There are lots of good ingredients in this chili. If I put them all in the title it would be too long so I selected a few of my favorites.

We are getting close to St. Patrick’s Day so why not make a batch of this chili and surprise everyone with one of the ingredients – Guinness beer? Any stout will do but we always have Guinness as part of our beer selection in our house. We spent our honeymoon in the mid-1990s in Ireland. Sadly I wasn’t a fan of Guinness at that time and could barely finish a pint. I did enjoy Smithwick’s Ale (pronounced ‘Smith-icks’ – the ‘w’ is silent) so don’t fret if you think I made it through Ireland without drinking beer. We were happy in the early 2000s when we began seeing Smithwick’s in the United States. While I don’t drink much beer, Guinness is now at the top of my list of favorites. Plus, who doesn’t love their adorable zoo animal labels first created in the 1930s?

Anything with chocolate is good with me. This chili has two types of chocolate – unsweetened cocoa powder and dark chocolate. Guittard chocolate is my go-to for baking and cooking. I used both their unsweetened cocoa rouge baking powder (100% cacao) and bittersweet baking bars (70% cacao). As a rule of thumb, if it’s 100% cacao that means it hasn’t been combined with any sugar (and tastes yucky on its own). The lower the percentage of cacao, the more sugar in the ingredients. I mention this as I read some comments on the original New York Times Cooking post of this recipe where people were asking if the dark chocolate contained any sugar. 

Add to this a variety of flavorful spices – smoked paprika, ancho chile powder, oregano, cumin, cinnamon and allspice – which adds a great depth of flavor and marries well with the chocolate. Plus some peanut butter. These combined with the chocolate resemble a more complicated mole sauce.

Ed loves peanut butter but we don’t keep it in the house as he’s been known to enjoy a bit too much in one sitting (chunky JIF is his favorite). I got a packet of Justin’s Classic Peanut Butter which was just the right amount for this recipe. All natural (sorry Ed!) and just the amount that I needed. Please remember that if you’re feeding this to a crowd to let people know that it contains peanut butter in case anyone has a peanut allergy. You could also substitute almond butter (assuming there are no nut allergies). 

Add to all of this traditional chili ingredients – ground meat (I used turkey but you could use beef), diced tomatoes and beans (I used black beans but pinto or kidney beans would also work).

While the ingredient list may look a bit long, it is actually a very simple recipe to make. Just be sure to allow some time for it to simmer so that the flavors may develop. This chili can be made up to two days in advance and it also freezes well.

Looking for a sweet way to enjoy Guinness? Try Riegl Palate’s Guinness Ice Cream Float with Irish Whiskey Caramel. Yes, Guinness is that versatile. Hence the ‘Guinness is Good for You’ slogan!

Guinness and Chocolate Turkey Chili

 

Guinness and Chocolate Turkey Chili
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Recipe type: Main Dish
Author:
Serves: 6 to 8
Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 3 canned chiles in adobo, finely chopped plus 1 teaspoon sauce
  • 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 2 teaspoons ancho chile powder
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
  • 2 pounds ground turkey (see Notes)
  • 1 (15-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes
  • 1 cup stout beer (such as Guinness)
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed
  • 4 ounces good dark chocolate (60% to 70%), chopped
  • 2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
  • Kosher salt
  • Garnish with: shredded cheese, diced avocado and/or cilantro
Instructions
  1. Heat oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium. Add onion and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion starts to soften and become translucent, about 7 to 9 minutes.
  2. Add adobo chiles and sauce, cocoa powder, smoked paprika, ancho chile powder, oregano, cumin, cinnamon and allspice. Cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.
  3. Add ground meat and cook, breaking apart with a wooden spoon and stirring occasionally, until cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes.
  4. Add tomatoes and their juices, beer and stock to the pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the temperature to a simmer, and cook for 45 to 50 minutes so flavors may marry.
  5. Turn heat to low (if it’s not already there) and stir in beans, chocolate and peanut butter. Cook until beans are warmed through and chocolate has melted, about 5 minutes.
  6. Season to taste with salt.
  7. Serve warm with shredded cheese, diced avocado and/or cilantro.
Notes
* You can use ground beef in place of ground turkey.
* Can be made two days in advance. Chili also freezes well.
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Source:  Variation on recipe from New York Times Cooking