A hearty, comforting bowl of chipotle steak chili to sure to warm you on chilly winter nights. Flavored with homemade chili paste, this chili is a crowd pleaser!
Disclosure: OXO sent me their product for their #OXOCookware campaign. As always, all opinions stated here are entirely my own.
Table of Contents
Chipotle Chili
This isn’t your average steak chili recipe. It’s a chili that requires making your own chili paste form scratch!
Sound difficult and complicated? It’s not.
All you need is a food processor. But, I assure you the extra effort is well worth it.
This chipotle chili recipes uses a combination of dried ancho chili, fresh jalapeño, and canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.
Key Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Dried Ancho
While it’s not very spicy, it does have a kick of big flavors. Dried ancho chili is easy to work with, but if the task seems intimidating- refer to my ancho chili tutorial.
Chipotle Peppers
Chipotle peppers are a wonderful addition to numerous dishes. They add rich smoky and full umami flavors. You can find many varieties and brands of canned chipotle peppers at the supermarket. I prefer to use this one in adobo sauce.
Jalapenos
Ancho and chipotle peppers do not add heat. They are used for their smoky flavors. Jalapenos, on the other hands, can pack punch of heat! Especially, if you keep the seeds and ribs intact. For less spice, be sure to remove the white ribs inside the pepper and discard the seeds.
Beef
This version uses steak! I used beef chuck roast, but any kind of stewing beef will work (meaning beef with a good amount of fat and connective tissue, e.g. beef shank, brisket). You may also sub in ground beef in place of steak. See notes for a vegetarian options.
Canned Beans
Use any type of canned beans! Be sure to drain and rinse the canned beans before use. Black beans are recommended, but feel free to use what you have on hand. Kidney beans, pinto beans, navy beans, even chickpeas (garbanzo beans) are great substitutes.
Spices
Asides from the chili peppers, this stew is spiced with oregano and cumin. If using fresh oregano, cut amount by half.
Recommended Kitchen Equipment
Thanks to my friends at OXO, I used my new stainless steel pro 5 quart dutch oven pot to make this super hearty chili.
The 5 quart is a perfect sized pot to make large batches like this.
(Just the right size to have leftovers because chili always tastes better the following day once it’s had time to really absorb all the flavors.)
Asides from it’s size, I really love the way the pot is constructed, allowing for even cooking.
There’s nothing worse than using a pot that has “hot” spots causing your soup/stew/chili to have that one burnt section at the bottom.
Okay, the actual horrible part is when you mix it all together not knowing that there’s a burnt part, thus changing the taste of your entire dish. UGH.
Oh, and it’s oven-safe (including the lid), which is of utmost important to a baker like me!
Chipotle Steak Chili
Ingredients
- 4 dried ancho chili, , stems and seeds discarded
- 3 Tablespoon cornmeal
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 chipotle peppers from canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 1 Tablespoon adobo sauce from canned chipotle peppers
- 3 cups reduced sodium chicken broth, *
- 5 garlic cloves
- 2 medium onions, , cut into ½-inch pieces
- 3 jalapeños, , stemmed, seeded and cut into large chunks
- 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes , (low sodium or no salt added version)
- 2 Tablespoon light brown sugar, , packed
- 2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 pounds beef chuck roast,, trimmed of excess fat, cut into 1 ½-inch cubes*
- 2 15 oz cans black beans,, rinsed and drained
- salt and pepper, , to taste
Garnish:
- sour cream
- shredded cheddar cheese
- green onions
- thinly sliced radish
- cornbread
Instructions
- Adjust oven racks to accommodate dutch oven/pot. Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Heat a large skillet (12-inch) over high heat. Once skillet is hot, add torn ancho chili. Press chili into pan, toasting it. Toast chili for 20 seconds on each side. Toast until fragrant*. Remove from pan and allow to cool in food processor bowl.
- In a food processor, combine dried ancho chili, cornmeal, oregano, and cumin until it resembles coarse sand. Add 2 chipotle peppers, 1 Tbsp adobo sauce, and ½ cup chicken broth. Pulse to create a thick paste. Transfer paste to a clean bowl. Do not clean out food processor bowl.
- Add garlic to food processor. Pulse until minced. Add onions and jalapeños. Pulse until mixture resembles chunky salsa.
- In dutch oven/large pot, heat up 1 Tbsp oil over medium heat. Add onion mixture. Cook for 2 minutes until onions have softened. Add chili paste. Stir to combine. Add diced tomatoes (including juice), brown sugar, salt, pepper, and 2 cups of chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and allow mixture to simmer while you cook beef.
- In the same skillet used to toast chili, add remaining 1 Tbsp of vegetable oil. Heat skillet over medium-high heat.
- Sear beef chunks in batches. Turn beef chunks as needed to ensure all sides are seared. You don't need to fully cook the beef, just brown the sides. The beef will continue to cook and soften in the chili. Place seared beef in simmering chili pot. Continue to sear remaining beef chunks. Once all the beef has been placed in the chili pot, deglaze the skillet using the remaining ½ cup of chicken broth. Pour deglazing sauce into chili pot and stir.
- Add rinsed and drained black beans to pot. Stir to combine. Cover dutch oven pot with lid. Place in oven and allow to bake for 2 hours, until beef is tender. Cool chili for 10 minutes before removing lid.
- Season chipotle steak chili with salt and pepper as needed.**
- Serve chili warm with garnishes and cornbread.
Notes
- Dried ancho chili can burn quickly. Do not over toast.
- I added an additional 2 1/2 tsp of kosher salt and 1 tsp of black pepper. Adjust accordingly to your taste.
- Any kind of stewing beef works (meaning beef with a good amount of fat and connection tissue, such as beef shank or brisket). Or, sub in ground beef.
- You may use any canned beans of choice include: kidney beans, pinto beans, cannellini beans or chickpeas (garbanzo beans).
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
Maryanne, do you think the final cooking step can be done in a crock pot? OMG this looks so good! Thank you for sharing :)
Hi Ami. Yes, you can definitely let it finish cooking in the crock pot :)
OMG! Not only does this sound like the most delicious thing to ever be put in a bowl, but it looks stunning too! I have never had good luck shooting chili so I am giving you a standing ovation right now!
Thanks Monique! I really appreciate it! Yeah, chili is really difficult to photograph. Same goes for curries and stews. I think the toppings really help :)
Thanks for the Chili recipe :) … the cornbread looks really good too… Can please you share that recipe for the cornbread in the photo too :) … thanks :)
Thanks Teri! I actually used a boxed mix for the cornbread. It’s the gluten-free cornbread muffin mix from Krusteaz.
mmm I love a chunky chili! And I realllly love that chili is so verstaile! You can top it the way you want and it tastes amazing!
But I really love that your chili does not look toooo tomatoey.
I am definitly gonna have to try it this way :)
Thanks Andrea! There’s just a little bit of tomato in this chili because I like to let the smokey chili flavors shine :)
Okay Maryanne this chili looks LEGIT. making your own chili paste?? Dang girl. Chili is one of those dishes that all look the same after a while. but THIS looks amazing.
Thanks Karen! :)
This chili is drool-worthy, Maryanne! I’m so happy OXO sent you a dutch oven and this chili is a result of such a generous gift. I’ve never put radishes in my chili but I think I may start. I had just never thought about it.
Thanks Jen! I really like the refreshing crunch of the radish with the super savory chili :)