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A bowl of southwestern bison chili topped with shredded cheddar cheese and avocado sitting next to a spoon.

Southwestern Bison Chili

Kaleena Martinez
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.
4.43 from 42 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Dinner
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb Ground Bison
  • 32 oz tomato sauce
  • ½ Onion Diced
  • 1 can Rotel (green chilies and diced tomatoes)
  • 1 can chili beans
  • 1 can dark red kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
  • 2 tablespoons Avocado Oil
  • 2 tablespoons Chili Powder
  • 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
  • 1 teaspoon Cumin
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • ½ teaspoon Onion Powder
  • shredded cheese for topping (optional)
  • avocado for topping (optional)

Instructions
 

  • Add the avocado oil to a Dutch oven and heat to medium heat.
  • Add the diced onions to the Dutch oven and sauté for 3-4 minutes until translucent.
  • Add the ground bison to the Dutch oven and cook till browned. About 8 minutes.
  • To the pot, add the whole can of Rotel, chili beans (with the sauce in the can), kidney beans, and tomato sauce. Stir to combine.
  • Add in the chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, salt, and pepper and stir. Let cook on low for as least 15 minutes or cover and let sit on low for a few hours.

Slow Cooker

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

EQUIPMENT NEEDED

  • Dutch oven
  • Slow cooker

Notes

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.
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.

Nutrition

Calories: 342kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 21gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 53mgSodium: 1795mgPotassium: 1257mgFiber: 7gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 1534IUVitamin C: 19mgCalcium: 85mgIron: 6mg

*nutrition information is an approximate

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