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MMMMM Chili… In fact, Dr Pepper and chocolate Chili!! Every day my husband calls me from work, (sometimes a few times) just to say hello, I love you, how’s your day going, etc. One day he called and I insisted that he decide on dinner. I love to cook, but sometimes I would rather scrub a toilet than figure out what to make for dinner. It just gets old thinking about what will taste good. Anyway, I asked what he wanted for dinner, and he replied, “eh, whatever you feel like.” I quickly responded with, “NO! Sorry Love, not happening. YOU pick. I’ll make anything, but don’t make me decide!!”
He said Chili. I got right on it.
This is hands down, the best chili I’ve made to date. It has a yummy little kick and those special ingredients.
Ok, so here’s what happened. I was going to use beef broth, but then decided to do a turkey chili so that would be weird. Then, I was going for chicken stock, but I knew the flavor would be so light, and I really wanted something with a deeper flavor. I opened the fridge, and front and center was a Dr Pepper. I don’t buy pop. Yup, I’m a crazy mom that thinks it’s not an every day beverage, but a good friend knows my hubby prefers Dr Pepper over all other pops and dropped one off. So, I dumped it in. I could feel it in my bones that it was going to be good. And then I thought, “Well, if we are going crazy, and I’ve had plenty of savory dishes with a secret ingredient of chocolate, so let’s throw that in too!” I can seriously taste this baby now. It’s got a great little kick to it (I was shocked that my little girls ate it), but the flavor is also rich, hearty and amazing.
My hubby got home, sat down for dinner, and said, “oh, grab me that dp.” Yeah, about that. It’s gone. He truly thought I had given it away or dumped it. Poor guy just looked at me like, “You gave my precious dp away”. I quickly said, um it’s how I made the chilli. Let’s just say he was more than excited to dive in. And, he was more than pleased by the outcome. LOVED IT. Not just loved it. LOVED IT. As will you…
What Beans Do You Use For Chili?
Pinto beans are usually the beans used for chili.
You can buy canned chili beans, canned pinto beans or soak dry pinto beans to make chili.
Is Ground Turkey Better Than Ground Beef?
This all depends on your lean meat to fatty meat ratio.
A leaner ground beef would be more healthy than ground turkey with a higher fat content.
But, generally speaking, turkey is leaner than beef.
What Kind Of Beans Can You Substitute For Pinto Beans?
Navy beans are a good substitute for pinto beans.
You could also use Great Northern beans.
Here are some more CHILI RECIPES that you’ll love:
- Award Winning Healthy Turkey Instant Pot Chili
- Best Stove Top Chili
- Brisket Chili
- Cheesy Ground Beef Enchilada Chili
- Slow Cooker Pumpkin Chili
- Pumpkin Apple Cider Chili
- White Chicken Chili
- Surprise Chili
- White Bean Turkey Chili
- Healthy One Pot Chili Macaroni
- Classic Pressure Cooker Chili
- All our Chili, Soup, and Stew Recipes here!
Dr Pepper and Chocolate Chili
Dr Pepper and Chocolate Chili
Ingredients
Recipe by me
- 2 Tablespoons Canola Oil
- 1 Large Yellow Onion
- 3 Cloves Garlic, minced
- 2 Bell Peppers, 1 of each color - red and yellow, minced
- 1 Pound Ground Turkey
- 1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
- 1 Tablespoon Cumin, heaping
- 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne, or more to taste
- 1 teaspoon Oregano
- 1 Tablespoon Hershey's Unsweetened Cocoa
- 1/2 teaspoon Allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon Thyme
- 12 Ounces Dr Pepper
- 2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
- 1 Tub Knorr Homestyle Chicken Stock, * see note
- 1 Can Pinto Beans, drained
- 1 Can Tomatoes for Chili, or if you can't find those you could use Mexican style tomatoes
Instructions
- In a heavy bottomed pot, add the oil and heat over medium heat.2 Tablespoons Canola Oil
- Add the onion and saute until tender, about 5-7 min.1 Large Yellow Onion
- Add the garlic, stirring everything together to not burn the garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.3 Cloves Garlic
- Add the minced bell peppers and saute for another 2-4 minutes or until the peppers are tender.2 Bell Peppers
- Add the ground turkey to the pot and cook through until almost cooked through, about 5-6 minutes.1 Pound Ground Turkey
- Dump all of the spices over the meat and quickly stir it all in.1 Tablespoon Chili Powder, 1 Tablespoon Cumin, 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne, 1 teaspoon Oregano, 1 Tablespoon Hershey's Unsweetened Cocoa, 1/2 teaspoon Allspice, 1/4 teaspoon Thyme
- Let the spices cook onto the meat for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the dr pepper, tomato paste, and knorr stock * .12 Ounces Dr Pepper, 2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste, 1 Tub Knorr Homestyle Chicken Stock
- Stir until the tub of stock and paste have dissolved.
- Add the pinto beans, and tomatoes and turn the heat down to a simmer.1 Can Pinto Beans, 1 Can Tomatoes for Chili
- Simmer for 30-all day. The longer it simmers the better the flavor. Mine simmered for 2 hours on a very low heat.
- Serve with cool sour cream, grated cheese, green onions, and chips.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tastes Like Lasagna Soup
I made this chili last night and we loved it. I’ve tried many different types of chili to find our family’s “go-to” chili and I think this is it! I did use a combination of sweet and spicy turkey sausage out of the casings and a cherry coke because that was what we had and it was really great. I will double the recipe next time!
YAY!! Thank you so much Kacey!
I came across this recipe via Pintrest. We tried it last night night – it’s fantastic!
I did have to make a couple changes based on what we had in the fridge/pantry- I swapped the regular Dr Pepper with Dr Pepper- Cherry, as that was all we had. We also didn’t have the Knorr chicken stock tubs, so I mixed in 3/4pm tsp of the dry knorr chicken soup base. I know your comment said to omit it if we didn’t have the tub, but I really like the seasonings in chicken stock and didn’t want to miss out on them. We also substituted ground chicken instead of ground turkey.
The cherry flavour did come through the chili, even after simmering for four hours. But with the slow simmer it turned to a more sweet smoky flavour – definitely wouldn’t have guessed it was pop as the base! I can’t wait to try the recipe properly at a later date when we have all the correct ingredients. In the meantime; this has quickly earned a place in my 5 star recipes that I can’t wait to share with friends and family.
Thanks so much Liz! How awesome to try the cherry! I’ll have to experiment myself.
Hey It’s Deonna from the Child at Heart blog! I featured this recipe in my tribute to Dr. Pepper recipes. I am happy to share it and pinned it from your site to my Pinterest board all about Dr. Pepper. Thanks! Also following you now on Pinterest 🙂
Come check it out the post at
https://www.thechildatheartblog.com/2014/04/dr-pepper-recipes-desserts-main-dishes.html
Deonna, thank you so much!! I can’t wait to check it out!
How many bell peppers are used in total? I can’t tell if it’s red, yellow, and green, or just red, and yellow.
Thank you!
I always hate it when people take a recipe and totally change up how they cook it. By necessity I changed this one, but for the most part followed with delight. We have venison that needed to be cooked so I substituted the venison for turkey. Omitted the allspice, my preference. Added some smoked paprika and salt. Could not find the Knorr so I added to beef boulion cubes. Also could not find any tomatoes with chilies, which could be the same as Ro-Tel in my book. I use a very small town grocery and the stock is limited. I used a can of diced tomatoes and one of Ro-Tel. All other ingredients I followed and now it is simmer on my stove. From sample tasting tastes very good.
I hope it turned out awesome. And we have venison that needs to be used too so maybe I’ll do the same!
Hi I just found this recipe via Pinterest. Im curious, could you make it with ground beef? My husband hates ground turkey, but Id like to try this. Thanks!!
I just made it tonight with ground beef and it’s delicious. I have made it with ground chicken and turkey and in my opinion you can’t taste that it isn’t beef.
I think the Knorr tub she is referring to are these. https://www.knorr.co.uk/product/detail/392258/chicken-stock-pot
I am making this today. I am worried that it will be too sweet for my husbands taste even though I only added 1/2 can of DP. I’m excited to taste it after it cooks down a bit. 🙂
I was excited to find this recipe as I love to use Dr. Pepper and chocolate in many Tex Mex dishes, including pork barbacoa. Cincinnati chili is a Halloween tradition around our home. I used a tablespoon of Better Than Broth base in lieu of the tub of chicken stock and I added an additional can of black beans as well as 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce after it had simmered for a few hours. (I just like the added boost that the latter adds to all the favors but that’s a matter of taste. The chocolate does a lot to add a smooth complexity overall.) I thought this was a great recipe. I am looking forward to making the chili and cheese pockets that led me to it in the first place. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks AMy, and I totally can’t wait to try chili with Worcestershire. I’ve never thought of that!
I would also like to know what a tub of chicken stock means. I have a 32oz box of chicken stock. Is that an equivelent measurement?
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