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Quickest Chili

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This chill is so quick because of a special secret ingredient. You’re not going to believe how delicious it gets in only 14 minutes.

Chili is an ultimate comfort food. I turn to it in late winter because it’s warming, simple and healthy.

What I don’t love about chili is that it takes a long time to cook. Good chili simmers on the stovetop for hours. It’s worth it, but I don’t usually have the time.

I came up with this quick chili recipe because I wanted all the comfort of homemade chili without having to wait all day.

The secret to this recipe is a simple jar of salsa. You can use hot or mild, whatever you want. When you add a jar of salsa to a mixture of diced tomatoes, kidney beans, chili powder and seasonings something magical happens. All the slow-simmered flavors in the salsa fuse with the other ingredients and make it seem like the whole pot’s been simmering all day.

While the diced tomato and salsa mixture is heating, you’re cooking some ground beef or ground chicken, making sure to crumble it well as it cooks. Add the meat to the tomatoes and you’re done. 14 minutes, start to finish.

Now for the best chili recipe you’ll ever eat!

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Quickest Chili

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• Author: Allie McDonald
• Prep Time: 6 minutes
• Cook Time: 7 minutes
• Total Time: 13 minutes
• Yield: 6

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Description

This chill is so quick because of a special secret ingredient. You’re not going to believe how delicious it gets in only 14 minutes.

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Ingredients

• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 2 lbs. ground meat (chicken or beef)
• 1 Tbsp. garlic powder
• 2 Tbsp. chili powder, divided
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 cups salsa (that’s a 16 oz. jar full)
• 1–28oz can diced tomatoes
• 2–15oz cans reduced-sodium kidney beans, drained and rinsed

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Instructions

1. Warm the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
2. Add the ground meat, garlic powder, 1 tablespoon of the chili powder and the salt.
3. Stir often to crumble up the meat until cooked through, 5-7 minutes.
4. While the meat cooks, combine the remaining 1 tablespoon of chili powder, the salsa, diced tomatoes and kidney beans in a Dutch oven or soup pot set on the stove over medium-high heat.
5. Cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through and bubbling, 6-8 minutes.
6. Add the cooked crumbled meat to the tomatoes. Stir. Serve.

2926 g1233.9 mg9.1 g15.1 g36.9 g93.6 mg

Nutrition Disclaimer

This post originally appeared in January, 2014. It was revised and republished in January, 2019.

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last updated on March 2, 2021 by Christine Pittman

Categories: Busy Weeknights, Entrees, FLBeef, Soups, Soups 'n' Sides

Tags: beef, chicken, ground meat, salsa, tomatoes

10 responses to “Quickest Chili”

1. Pecan Shortbread Crusted Ice Cream Balls With Maple Drizzle says:

   December 7, 2015 at 7:42 pm

   […] maybe I’ll make a steaming pot of chili, garlic toast on the side, apple cobbler for […]

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2. 7 easy meals you can make in 7 minutes (or less!) | ValoreBooks Blog says:

   July 24, 2015 at 3:11 pm

   […] a staple of your diet, it should be. It’s flavorful, packed with protein, and easy to make! This chili tastes like it’s been simmering all day, but only takes 10 minutes to make. We’ll bet you can […]

   Reply
3. 7 easy meals you can make in 7 minutes (or less!) | ValoreBooks.com says:

   June 29, 2015 at 9:58 am

   […] a staple of your diet, it should be. It’s flavorful, packed with protein, and easy to make! This chili tastes like it’s been simmering all day, but only takes 10 minutes to make. We’ll bet you can […]

   Reply
4. 15 Healthy 15 Minute Dinners says:

   May 20, 2015 at 6:01 am

   […] probably already have the ingredients needed for my Best Chili Recipe.  A jar of salsa makes it taste like you spent way more than 10 minutes cooking it. Complete the […]

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5. Chili Enchiladas says:

   February 25, 2015 at 6:01 am

   […] of my favorite chili recipes is really quick to make but doesn’t have enough leftovers for another full […]

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6. One Pot Meals | Spoonful of FlavorSpoonful of Flavor says:

   March 28, 2014 at 7:10 am

   […] The Best Chili Recipe […]

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7. Chili-Stuffed Mushrooms Recipe says:

   January 12, 2014 at 7:02 am

   […] filling is made using chili. Whip up a batch of this 10 Minute Chili (yes, it’s really ready, start to finish, in only 10 minutes) for dinner one night. Then use […]

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8. katie says:

   January 8, 2014 at 7:30 am

   What a genius idea! I love the idea of using a jar of salsa! Jon is a big fan of chili. I’ll have to give this recipe a try the next time he request chili!

   Reply
9. Buffalo Chicken Dip Made Lighter with Chili says:

   January 8, 2014 at 5:00 am

   […] solution came to me after whipping up a batch of this Homemade 10 Minute Chili (yes, it’s really ready, start to finish, in 10 minutes). The chili had been made with ground […]

   Reply
10. Wendy | Around My Family Table says:

    January 6, 2014 at 11:53 am

    I love that it does’ t have a long cooking time!

    Reply