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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
Best chili I’ve ever made! My young family loved it. I actually put chicken broth in because I thought the recipe called for the korr’s tub to be made into broth. I realized it was too watery and got rid of the excess liquid. I added garlic salt but kept everything else the same. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
So glad you enjoyed it Jana! Thank you for taking time to leave a comment!
slow cooker alternative please
Follow all the steps as listed, but at step 11, put everything in a slow cooker and cook on low for 3-4 hours. Enjoy!
This is my family’s VERY favorite chili recipe! I triple the recipe so we can have leftovers for a second night. Thank you!
Yay! Thank you for the feedback Kristen!
All I can say is WOW!! The Dr. Pepper was the ticket!! I’ve made lots of different kinds of chili and this is not the first one I’ve made that has chocolate in it, but certainly the first to call for Dr. Pepper! The combination was spectacular! We absolutely loved it!! So much so that I’m making it again tomorrow to take to someone else. I should say that I used ground beef and beef bouillon. I will have to leave out the cayenne pepper and perhaps a little of the chili powder since one of them can not tolerate ‘spicy’ food. I think it will still be a great tasting chili. Thanks for the recipe. I would’ve never thought to add the ‘special’ ingredient.
Yay Cindy! Thank you for the great feedback and so happy you enjoyed it!
Your recipe says to see the note about the chicken stock pot but I am not seeing a note anywhere, am I missing something? What can I use as an alternative since they don’t sell those near me.
sorry about that! Fixed it!
hey Carrian how are you? I have a question for you . I want to make this with ground beef. do you think is ok with the chocolate and beef or am I going to get upset stomach?
Hi Peter, that would be fine.
I love this chili recipe. I’ve used it so many times for family and friends. You should totally enter this chili contest! I think you have a good chance at winning (because I don’t want to steal your credit)!
https://bushbeans.thedailymeal.com/
thank you so much!
Thanks to your awesome recipe, I won a chili cook off tonight, beating out 17 other contestants!! Thanks for the great ideas! I only made a couple of minor changes (turkey–>beef, used less bell pepper, a little salt, and added a hint of habanero, red chili, and jalapeno . . . just enough to zip it a bit). One tip if you do use beef, there will be a lot of fat, which you do not want in the chili. So I browned it separately, then after draining, added the spices and half of the Dr pepper, the simmered just a minute or two.
I named my variant the Dublin Doublecross 🙂 after the DP home town of Dublin, TX. Will definitely be making this one again!!
Oh I love that!! I’ll have to try your version now! Congrats!
I made this last night. I have a 3 year old and 4 1/2 year old as well as a picky husband. My whole family ate it! My 4 1/2 year old son had TWO bowls. This is a rare thing in my house. Thank you so much! We will be putting this in the regular meal rotation list.
Rare, but amazing when it happens and I’m so thrilled it was one of our recipes! Thanks!
Just made this chili, how could I not with that ingredient list! My very, very, very picky child loved it, and I’m entering the chili in a chili cook-off tomorrow. I’ll let you know how it places……I made no changes to the recipe.
Oh I hope it wins!! It won ours a few years back!
How did it place??