Smokey Sweet Anaheim Chili
This forgiving chili recipe can be made super spicy or very mild, with five beans or with one, thick or liquidy, all because it gets its distinct flavor from Anaheim peppers. Enjoy it over rice, or with pasta, toast or cornbread.
Equipment
- large pot (8+ quarts)
Ingredients
- 1 small white or yellow onion
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3 medium Anaheim peppers chopped (reserving seeds & removing pith)
- 6 medium Roma Tomatoes diced
- 5 15 oz cans beans black, white, pinto, garbanzo, kidney [note #1]; sub 1/2 cup uncooked dry beans per 15 oz can [note #2]
- 2 cups corn
- 5 tbsp chili powder
- 3-4 cups water [note #3]
Optional Additions
- ~1 tbsp cayenne to taste
- 1 regular jalapeno pepper finely chopped (with seeds and pith)
- 1 regular serrano pepper finely chopped (with seeds with seeds and pith)
- 1 medium habanero pepper minced (with seeds and pith)
- 1 regular Thai chili dried, whole
Instructions
- Chop and prep all ingredients
- In a large pot, add onion, garlic, and all peppers and seeds and cook on medium-high to high heat until bottom of pan has just caramelized (~6-8 minutes)
- Add chopped tomatoes and use steam and liquid from them to deglaze bottom of pan [note#4]
- Increase to high heat, stirring frequently until bottom of pan caramelizes again, ~10-12 minutes
- Add beans, corn, chili powder to taste, and cayenne and dry thai chili if using, then bring to a boil
- Remove lid, stir, cover [note #3] reduce to simmer and cook for at least 30 minutes [note #5]
- Serve by itself or with toast, or as a topping over rice or pasta. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- I like to make this recipe with a variety of beans, but you can simplify and use just one or a few types of beans as long as the volume stays the same
- I recommend dry beans for a cheaper and tastier zero waste option over canned
- Add more water and cook covered if you prefer chili with more liquid; add less water and cook uncovered if you prefer thicker chili
- This is a no-oil, no-water method for stovetop cooking which maintains the most flavor; you're looking for the moment right before the bottom of the pan starts to burn before adding your next ingredient(s), then using the natural moisture from those ingredients to unstick the caramelization on the bottom of the pan
- Chili can take a lot of time on the stove; the longer you cook it, the more flavor development you'll get; just make sure to stir every so often to avoid it overcooking and sticking the bottom of the pan