Took 2nd place at the chili cook off with this Chipotle Adobo Ancho Chicken Chili the aroma and flavor were straight fire!

I decided to get a little crazy and enter the neighborhood chili cook-off last weekend. I went with chicken instead of the usual ground beef and threw together this Chipotle Adobo Ancho Chicken Chili experiment… and it actually placed 2nd! Out of everyone there, I scored highest on both Aroma and Flavor. The winner used beef, so you can definitely swap the chicken for ground beef if you want, but this version was stupid good.

The combo of dried anchos + chipotles in adobo gives it this deep, smoky, complex flavor that just builds. It’s moderately spicy (more of a slow tongue-tingling heat than a burn-your-face-off situation), rich, and gets even better as it sits. I made a massive batch in the crock pot and it’s been tasting better every day.

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Ingredients

• 2 lbs Costco grilled seasoned chipotle chicken (or any cooked chicken, shredded or chopped)

• 3 (15.5 oz) cans dark red kidney beans

• 3 (15 oz) cans black beans

• 1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce

• 2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes

• 2 (6 oz) cans tomato paste

• 1 (7 oz) can chipotles in adobo (La Costeña is great)

• 7 dried ancho chilis, soaked in boiling water, seeded and roughly chopped

• 2 large onions, chopped

• 3 bell peppers, chopped

• 1 packet Kinder’s Original Chili Seasoning (optional – I used it for ease)

• 1 Tbsp cumin powder (+ more to taste)

• 2 tsp oregano (+ more to taste)

• 2 tsp chili powder

• 2 packets Goya Chicken Bouillon (start with 2, dissolved in water)

• 5-6 cloves garlic, chopped

• 2 tsp cocoa powder

• 1 Tbsp blackstrap molasses (or more to taste)

• Black pepper to taste

• Oil for frying

• Whole milk or water as needed to adjust consistency

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Directions

• Soak the dried anchos in boiling water until soft, then chop (remove seeds).
• In a cast iron skillet, fry the chopped onions until soft. Add most to the crock pot. Then fry the bell peppers with the remaining onions and add those too.
• Cook the tomato paste in the skillet for a few minutes to deepen the flavor, then add to the pot. Dump in the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce.
• In the same skillet with some oil, fry the cumin, chili powder, oregano, chopped anchos, and the Kinder’s seasoning packet until fragrant. Scrape all that goodness into the crock pot.
• Chop up the chipotles in adobo and add them in.
• Taste and adjust spices now. Add the cooked chicken, 2 cans kidney beans, and 2 cans black beans.
• Dissolve 2 packets of chicken bouillon in about 4 cups hot water and add to the pot. Add more water or broth until it reaches a good chili consistency (I ended up topping it off later).
• Stir in the chopped garlic and cocoa powder. Set the crock pot on low.
• Let it cook for a few hours, then I actually cooled it and refrigerated overnight. Next day, cooked on low for another 7 hours. The flavors meld so much better with that rest.
• At the very end when cooling, stir in the blackstrap molasses to balance the acidity. Hit it with extra black pepper, a pinch more cumin, and oregano if needed.
• Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, and cornbread. This stuff is even better on day 3 or 4.

My Notes:

• Don’t skip frying the spices and tomato paste that step makes the aroma insane (which is probably why I won that category).
• The dried anchos add a beautiful earthy sweetness. Removing most seeds kept the heat in check.
• Starting with pre-cooked chicken made it easy, but next time I might brown some thighs myself.
• The cocoa + molasses is subtle but rounds everything out perfectly. Don’t go heavy on the molasses if you don’t want any sweetness.
• It thickens up nicely in the fridge. I had to add a bit more liquid when I added the last cans of beans.
• Moderately spicy with a warm, numbing heat that doesn’t make you chug water.

This one is a keeper for sure. Big batch = leftovers for days, which is the best part of chili.