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”

1 3 4 5 6 7 9
  1. I would make my family’s favorite Beef Burrito filling!

  2. Chili

  3. chili con queso!

  4. I like to cook Sunday meals.

  5. Definitely some chili!

  6. I’d love to cook applesauce

  7. I do not have a crock pot, but I would certainly try chicken casserole in it.

  8. I love to make pot roast in a crock pot. So easy!

  9. I’d love to make Slow Cooker Lasagna!

  10. I love that you can brown things on the stovetop in the pot. And the timer too!

  11. I’d love to make some sort of chili or stew to warm me up this winter.

  12. I love to make chili in the crockpot – this recipe looks fantastic!

  13. I would make chicken tacos, roast, stew, chili, beans with ham shank, potato soup – all kinds of things!

  14. POT ROAST! It’s fabulous in a slow cooker.

  15. chicken and dumplings! A fall/winter favorite for my family :) Thanks for the chance!

  16. Pot roast for the win!

  17. Looks yummy! Might just have to try it this week.

  18. That chili looks great! Beautiful photos!

  19. I love to make pulled pork and chicken in my crock pot as well as soups and chilli.

  20. Pulled pork or chicken and as I’m Hungarian, definitely some sort of slow braised meat stew :)

  21. Aaah too many options- comfort soups!

  22. I would love to cook a pot roast in this crock-pot and be able to brown the roast in the same ceramic bowl it will cook in. Although pot roast is my favorite, regardless if I cook it for Mexican or with mashed potatoes and gravy, I love to cook anything I can in it for convenience during the week! Thank goodness for slow cookers!

  23. Neeeeeeed a new crock pot! Mine is 30+years old! Still works though!

  24. I would love to use this to make pulled pork for Saturday football games.

  25. I don’t like chili but my daughter does, and I think she would love this, definitely going to make in my own (old) Crockpot, would love a new one. :)

  26. Whole chicken-My 3 quart isn’t quite big enough sometimes!

  27. some hearty beef stew!

  28. I would love to cook Chili!

  29. I would love to make tortilla soup in this!

  30. Wow! I would love to make some homemade barbecue pulled pork, if I won this crockpot. Love the added option of being able to use the pot for browning on the stovetop first, too!

  31. This looks perfect for a chilly Kansas City fall day! The stovetop option for this Crockpot is genius! I’d love to give it a try!

  32. I would make baked beans. Using pork n beans, catchup, brown sugar, vinegar, ketchup, mustard, onions Browned with about 1/4 C Molasses, browned ground beef with 2-3 garlic cloves and salt and pepper to taste (you can also use mild sausage), 4-6 strips of cooked bacon, crumbled, and let simmer until the beans thicken. About 4-6 hours. These are wonderful, and super easy. These are WONDERFUL!

  33. I’d love to cook a pot roast. Thanks for the chance to win!

  34. Any kind of casserole with melted cheese and maybe spices!

  35. Love the crockpot and the recipe! I need a new one for both!

  36. I will go for Hungarian beef stew ( Goulash soup ), Love it! :)

  37. This is going on our menu for next week! I love how you can personalize chili so much, but my fiancée HAS TO have some recipe to follow or we’ll end up with a mess. Thanks for a great simple recipe :)

  38. pulled pork!! Chili!! The list never ends!!

  39. I would love to cook your Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken in this awesome crock-pot.

  40. I’d cook so many things but I’d definitely start with some chili!

  41. I would cook bone broth and anything with those camballs crockpot mixes.

  42. That is a no-brainer! I tend to avoid slow cooker recipes that require so much prep/additional dish-washing, so this would help a lot! Chili looks yummy too.

  43. I’d like to try a pot roast!

  44. Apple sauce.

  45. My crockpot is over 12 years old and is almost on its last leg! I would love to make a batch of this chili in a shiny, new Crock Pot!

  46. Mojo Pork

  47. Red Beans and rice.

  48. I would love to make overnight pumpkin apple steel cut oats! I don’t have a slow cooker but would love to add the additional technique to my cooking!

  49. I would love to use it for spaghetti!