[Instant Pot] Chipotle Chocolate Chili

I’ve never competed in a chili cook-off, but if I did, this is the contender I would bring to the ring.

Since spying the recipe in an issue of Cooking Light years ago, it’s been a go-to for me and for Grant. I have to give him credit, as he’s taken the recipe on as his specialty – he really makes a mean pot of chili! And as much as I love to cook, there’s something extra-tasty about a home-cooked meal where somebody else does the home-cooking, you know?

I was surprised to see mixed reviews on the magazine’s recipe post (different strokes for different folks, I guess!) but it’s my all-time favorite and makes an appearance on our dinner table several times every year (that’s a lot for a variety-junkie like me).

This chili has exceptional depth and richness from bitter unsweetened chocolate and smokin’ hot chipotle peppers. I make just a couple of tweaks from the original recipe: most notably, I cut back on the brown sugar (you could cut it out entirely, but I find that just a bit helps balance the heat and round out the tomato flavor) and I add a splash of vinegar at the end for brightness. I also prefer my chili with kidney beans over pintos.

In the recipe below I’m sharing my adaptations and instructions for cooking under pressure (in my case, with Instant Pot). If you’re not on board with pressure cooking, no sweat – we’ve made it plenty of times on the stovetop in a dutch oven before embracing the energy-efficient and flavor-concentrating qualities of my favorite electric pressure cooker.

I believe Instant Pot’s “chili” mode is set at 30 minutes, but for this recipe I’m satisfied with a quicker cooking time of 10 minutes using manual mode.

The beautiful thing about home cooking is that you can make it exactly how you like it – so cook it, tweak it, make it your own!

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[Instant Pot] Chipotle Chocolate Chili

Adapted from Cooking Light Magazine.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Servings 6 Servings

Ingredients

  

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 large onion chopped
• 1 red bell pepper chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 minced fresh jalapeno or other hot pepper optional
• 1 pound ground chicken or turkey breast grass-fed beef can be substituted as well
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar optional
• 2 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• two 15 oz. cans dark red kidney beans drained and rinsed
• two 14.5 oz. cans crushed or diced tomatoes I often use one can of each
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken or beef broth
• from a can of chipotle chiles in adobo sauce: 2 chiles minced, along with 2 Tbsp. of sauce
• 1 ounce unsweetened chocolate chopped
• 2 teaspoons red wine or apple cider vinegar

Instructions

 

• Add the olive oil to the pressure cooker to cook over medium heat (press the ‘Saute’ button to begin cooking at medium saute heat). When the oil is hot, add the chopped onion, bell pepper, garlic and ground meat. If you like your chili very spicy, add the optional hot pepper (but be aware of the spiciness of your chili powder and chipotles). Saute, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften and the meat is browned.
• Stir in all remaining ingredients except the chopped chocolate and vinegar. Cover the pressure cooker with the lid, and be sure that the valve is in sealed position. Cook under high pressure for 10 minutes (with Instant Pot, press ‘Cancel’ to stop saute mode before closing the lid, then press ‘Manual’ to select 10 minutes).
• When the cooking time is complete, either open the valve for a quick release, or allow the pot to de-pressurize naturally. After opening the lid, stir in the chocolate and vinegar, and season to taste with salt before serving and garnishing as desired.