Black Bean Chili with Chicken Sausage

Chili with meat and beans makes a warm, hearty dish on a cold, winter evening. But it doesn’t need to be heavy to be good. This simple recipe is loaded with robust flavor and nutritious ingredients. Black beans, fresh vegetables, aromatic spices, and lean (well, leaner than pork) chicken sausage make this dish lighter than it tastes.

Note: We like thick chili in my house. If you like it thinner, add a little chicken broth when you add the beans.

You may also like Slow-Cooker Chipotle Chili or Texas-Style Chili with Dried-Chile Broth.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb Italian chicken sausage
• 2 jalapeno chiles, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 28-oz can organic whole, peeled tomatoes, with juice
• 2 tbsp chile powder
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• sea salt
• 1 15-oz can organic black beans, rinsed and drained
• shredded monterrey jack cheese, for serving (optional)

Chili Ingredients 

Chopped Ingredients

Preparation

1. Heat a stockpot over medium heat and add the oil. Add the sausage and next 4 ingredients (through green bell pepper) and cook 7-8 minutes, breaking up the sausage as it cooks.
2. Add the tomatoes with juice, chile powder, cumin, and oregano and season with salt.
3. Bring to a simmer, breaking up the tomatoes. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook 1 hour.
4. Add the black beans and cook an additional 15-20 minutes.

Chicken Mixture Beginning to Cook

Cooked Chicken Mixture 

Tomato Mixture Added

After 1 Hour 

Beans Added

Cooked Chili

To serve, divide the chili among 4 bowls and serve right away.

Black Bean Chili with Chicken Sausage

Two-Bean Chili with Spicy Chicken Sausage

Recipe updated October 2015

Any Texan would tell you that this is not an authentic chili recipe—the beans and chicken sausage see to that. Chunks of tender beef nestled in a rich tomato broth with peppers and onions: now that's the real deal in the Lone Star State. (Check out Texas-Style Chili with Dried-Chile Broth.) But, as with any recipe, variations can make very tasty alternatives.

In my house, we like our chili spicy and thick. The only liquids in this recipe are the juices from the tomatoes and a half-cup of beer. Nothing else needed.

Note: When you use canned tomatoes and beans for chili, go organic if you can. No, they can’t match fresh, but they work fine in a big pot of flavorful chili.

Serves 4-5

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 hot Italian chicken sausage links (about 1 lb)
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 jalapeno chiles, chopped
• 1 habanero chile, chopped
• 1 small green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 28-oz can whole, peeled tomatoes, with juice
• 1/2 cup lager beer
• 3 tbsp chile powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup rinsed and drained canned red kidney beans
• 1 cup rinsed and drained black beans

Chili Ingredients 

Prepared Ingredients

Preparation

1. Heat a large pot over medium heat and add the oil. Add the sausage and next 5 ingredients (through onion) and cook, breaking up the sausage, until just cooked through, 7-8 minutes.
2. Add the tomatoes with their juices, beer, chile powder, ground cumin, and paprika and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, breaking up the tomatoes. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook 45 minutes.
3. Add the beans and cook, uncovered, until slightly thickened, 20-30 minutes.

Sausage Mixture Beginning to Cook

Cooked Sausage Mixture

Tomato Mixture Added

Cooked Chili

Divide the chili among 4-5 bowls and serve hot.

Two-Bean Chili with Chicken Sausage