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This chili recipe is as easy as can be! It uses ingredients that you probably already have on hand, so it’s easy to throw together in a pinch. Aside from canned goods and seasonings, this recipe uses onion, garlic, and ground meat, all of which are easy to keep on hand. Be sure to defrost the ground meat if it’s in the freezer.
Another bonus about this recipe is that you can make it either in a slower cooker OR on the stovetop. I personally made it in the slow cooker, so those are the instructions I put on the main part of the recipe card, but if you prefer to make it on the stove, then read the notes section of the recipe card. The slow cooker version makes the chili a little more flavorful since it cooks for so long (4-5 hours) – the flavors all come together really nicely. However, the stovetop still makes a delicious chili that’ll be ready in about 30-45 minutes. If you don’t have a slow cooker but want a lot of flavor development, then you can still accomplish it on the stove by letting the chili sit for a few hours on the lowest setting with the top on.
Ingredients
Yellow onion, garlic – For delicious flavor.
Ground turkey or beef – The protein. Feel free to sub with any ground meat that you prefer. You can also use 1/2 ground sausage if desired, for an extra boost of flavor.
Chili powder, paprika, cumin, salt, oregano, black pepper – For flavor. Be sure not to use a spicy chili powder unless you want the chili to be spicy.
Red kidney beans – Feel free to sub with black beans or great northern beans if you prefer those.
Crushed tomatoes – A necessity for chili recipes.
Diced green chiles – For extra flavor. These are optional. Don’t worry about it if you don’t have them!
Chicken or beef broth – Use this to preference. I call for 1/2 cup which will create a thick chili. If you like more liquid in your chili, then you can add more broth. You may also need to add more if you cook it longer on the stove because the liquid dissipates over time.
Slow cooker method
Chili is super delicious made in a slow cooker / crockpot because all the flavors have so much time to come together. Here’s how to make chili in a slow cooker/crockpot:
- Put olive oil in a skillet over med-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for a few minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the ground meat and cook until no longer pink, stirring and breaking it up as it cooks.
- Transfer the mixture to a slow cooker and add all of the remaining ingredients. Turn to low and cook for 4-5 hours, until thickened and the flavors come together. Adjust the broth to your preference for how thick you want the chili to be.
Stovetop method
The stovetop is another great way to make chili, and you can honestly let it cook on the stove for as long as you want! It can be done in as little as 30 minutes, or you can let it cook for a few hours to let the flavors develop more. Follow these instructions for making chili on the stove:
- Put olive oil in a large pot over med-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for a few minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the ground meat and cook until no longer pink, stirring and breaking it up as it cooks.
- Add the chili powder, paprika, cumin, salt, oregano, and black pepper. Stir to combine.
- Add the beans (rinsed and drained), tomatoes, diced green chiles and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30-45 minutes or until chili thickens. Taste and adjust seasonings and salt as necessary.
- If you want to cook the chili longer for more flavor development, then cover the chili and turn the heat to the lowest setting. Add more broth if needed / desired.
Chili modifications
You can modify the chili recipe according to your preference or what you have on hand. Here are some ideas:
- Choose the ground meat – you can use ground turkey, beef, bison, venison, or a combination of them if you want to bulk up the recipe. You can also add some ground Italian sausage for extra flavor.
- Sub diced shallots or leeks in place of the onion if desired.
- You can add diced bell pepper, sweet potato, or even carrots. I personally love adding diced bell pepper to my chili when I have it on hand. I’ve also used sweet potato before in this Turkey Sweet Potato Chili recipe and it was amazing! I figure carrots would be about the same as sweet potatoes.
- Switch up the seasonings such as omitting the paprika, cumin, and oregano and adding extra chili powder in their place or simply adding another spice of your own such as a dash of cayenne for some spice.
Other recipes you’ll love
Smoked Paprika Black Bean Chili
Be sure to check out The Autumn Harvest eCookbook for more recipes that are delicious for the fall and winter season! There’s a Paleo Chili included in the recipe, as well as many other delicious breakfast, lunch/dinner, and dessert recipes.
I hope you love this easy Pantry Chili recipe! Please leave a review if you made the recipe, it helps my website and my ability to keep creating recipes for you. I appreciate it more than you know! <3
PrintPantry Chili
An easy chili recipe to throw together using ingredients you likely already have on hand.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 hours
- Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Lunch, Dinner
- Method: Slow-Cooker
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 large yellow onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced (or sub 1 tsp garlic powder)
1 lb ground turkey or beef*
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14.5 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1 (4.5 oz) can diced green chiles (optional)
1/2 cup beef or chicken broth, to preference
Garnishes
Cheese, avocado, tortilla chips, cilantro, jalapeño, green onion, sour cream, etc.
Instructions
Put olive oil in a skillet over med-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for a few minutes, stirring frequently.
Add the ground meat and cook until no longer pink, stirring and breaking it up as it cooks.
Transfer the mixture to a slow cooker and add all of the remaining ingredients. Turn to low and cook for 4-5 hours, until thickened and the flavors come together. Adjust the broth to your preference for how thick you want the chili to be.
To serve: Scoop chili into bowls and garnish with desired toppings, such as shredded cheese, cilantro, sliced green onion, sour cream (or greek yogurt!), etc.
Notes
*Ground turkey and beef are typically what people have on hand already in their freezers, but if you have ground sausage as well, feel free to add that as well! You can either sub 1/2 the meat for it or just add some to the recipe for a heartier chili.
You can make this chili in a pot on the stove if you want (rather than a slow cooker):
- Put olive oil in a large pot over med-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for a few minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the ground meat and cook until no longer pink, stirring and breaking it up as it cooks.
- Add the chili powder, paprika, cumin, salt, oregano, and black pepper. Stir to combine.
- Add the beans (rinsed and drained), tomatoes, diced green chiles, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30-45 minutes or until chili thickens. Taste and adjust seasonings and salt as necessary.
