Chili Potluck Dinner
Three Recipes for Everyone's Favorite Winter Warm-Up Meal
A smorgasbord of chili recipes is sure to spice up any gathering.
For your next get-together, have your guests get involved by having everyone bring a pot of their favorite chili. You provide the toppings, corn muffins or crusty rolls, and ice cream sundaes for dessert.
If you’re the competitive sort, have everyone vote on their favorite and provide a prize to the best. Here are three chili recipes that are sure winners.
Diane’s Kickin’ Chili
The kick is in the type of chili powder you use. If spicy is not your thing, use regular chili powder. If you want a dab of spice, use ancho chili powder – it has a smoky, slightly spicy flavor. If you want hair on your chest, use hot Mexican chili powder, Indian chili powder or anything with flames on the label. Uncle Steve’s Hot Stuff web site even has habanero chili powder. Oo-chi-wawa!
- 3 pounds beef, cut into cubes
- 1 pound bulk Italian sausage
- 2 onions, chopped
- 2 green peppers, seeded and chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 28-ounce cans diced tomatoes
- 3-6 tablespoons chili powder (your choice, based on how hot you like it)
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon brown sugar
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 16-ounce cans dark red kidney beans, drained
In a large soup pot over medium heat, brown beef and sausage until cooked through. Remove meat and drain out most of the fat. With the remaining fat in the pot, add onion, green pepper and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes. Add spices and brown sugar and a little bit of juice from the canned tomatoes; stir and cook for 5 minutes. Add canned tomatoes, with juice, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Add beans and continue cooking for 15 minutes.
Chicken Chili
- 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 red bell peppers, chopped
- 4 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 16-ounce cans diced tomatoes
- 1 cup black olives, sliced in half
- ½ bottle of beer
- 2 cans of white beans, drained
Brown the chicken in 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan until cooked through. Remove to a platter using a slotted spoon and reserving the pan drippings. Heat the pan drippings and remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil over high heat. Stir in onion and garlic. Saute for 5 minutes. Stir in red peppers and jalapeno peppers. Saute over medium heat for 10 minutes. Stir in chili powder, cumin, coriander and cinnamon. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the chicken, tomatoes with juice, black olives and beer. Simmer over medium heat for at least 15 minutes. Add beans at the end.
Your Grandma’s Chili
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 1 green pepper, chopped
- 1 28-ounce can tomatoes
- 1 large or 2 small bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon paprika
- 1 15-ounce can dark red kidney beans
Crumble and brown ground beef in a heavy skillet. Add onion and green pepper; cook until almost tender. Add tomatoes and seasonings. Cover. Simmer gently for two hours adding bean liquid and water a little at a time, if needed, to keep consistency of thick soup. Add kidney beans; heat through. Remove bay leaves.
Tips:
- Use small bowls so your guests can try small amounts of each type of chili. Set up the chili pots and toppings on a buffet, so everyone can pick as they please.
- Get creative with your toppings - sour cream, grated cheddar cheese, sliced scallions, snipped cilantro, chopped avocado, sliced black olives, roasted red peppers, lime wedges and, of course, oyster crackers.
- If you’ve never experienced Cincinnati Chili, you really should try it. Served over spaghetti and topped with raw chopped onions, it’s a real southern Ohio treat.
For another one-pot meal see Southwest Pozole Dinner Menu.
For more chili recipes, see Vegetarian Chili and Chili Con Carne.
