Chorizo and Red Bean Chili

Chorizo sausage is a natural for chili recipes, providing a smoky, slightly spicy flavor to complement the bell pepper, hot chiles, garlic, and onions that round out the dish.

Mexican chorizo is fresh, ground pork typically seasoned with ground red chile peppers and garlic. It must be cooked before eating, just like ground beef or chicken. Spanish chorizo is chopped pork seasoned with paprika and other spices, then smoked or cured and put into casings. These sausages can be sliced and eaten as they are. For chili, choose Mexican.

Mexican Chorizo

If you don’t have red chili beans, substitute kidney beans, light or dark. The cooking time is about the same. Simply check for tenderness after one hour of cooking.

Red Chili Beans

You also can substitute canned beans (drained and well rinsed), but a fresh bowl of homemade chili is worth the extra time it takes to cook beans from scratch. Give them a try!

For other chili recipes, try Slow-Cooker Chipotle Chili and  Two-Bean Chili with Spicy Chicken Chili. 

Serves 6

Ingredients

For the Beans

• 1 cup dry red chili beans
• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 bay leaf
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper

For the Chili

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3 green finger or cayenne chiles, chopped
• 1 jalapeno chile, chopped
• 1 habanero chile, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 medium white onion, chopped
• 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 lb Mexican chorizo
• 1 28-oz can stewed tomatoes, with juice
• 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth
• 2 tbsp chile powder
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• sea salt

Chili Ingredients

Chili Ingredients Ready to Cook

Preparation

For the Beans

1. Place the beans in a medium pot and cover with water by about 1 inch. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat, cover, and let rest 1 hour.
2. Drain the beans, rinse, and return to the pot. Add the broth and remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook slowly until tender, about 1 1/4 hours. Discard the bay leaf.

Soaked Red Beans

Cooked Red Beans

For the Chili

1. Heat a stockpot over medium heat and add the oil. Add the garlic and next 6 ingredients (through chorizo) and cook 5-6 minutes, breaking up the chorizo as it cooks.

Chorizo, Garlic, and Vegetables Beginning to Cook

Cooked Chorizo Mixture

1. Add the tomatoes with juice, broth, chile powder, cumin, and oregano and season with salt.
2. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook slowly for 2 hours.

Cooked Chorizo-Tomato Mixture

1. Add the cooked beans about 30 minutes before the chili is ready. 

Divide among 6 bowls and serve hot.

Cooked Chorizo and Red Bean Chili