Chipotle shredded beef chili is made with pulled beef, a tomato base and a hint of chipotle! This beef chili is packed with beans, peppers and onions. This Chipotle shredded beef chili has a deeper, even more developed flavor than my healthy ground turkey chili. It cooks for longer and the beef chuck has more fat than the lean ground turkey I use for healthy turkey chili. This chili recipe is gluten free, dairy free, and nut free.
why you’ll love this recipe
This shredded beef is slow cooked in a tomato rich and heavily spiced sauce until the beef is literally falling apart, thats how tender it is. I gently pull apart the beef before serving to make the whole chili thicker and more mixed together. You always want a little piece of every ingredient in each bite, not a whole chunk of beef alone.
One pot of the Chipotle shredded beef chili is enough to for 4 servings (for us that makes 2 entrees and 2 left overs). If you ask me, chili is almost better as leftovers!
This Chipotle shredded beef chili is thick, hearty, sticks to your bones and is packed with beef, chipotle and chili spices. The canned beans here help to create a thick chili. I use black beans and kidney beans but you can use any type of bean substitute here.
ingredients & substitutions
- beef chuck
- beef broth
- diced tomatoes (diced fire roasted with chilis from trader joes is our favorite!)
- tomato sauce
- tomato paste
- Kidney beans
- Black beans
- Salt + pepper
- garlic, minced
- chili powder
- paprika (smoked or regular)
- oregano
- cumin (less if you’re Andrew and dont like the flavor)
- onion powder
- Red pepper flakes to taste
- Cayenne pepper to taste
taste & texture
This Chipotle shredded beef chili recipe is based off traditional ground turkey chili, with the added chipotle flavoring, a twist of fire-roasted pepper and tomatoes, shredded chuck roast instead of ground turkey, and a whole load of spices.
The key to this shredded beef chili is to get as much of the flavor out of the meat and vegetables as possible. To do this, the meat is browned first in the soup pot, then removed, and then the vegetables are sauteed in that same pot, without washing in between to let all the flavors and juices of the beef continue to develop. Browning the beef is before adding the soup liquid helps to form the crusty brown edges onto the meat so not everything in the chili is soft. You want to develop different textures while cooking so the chili doesnt all feel like one soft texture.
directions
- On a cutting board, cut the beef into 4-5 large pieces.
- In a large pot, add olive oil and beef pieces. Season generously with salt and pepper.
- On a cleaned cutting board, dice the onions and peppers into bite size pieces.
- After about 5-7 minute, the outside edges of the meat should be browned. Remove the meat from the pot and set aside.
- Without washing the pot, add your peppers and onions and garlic. This way, your peppers, onions and garlic are cooking in all the good juices left over from the beef.
- Add the tomato sauce and the diced tomatoes into the pot. Next, add your seasonings.
- On a cutting board, dice a chipotle pepper into as small of pieces as possible. Add the broth to pot. Add the tomato paste.
- Finally, add back the beef chunks. Salt and pepper to taste. Cover and let simmer on low for 2-4 hours.
expert tips & tricks
how long to cook the chili
I always recommend to leave this chili simmering on the store on low heat for at least 2-4 hours to help develop the flavors. You can even let the chili simmer for up to 6 hours. This slow cooking is the key to making the chili, especially this chili with shredded beef. The slower you cook, the more tender the beef will be and the thicker the chili broth will be.
how to make this healthier
For a leaner, less fatty option, I recommend trimming any pieces of fat off the beef pieces before adding it to the chili. Once it is cooked its easier to shred apart but harder to remove any excesss fat. Leaving some fat is ideal for flavoring but if you want to trim it off the chili will be healthier and have less fat for health purposes.
how to make this vegan
To make this chili vegan replace the beef with 2-3 extra cups of beans or 2 cups of shredded jackfruit! Replace the beef broth with vegetable broth.
how to serve & store
Serve with vegan or fat free sour cream, vegan or fat free cheddar cheese, green onions and corn chips!
Store the shredded beef chili in an air-tight container in the refrigerator and reheat on medium heat in a frying pan.
Store in the freezer in an air-tight container for up to 3 months.
Chipotle shredded beef chili (Gluten free, Diary free)
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 lbs of beef chuck
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 14 oz can of diced tomatoes diced fire roasted with chilis from trader joes is our favorite!
- 1 28 oz can of tomato sauce
- 1 bell pepper diced
- 1 onion diced
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 14 oz Kidney beans
- 2 tbsp chipotle chilis minced
- 1 14 oz Black beans
- 4 cloves Garlic minced
- 2 tbsp chili powder dried
- 1 tbsp paprika smoked or regular
- 1 tsp oregano dried
- 1/2 tbsp of cumin less if you’re Andrew and dont like the flavor
- 1 tbsp onion powder dried
- Red pepper flakes to taste
- Cayenne pepper to taste
- Salt + pepper to taste
Instructions
- On a cutting board, cut the beef into 4-5 large pieces. In a large pot, add olive oil and beef pieces. Season generously with salt and pepper.
- Brown the beef on high for 5-7 minutes until outside edges are browned.
- Remove the meat from the pot and set aside.
- On a cleaned cutting board, dice the onions and peppers into bite size pieces. Without washing the beef pot, add your peppers and onions and garlic. This way, your peppers, onions and garlic are cooking in all the good juices left over from the beef.
- Add the tomato sauce and the diced tomatoes into the pot.
- Next, add your seasonings.
- On a cutting board, dice a chipotle pepper into as small of pieces as possible. Add to pot.
- Add the tomato paste.
- Finally, add back the beef chunks and beans.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
- Cover and let simmer on low for 2-4 hours.
Do you drain and rinse the beans?
Yes! I do!