Southwestern Bison Chili

This easy Southwestern Bison Chili recipe comes together in under 30 minutes and uses ground bison and a handful of panty staples to make the perfect chili recipe.

There really isn't anything better on a cold day than a big bowl of chili with a side of cornbread. One of the things I love about this healthy chili recipe is that it can be made in under 30 minutes on the stove or can be put in the slow cooker in the morning and be ready by dinner time. It's the perfect easy weeknight dinner when that cold weather starts to roll in. This is also a great recipe for meal prep! I like to make this chili and use the leftovers for lunches during the week.

This recipe has a bit of a southwestern twist compared to a traditional bison chili or classic chili recipe. Using chili powder, cumin, diced tomatoes, and diced green chilies really gives this chili a rich flavor and depth of flavor that takes it to the next level!

Using ground bison in this recipe gives the dish a richness that you don't get from using ground beef. If you haven't tried ground bison yet you should! I eat ground bison all the time and have been obsessed with this bison shepherd's pie lately.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Substitutions
• Step by step
• Frequently asked questions
• Toppings and add-ins
• Storing and reheating
• Recipe

Ingredients

Chili beans- chili beans are pinto beans in a chili sauce and can be found on the bean aisle in your local grocery store.

Rotel- Rotel is diced tomatoes and diced green chilies.

Ground Bison- ground bison can be found at your local grocery store or at Costco

Substitutions

Ground bison- Any ground meat will work in this recipe. You can use ground beef, ground turkey, ground chicken, ground pork, or even ground lamb if you can't find lean ground bison.

Beans- You can use whatever cans of beans you like. If you can't find chili beans that's ok but they really help give the chili a fantastic flavor. Pinto beans or black beans would be great in this recipe! To make this recipe Paleo, omit the beans.

Rotel- If you can't find green chilies and diced tomatoes together in the same can you can use one small can of green chilies and one can of diced tomatoes.

Onion- I use a medium yellow onion but you can use a sweet onion or red onion.

Avocado oil- You can use olive oil.

Tomato sauce- You can use tomato paste mixed with water if you don't have tomato sauce. You will mix 16oz of tomato paste with 16oz of water.

Step by step

1. Add the avocado oil to a Dutch oven or large soup pot and heat to medium heat. Add the diced onions and sauté till they are tender, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the bison meat to the Dutch oven and cook until browned about 8 minutes.
3. Add the tomato sauce, the chili beans with the sauce in the can, kidney beans (drained and rinsed), the can of Rotel, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, black pepper, salt, and onion powder to the Dutch oven, and stir till combined.
4. Cover and cook on low for 10 minutes or for a few hours if you would like

Slow cooker

1. Cook the ground bison over medium heat with the avocado oil until there is no pink left, about 6 minutes.
2. Add the ground bison, diced onion, chili beans with the sauce, kidney beans (drained and rinsed), the can of Rotel, and all the seasoning to a slow cooker and stir to combine.
3. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.

I have this slow cooker and you can use the saute function to brown the ground bison right in the slow cooker then turn it to slow cook. It's amazing!

Frequently asked questions

Toppings and add-ins

There are so many different ways you can jazz up the toppings on your chili. Here are a few of my favorite chili toppings and add-ins.

Toppings

• Shredded or grated cheddar cheese. If you want to keep this dairy-free, you can use dairy-free cheese or leave it off altogether.
• Sour cream- Adding a dollop of sour cream would be a great addition. Using Kite HIll's sour cream will keep this dairy free.
• Avocado- I love adding avocado to the top of my chili. It's one of my favorite toppings.
• Cilantro- Adding a little bit of fresh cilantro to the top would be great with this recipe.
• Top with crumbled tortilla chips or just serve with a side of tortilla chips.
• Green onions

Add-ins

• Poblano peppers
• Jalapeno peppers
• Bell peppers- Green, orange, yellow, or red bell peppers would be great.
• Butternut squash
• Sweet potato
• Mexican oregano- This would be a great spice to add in if you have it.
• Garlic cloves
• Cayenne- Add a teaspoon of cayenne pepper if you like an extra kick.

Storing and reheating

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Reheating is as simple as putting the cold chili in a bowl and heating it in the microwave. You could also reheat it on the stove on low heat for 10 minutes or until heated through.

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating or comment! Your feedback is so important to me.

Recipe