The Best Slow Cooker Chili Recipe For This Fall

It’s that time of year again! And that means it’s time to put your family’s favorite chili recipe on repeat. If you don’t have one yet, I’ve got you covered. This recipe is easy, simple, and such a great classic. Plus, It tastes amazing!

Chili is so versatile and you can personalize it in so many ways. It’s that one comfort food that I instantly want when I wake up to a crisp fall morning or a snow storm.

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I also love to double up my recipes so that we can eat it up for the next few days. Chili is also so much better the next day after all the flavors have melded together in the fridge, am I right?!

What Is the secret to good chili?

I believe the secret to great chili is optimizing the flavors of your ingredients. One way to do this is to make sure to pre-cook your meat and saute your vegetables. I like to use a cast iron skillet because it cooks food evenly and thoroughly. It is also a great way to add flavor.

Cast iron is also great for getting a good sear on your food. When cooking the poblano peppers in this recipe, the cast iron will help them get that fire roasted and blistered taste!

Can I make Chili in an instant pot or pressure cooker?

Yes, absolutely! As you know, there are some nuances with pressure cooking. For chili, you will need added liquid. This can be a beef broth or another broth of your choice. You will also add the tomatoes to the Instant Pot last. You will not mix them in, but rather leave them on top of the rest of the ingredients to cook.

To adapt this recipe, you will make sure there are no burnt bits on the bottom of your pot. If there are, scrape them and use a little bit of liquid to deglaze.

Next, add one cup of broth to to your chili before cooking, and put the tomatoes resting on top of the rest of your chili.

You can cook on high pressure for 30 minutes and let pressure release naturally for 15 minutes before opening the pressure release valve.

Can you Make chili a freezer meal?

Chili is great as a freezer meal or dump meal. I would definitely recommend still cooking your vegetables and beef before putting them in your freezer ziplock. Otherwise, this recipe will be pretty much the same!

Instead of putting your prepared ingredients straight into your slow cooker, you will stick them into a freezer bag. You can also use a food sealer to get all the air out. It will stay fresh in the freezer for three months.

When it is time to pull your chili from the freezer and cook it, let it thaw in the fridge for a day or two before putting it in the crock pot to cook. You can follow the original cook times after it is thawed.

what can you use instead of Poblano Pepper?

The closest pepper to the poblano is an anaheim pepper. Sometimes anaheim peppers are easier to find. They are slightly more spicy than poblanos but once seeded, there isn’t too much of a difference. In this recipe though, any mild pepper will do. You may chose to use a green or red bell pepper as well.

Do you have to Saute vegetables before cooking chili in the slow cooker?

It is recommended that you saute the vegetables before you begin cooking in the slow cooker. It affects the flavor by releasing aromatics. Without cooking first, you won’t get as complex of a flavor.

Also, by letting them get a little seared or charred, you are adding even more flavor!

Can I skip Tomato Paste in Chili?

Yes! You can skip the tomato paste if you don’t have it on hand or forgot it. Tomato paste is mainly for texture and consistency. It helps thicken up the chili, but there are other ways you can achieve this if that is what you’re going for.

Do you Drain The Tomatoes when making chili?

Nope! It is not necessary to drain the juice from tomatoes when making chili. The juice helps add moisture while cooking so the chili doesn’t dry out. Along with the juices that cook off from the other vegetables, the tomato juice replaces the need to use a broth in the recipe.

How Long Should Chili Be Cooked?

If you are cooking your chili in the crockpot, you will need to cook it anywhere from 3-8 hours. If you cook it on high, 3-4 hours will do. However, the flavor is much better if you cook it on low and leave it for 6-8 hours.

If cooking on the stove, you will want to let it simmer for upwards of an hour after bringing it to a boil.

In the instant pot, you will need 30 minutes under pressure, plus the time it takes to come up to pressure and release the pressure. This will be about an hour.

How to Save Chili for Leftovers

Fridge

You can keep leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for easy reheating. Leftovers can be reheated on the stove in a saucepan for best results.

Freezer

If you would like to freeze your leftovers, you can do so in an airtight container or freezer bag. You can use smaller containers for individual servings or you can freeze the whole batch!

To reheat you can let thaw in the fridge completely, or you can let it that just enough to get it out of the container. That way you can put it straight into a pot and reheat on the stove.

What to serve with chili

Chili is really a meal in itself, which is another perk about this dish. There are a few toppings that you’ll want to serve with it though. These optional toppings include:

• Shredded Cheese
• Sour Cream
• Diced Onion or Chives
• Saltines or Oyster Crackers

And then there’s always the classic dessert side dish for chili…CINNAMON ROLLS! I’m not sure if this is regional or what, but some people have grown up eating chili and cinnamon rolls together, and some have never heard of it! Let me know if someone has the history on this!