Hearty Chipotle Bison Chili

This hearty chipotle bison chili recipe is based on the one my mom used when I was growing up. It's perfect for cold winter nights or just when you want a little comfort food! It's great with any type of ground meat, even ground turkey. Serve topped with Fritos® and Cheddar cheese. This is also very good over cornbread.

• Preparation Time: 20 mins
• Cooking Time: 42 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 2 mins
• Calories: 343 Calories

Ingredients

• ¼ cup warm water
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
• ½ large onion, chopped
• 1 (8 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers (such as RO*TEL®)
• 1 pound ground bison
• 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained (Optional)
• 2 tablespoons chipotle chile powder
• 2 tablespoons masa harina (corn flour)

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook and stir beef and bison until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain and discard grease. Transfer meat to a bowl.

Step 2

Heat the remaining olive oil in the same saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute green bell pepper, onion, and garlic until the onion becomes translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in the cooked meat. Add chili powder, chipotle powder, and cumin. Stir again. Add crushed tomatoes, kidney beans, diced tomatoes, corn, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon salt, and sugar. Stir well; reduce heat to low and simmer the chili for at least 25 minutes.

Step 3

Combine warm water and masa harina in a bowl. Pour into the chili. Continue simmering until thickened, about 10 minutes more. Season with salt.