I was a personal chef for years at the beginning of my culinary career and this simple-to-make chili was a weekly request from one of my long-time clients and her four children. This Dark Cherry Chili with Bacon is savory, smoky, salty, a little sweet and so delicious. The perfect meal in a bowl that the entire family will gobble down!
Ultimate cherry CHILI Toppings:
- diced avocado with fresh-squeezed lime
- a dollop of plain yogurt or sour cream
- fresh-grated pepperjack cheese
- a drizzle of brightland roasted garlic olive oil
- plantain chips (crush ‘em up!)
Watch my full dark cherry chili video here
Dark Cherry Chili with Bacon
This Dark Cherry Chili with Bacon is savory, smoky, salty, a little sweet and so delicious. The perfect meal in a bowl that the entire family will gobble down!
Ingredients
- 8 oz uncured bacon diced small
- 1 medium yellow onion diced small
- 1 large poblano ribs and seeds removed, diced small
- 6-8 cloves fresh garlic minced
- 1.25 pounds 85/15 ground beef
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon each granulated garlic, onion powder, cumin, sea salt, smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 20 turns of freshly ground pepper
- large pinch of cayenne
- one 10 oz bag frozen dark cherries
- 2 t tomato paste
- 1 16.9 oz box beef broth about 2 cups
- 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup omit for whole30
- diced avocado, crushed plantain chips, shredded pepper jack cheese to garnish
Instructions
- in a heavy bottomed dutch oven over medium heat, add your diced bacon and cook until crispy. transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.
- remove bacon grease leaving a couple tablespoons in the pot. add your diced onion and poblano and saute until translucent and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. turn heat down if vegetables are browning too quickly.
- add ground beef and break up until uniform and browned. stir in minced garlic and spices, toasting for a couple minutes.
- stir in frozen dark cherries, tomato paste, beef broth, maple syrup and crushed tomatoes. let simmer on low, stirring often, until thickened and flavorful, about 45 minutes- 1 hour. stir in reserved crumbled bacon.
- serve with your favorite toppings! this chili is even *better* the next day!
This chili is an explosion of flavor! My husband will typically only eat one type of chili, but after a little persuasion, he tried this and asked for a second bowl!! Such an easy recipe! Will definitely be adding this into our dinner rotation!
Oh, wow! Thanks so much, Regan. This is quite the compliment. I’m so happy you both love it.