Gimme Some Oven

Slow Cooker Chili

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Classic Slow Cooker Chili -- super easy to make, and SO GOOD! | gimmesomeoven.com #soup #fall #gameday

I’m now calling this “victory chili”, because when I made it a few days ago for the Royals’ big wild card game, they freaking won and earned their way to the play-offs for the first time in 29 years!!!

Oh my goodness. People reading this post years from now will probably have no idea what I’m talking about. But this game was epic. Or as my dad called it, “the best game he had ever seen”. I think the entire city stayed up until midnight for the nailbiter of an ending, and you could literally hear cheering in the streets every step of the way. It was crazy! So crazy! And so awesome.

I spent the night cheering them on with about 30 neighbors for a Royals-edition of our weekly #neighbornights. And my contribution for the evening was a slow cooker full of delicious, classic chili. I recently confessed that I’m not a big fan of ground beef. But I know that all of my other neighbors seem to love it, so I took one for the team with this one. (Although if you’re in my court, you can easily substitute ground turkey or even chicken.)  They all totally gave it a big thumbs up. So since the Royals’ next playoff game is tomorrow night, I may just have to make another batch. You know, for good luck to continue on our awesome new winning streak. Go Royals!

Also awesome? The fact that I made this chili with a fancy new slow cooker that I recently received to test out — the Crock-Pot® 6-Quart Slow Cooker with Stovetop-Safe Cooking Pot. It’s the first-ever slow cooker that allows you to actually lift out the ceramic cooking pot and place it on the stove (to brown the hamburger, in this case) and then transfer it back to the slow cooker. It seems like such a no-brainer, but I’m obsessed with it now. And today I’m excited that we’re going to be giving away one of these fancy new Crock-Pot® Slow Cooker to one of you! So keep reading below for this slow cooker chili recipe, and also take a second to enter this giveaway for a chance to win.

Because in KC, you’d better believe we’re all about winning this week. ;)

Classic Slow Cooker Chili -- super easy to make, and SO GOOD! | gimmesomeoven.com #soup #fall #gameday

Just like any other beef chili, the first step in this recipe requires browning the beef and onions. So I thought that was a perfect chance to test out the cool new stovetop capabilities of this new Crock-Pot® Slow Cooker. Much to my surprise, the first thing I noticed when lifting out the ceramic pot is that this one is so much lighter than other slow cookers! I don’t know about you, but every other slow cooker I’ve had has a pot inside that is h-e-a-v-y. (Which I especially notice when trying to transport or wash it.)  But nope, this version is surprisingly lightweight and transferred easily to the stove.

From there, I just treated it like a regular stockpot on the stove to brown the beef and onions, and it worked like a charm! The only heads-up I’ll give you is that there are no handles on the pot. So if you want to move it around on the stove or whenever you’re ready to transport it, use potholders!

Classic Slow Cooker Chili -- super easy to make, and SO GOOD! | gimmesomeoven.com #soup #fall #gameday

Once the meat was browned, I just added in the rest of the ingredients and set the handy little timer to cook on high for about 4 hours…

Classic Slow Cooker Chili -- super easy to make, and SO GOOD! | gimmesomeoven.com #soup #fall #gameday

…and the slow cooker worked its magic and this steaming, delicious pot of chili was ready for the big game.

Classic Slow Cooker Chili -- super easy to make, and SO GOOD! | gimmesomeoven.com #soup #fall #gameday

Since I was cooking for a big crowd, I decided to kind of aim for the middle when it came to the seasonings and heat in this chili recipe. But I did add in a few chipotle peppers for a smoky kick. And if you love heat, I definitely recommend adding in an extra jalapeno or two.

But other than that, this basically defines what I think of as classic chili. It’s thick, beefy, tomato-y, slightly spicy, a little smoky, and SO GOOD.

Classic Slow Cooker Chili -- super easy to make, and SO GOOD! | gimmesomeoven.com #soup #fall #gameday

Perfect for eating in a big bowl by itself. Or I noticed that my neighbors also transformed it into all sorts of things, like frito pie, chili baked potatoes, chili cheese dip, and chili dogs. Basically however you like chili, it’ll work.

So check out the recipe, and be sure to enter the giveaway below for a chance to win a fancy new Crock-Pot® Slow Cooker of your own!

Classic Slow Cooker Chili -- super easy to make, and SO GOOD! | gimmesomeoven.com #soup #fall #gameday

Oh. And goooooooooo Royals!!!! :)

Classic Slow Cooker Chili -- super easy to make, and SO GOOD! | gimmesomeoven.com #soup #fall #gameday

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Slow Cooker Chili

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 41 reviews
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 250 minutes
  • Total Time: 260 minutes
  • Yield: 8 -10 servings 1x

Description

This classic slow cooker chili recipe is easy to make, and so comforting!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 pounds lean ground beef
  • 1 medium red or yellow onion, peeled and diced
  • 4 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 chipotle chili in adobo sauce, chopped (*add more for extra smokyness and heat)
  • 2 (15 ounce) cans dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained (**see below for substitution ideas)
  • 2 (15 ounce) cans tomato sauce
  • 2 (15 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
  • 1 (15 ounce) can light red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chiles
  • 1 cup beer or beef broth
  • 2 Tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 Tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • (Optional toppings: shredded cheddar cheese, crushed tortilla chips or strips, thinly-sliced green onions, sour cream, salsa, etc.)

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. (Or if you are using this Crock-Pot slow cooker, heat oil in the ceramic stovetop-safe bowl on the stove over medium-high heat.) Add the ground beef, onion and garlic and cook for about 7-10 minutes or until the beef is completely browned, crumbling the beef with a spoon as it cooks. Drain and discard the excess fat/grease. Then transfer the beef into the bottom of a slow cooker. (Or transfer the stovetop-safe bowl back into the slow cooker.)
  2. Add the remaining ingredients, and stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours. Taste, and season with additional salt and pepper or seasonings if need be.
  3. Serve warm, with desired toppings.

Notes

*I used about 3 chipotle peppers, but did not add any extra adobo sauce.

**If you don’t like kidney beans, you can also substitute in black beans, pinto beans, or great northern beans.

 

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452 comments on “Slow Cooker Chili”

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  1. I would cook chili and rice in the cooker

  2. I would love to cook chicken, spinach, and garlic in the Crock-Pot slow cooker.

  3. Definitely chili :)

  4. I would love to make brisket with this!

  5. Mmm. This is a chili I can get behind. Thick, hearty and made using chipotle peppers. I big huge heart LOVE chipotle peppers!

  6. I would love to make my favorite vegetarian chili!

  7. Sounds like a great crock pot!

  8. This chili, duh!!! :)

  9. Great timing on the post! I’m supposed to enter a chili cook off next weekend and was coming up with zero ideas! Now I have one, yay.

  10. I would make some veggie chili!

  11. apple butter

  12. I have been craving Chili lately as the weather turns colder.

  13. I would love to cook a great big pot of soup–probably chicken noodle. Thanks for the giveaway.

  14. I would love this to make for for football parties!

  15. One of my absolute Fall favorite dishes to cook in the Crock Pot is Polish Kraut ‘n Apples from the Fix It and Forget It cookbook. Very simple, full of Fall flavors, and just yummy Bavarian comfort food. I would love this Crock Pot for the ease of browning and then slow cooking in one pot. Thanks for this chili recipe — I would love to try making it in this new Crock Pot!

  16. I’ve never made chili and this one looks yummy! This crock-pot would be great to win!!

  17. This looks amazing! Imagine it over some nice sweet cornbread to cut the heat a little, but still preserve the spice…yummy!

  18. This chili looks incredible! :) Fall weather and football definitely calls for chili, soups, and stews. Yum!

  19. Yeah! One dirty dish to make Crock Pot Chili instead of a two… yummy and easy!

  20. I would love to make this or a white chili!

  21. I love to make soup in the slow cooker! Thanks for the giveaway!

  22. Chili is my favorite crock pot recipe!

  23. Okay, what is the bigger wonder? How the Royals got into the playoffs or that someone finally figured out how to pre-cook dinner on the stove for the crock pot. That’s genius!

  24. I love my Crock Pot. You can put almost any food into that thing and dinner is ready every night of the week. I have to confess, I used my Crock Pot four times last week. Is that excessive?

  25. I would love to cook a crockpot roast chicken in this crockpot! The top on my crockpot is broken, so it’s basically useless.

  26. I’d love to cook a beef stew in this crock pot!

  27. I would make a rich Bolognese in this Crock Pot!

  28. I’d start with white chicken chili. Yum!

  29. I would love to try french onion soup in the Crock-Pot!

  30. I really want to make some cheesy taco soup!

  31. I’d love to cook soup or chili in it!

  32. I love to use my crock pot! Nothing better than coming home and having dinner all ready to go!

  33. Actually, your chili looks so good right now that I would love to make that first. How cool that you can cook with this on the stove and then transfer back to the slow cooker!

  34. As a fellow Kansas Citian– Go Royals!!! I very much enjoy trying new chili recipes and look forward to trying yours! There is something ceremonial about the first batch of chili made in the fall!!!

  35. Just saw a recipe for apple butter that I want to try

  36. White bean chili!

  37. Such a great idea for a crock pot.. and now I want to make chili!

  38. I make my own brand of chili that I let cook overnight. This would be PERFECT to have as my crock pot is on it’s way out.

    Also, ham and black bean soup. Yum!

  39. I’ve been saving a ton of slow cooker recipes lately, but I would definitely have to make my husband’s enchilada sauce chili in the crock pot!

  40. I would make some Mexican shredded beef and then of course, chili!

  41. love your site

  42. Wow, I just made a batch of chili this past weekend and it would have been awesome to do everything in one pot – so cool!

  43. I’d love to make pulled pork!

  44. Yummy chili.

  45. Can’t wait to try this out!

  46. I have always wondered why someone didn’t think of making a crockpot that can be used on the stove as well…makes so much sense! We love to make chili in the crock pot and we really love Tortilla Soup as well!

  47. I would love to cook a pot roast with potatoes, carrots, and onions in the crock pot.