes coco if I don't have the good chocolate handy ;o)

YUM!
tasteofbeirut said…
I have never made chili with chocolate but since i am a chocoholic, it is the next logical step! (plus mole are so good!)
kat said…
OK, I am so adding chocolate to my next batch of chili!
Anonymous said…
Great information! I’ve been looking for something like this for a while now. Thanks!
Desi said…
Cincinnatian here - Cincinnati chili is known for having chocolate in it! It is pretty tasty!