Easy Slow Cooker Chili Recipe

Hey, I’m John Canel and today on Preppy Kitchen, we’re making a hearty, delicious slow cooker chili. So, let’s get started.

Prep the Vegetables

First off, a little bit of prep. You’re going to want to dice one large onion. We also want to dice one large green pepper. Chili is a really flexible recipe and you should feel free to use veggies you have hanging out in the fridge that you enjoy using. Changing up the spice profile, you can change the protein. Think of this recipe as your blank slate. This recipe also calls for about four cloves of garlic. You can give these a nice mince right now or use a garlic press. It’s up to you.

Brown the Meat and Vegetables

My prep is done. And right now, you have a choice. If you’re using a slow cooker, you’re going to want to grab a big skillet. And we have a little bit of pan frying to do. If you’re using an Instant Pot, which has a slow cooker feature, you can use the sauté option right now, and sauté everything there for less dishes. Up to you. I’m going to show you how to do this using a skillet. So, grab a big one and get it nice and hot on medium-high heat.

Into your large skillet over medium-high heat, you’re going to place two lbs of ground beef. I’m using 80/20 today because I like it a little bit fattier. Also want to add your onions. Add your pepper in as well and your minced garlic. Grab a wooden spoon and we’re going to cook this up until the beef has been browned. Like 6 to 7 minutes, depends on your burner. You’ll notice we didn’t add any fat in here. The fat in the beef will render out. If you’re using a really lean beef, I would definitely add some olive oil here.

Make sure to break the beef up. Move it around. And the veggies will cook here as well. They’re going to finish cooking in the slow cooker, but we want to get the meat browned and the veggies slightly softened. My meat browned up nicely. The veggies are softened. So, it’s time to drain this out into the sink and then grab our slow cooker.

Assemble in the Slow Cooker

Transfer your drained beef and veggies right into your slow cooker. And at this point, the bulk of your work is actually done. Now, we’re going to pop everything into our slow cooker, starting with three cans of kidney beans. But you have a choice. You can just dump the cans in, liquid and all, and that’ll give you a soupier, thicker, kind of starchier chili. Or you can drain and rinse them. I’m going to drain and rinse these today because that’s what I prefer, but both work. I’m also going to rinse these just to get all of that starchy aquafaba off. Plop those into your slow cooker.

Two 14 oz cans or one 28 oz can of diced tomatoes. A 28 oz can of tomato sauce. If beans and chili is controversial to you, you can omit those and use anything you’d like. This recipe works with tons of substitutions. As long as you fully cooked the meat and seasoned it properly, it’s going to be good.

Half a cup of beef broth. And if you don’t want to use beef broth for some reason, you can sub it out for a beer, for a different kind of stock, or even just water.

Season the Chili

For this chili, you’ll want chili powder as well. 2 tablespoons to be exact. And you could use more or less. Up to you. 2 tsps of cumin adds a lot of flavor. Personally, I wouldn’t add more than that because there’s a perfect zone between I love the way that tastes and this is heavy-handed. And one and a half teaspoons of dried oregano. You could use other herbs that you enjoy, too. 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of salt as well. And half a teaspoon of cracked black pepper or ground black pepper. Give it a stir.

And I have to tell you, my favorite secret ingredient in chili is cocoa powder. I like using one to three tablespoons, depending on how big my batch is. And it just adds a lovely like depth of flavor. It’s not going to taste chocolatey at all, but it’s going to add a little something extra. Okay, give that a good stir. Please add your favorites into here. There’s so many ways this chili could go. You could add a little bit of cinnamon. You could sub the oregano for basil. Pillage your garden and find fresh herbs. It’s totally up to you.

Cook the Chili

This is ready to get covered up. And we’re going to cook this on high for 3 to 4 hours or cook it on low overnight for 6 to 8. It’s the perfect thing to make while you’re away at work. You come home, the house smells great, and you have a delicious meal ready to serve. I’m going to set this to bubble away, and we’ll be back with the magic of editing.

Finish and Serve

Once your chili is done cooking, it’s time to give it a garnish. You can add anything you’d like. Today, I’m using some shredded cheese, scallions, and a big dollop of sour cream. And of course, there’s cornbread, too.

Store it in an airtight container. Your chili will last for 5 days in the fridge, or you can freeze it for up to 3 months. And just like that, your chili’s ready to enjoy. Perfectly spicy, full of flavor, and it’s just plain delicious. I hope you get a chance to make this recipe.