TAYLORKITCHEN House Chili

There's nothing better on a chilly evening than deep mahogany, smoky, slightly spicy, comforting, warming bowl chili. We all love chili in our house and each member of the clan is quite particular about how it's served up.

In our house corn chips are a must.  My husband loves a bit of sour cream on his and I love melty goat's milk cheddar that kind of oozes into the chili and when combined with those crunchy corn chips makes my perfect bowl.

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AN UNCOMPLICATED ARRAY OF SPICES

Some opt for a few jalapeños or some diced onion on top, but I'll typically stick to the crunch and the gooey cheese.

I hope by now that you've actually made chili in your lifetime, but if you have or have not I offer up to you TaylorKitchen house chili, which is easy and comes together in about 20 minutes. It's always better the next day if you happen to have leftovers,  but I have a couple secret ingredients that I use in mine. They are not hard to find ingredients, but they really take this chili up a notch.

ONE OF MY SECRET INGREDIENTS ARE SUPER SWEET CANNED CHERRY TOMATOES. ADD A TOUCH OF HONEY IF YOU CAN'T LOCATE THESE, BUT MY LOCAL WALMART HAS BEGUN TO CARRY THEM□

The canned tomatoes - I use one can of fire roasted diced tomatoes, which are easily found in local supermarkets and of course at Thrive Market which I love. A nod to the untraditional is that I use a can of cherry tomatoes. These are typically Italian in nature and used to be more difficult to find, but I recently found them at my local Walmart. These canned cherry tomatoes are so sweet and lend a certain something to this chili that apart from using this particular tin of tomatoes, you might replicate with a small bit of honey to mimic the sweetness that the cherry tomatoes provide.

ADDING COCOA POWDER MAY SOUND ODD, BUT GIVE THE CHILI A MEXICAN MOLE' VIBE WHICH IS DEEP & SAVORY (NOT SWEET)

Cocoa powder – cocoa powder is often thought of as something you only use in sweets, but straight cocoa is actually more bitter and has a very deep flavor that lends some umami to the chili. If you've ever had a Mexican Mole, that deep flavor comes from cocoa powder. It also makes this chili incredibly tasty.

A LONGER, SLOW SIMMER YIELDS DEEPER FLAVOR, BUT IT'S ACTUALLY READY TO EAT IN 20 MINUTES

I also always use ground turkey in my chili. It is healthier than ground beef, typically less expensive than its counterpart and I love that it absorbs all the flavors of the spices, garlic and cocoa powder without lending any specific taste of its own. That lets all the other ingredients shine through.

I would encourage you to make a double or triple batch of this house chili as it freezes very well.  It can now be your house chili too!

Knife Set (self sharpening)                      Large Cutting Board                                   Mueller Dutch Oven     

TaylorKitchen House Turkey Chili
linked items are sold through Thrive Market, my favorite market for grocery delivery 
6 servings

1 pound ground turkey
1/2 onion, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 heaping tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon cocoa powder (or raw cacao)
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 1/2 teaspoon course sea salt
1 clove garlic, minced
1 14 ounce can fire roasted tomatoes, diced
1 14 ounce can sweet cherry tomatoes (or other tomatoes of choice if you can't find cherry tomatoes)
1 15 ounce can beans, such as kidney or canellini (I leave the bean liquid which help to thicken the chili)
1/2 cup water


In a medium large pot, saute the onion in the olive oil with 1/2 teaspoon salt until the onion becomes translucent.
Add in the ground turkey and then the remaining salt, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika and cocoa powder.
Stir to combine well as the turkey begins to cook.
Add the garlic and give another stir.
Add in both cans of tomatoes and stir again.
Add in the can of beans
Use the water to rinse any tomato remains out of the cans of tomato and add into the chili,
Let cook for at least 20 minutes at a low simmer to ensure all the turkey is cooked through.


I love to serve mine with corn chips or Fritos, a bit if sour cream and some shredded goat's milk cheddar, but everyone has their own way.  You do you!