Rich and hearty homemade Bison Chili is great for the cooler weather! It takes about an hour to simmer, but the wait is well worth it and the aroma in your house is utterly tempting. Enjoy this spicy chili over rice and topped with your favorite chili toppings such as avocado, sour cream, and cheese.
I consider this recipe a dump-and-cook, with a few exceptions. Brown the beef, soften some veggies, dump the rest and simmer for an hour. I haven’t had bison before, but I know it’s leaner than ground beef. It has nearly 25% fewer calories than beef and is lower in total and saturated fat. Additionally, bison has more delicate fat marbling due to its lower fat content, yielding softer and more tender meat. So, it’s perfect to make chili and burgers! This chili is a bit spicy from the added chipotle peppers, so feel free to add less or none at all.
How to make Bison Chili
Play with the spice level to your liking. Add less or more chipotle peppers. There is a bit of cayenne which does contribute, so play with that as well. You can make this in the slow cooker as well! (Full ingredient amounts and complete instructions are available in the recipe card down below).
- Ground Bison: You can use regular lean ground beef (80%).
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Yellow Onion: A sweet onion will work as well.
- Green Bell Pepper: You can swap it for red bell pepper since the red ones are a bit sweeter in taste.
- Garlic
- Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce: You only need a couple of peppers and a little bit of the sauce for the spice and smoky flavors.
- Cumin, Cayenne Pepper, Salt, Pepper, Paprika
- Dark Kidney Beans & Pinto Beans
- Crushed Tomatoes: This is for the base of the chili.
- Tomato Paste: To thicken it a bit as it simmers.
- Beef Stock: I love adding beef stock to chilis, especially if I’m making beef chili.
- Sugar: I only use a little bit to knock out some of the acidity from the tomatoes.
- Avocado, Sour Cream, Tortilla Strips, Rice, Shredded Cheddar: For serving, totally optional. I love putting chili over rice.
In a Dutch oven or heavy saucepot, heat the oil and brown the bison until no longer pink; season with 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper. Add in the onions, bell peppers, garlic, and chipotle with the sauce. Stir, and cook until just softened. Season with the spices, then add in the remaining ingredients. Cover, and simmer on medium-low heat for one hour. Serve with avocado, sour cream, tortilla strips, rice, or shredded cheddar cheese.
Tips & FAQs
- Storage: Keep in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Reheat: Microwave in a bowl or heat it in a pot for 8 minutes until heated thoroughly.
- Freeze: Let it cool completely, then freeze in a freezer-safe container or Ziploc bag for up to 2 months. You can freeze in smaller batches for smaller portions.
- Thaw completely then reheat.
- Can I use ground beef if I can’t find bison? You can. You can even swap it out for venison, elk, or 80% lean ground beef.
- I recommend doubling this recipe for game day. Pour it over some nachos or serve it on its own!
- Toppings: Serve this chili with plenty of topping choices such as avocado, guacamole, cotija cheese, cheddar cheese, cilantro, green onion, red onion, jalapeño slices, sour cream, Greek yogurt, Pico de Gallo, crushed tortilla chips, and/or crumbled cornbread
- What to do with leftover chili: There are so many ways to reuse left over chili.
- Pair with crackers, corn chips, tortilla chips, or warm tortillas
- Serve over rice
- Top fries or potato wedges with your leftovers
- Stuff the chili inside baked potatoes (sweet or russet)
- Use it to make Sloppy Joes, piled high on hamburger buns
- Make chili dogs
Want the recipe? Click print below! Let me know how it came out for you by tagging me on Instagram (@missravenskitchen) and using #missravenskitchen! Follow my Facebook page for updates as well! Let me know if I need to tweak anything.
Bison Chili
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground bison
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp salt, divided
- 2 tsp ground black pepper, divided
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped, plus 1 tsp of the sauce
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp cayenne
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 (15 oz) can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15 oz) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes
- 1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
- 1 1/2 cup beef stock
- 1 tsp sugar*
Instructions
- In a large dutch oven or heavy saucepot with a lid, heat the olive oil on medium heat. Brown the ground bison and break it up until it is no longer pink, about 8 minutes. Season with 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper.
- Add in the bell peppers, onions, garlic, chipotle peppers, and the reserved adobo sauce. Fold together and cook for 5 minutes until the veggies are just softened.
- Add in the remaining ingredients, then stir to combine. Reduce the heat to medium-low; cover the pot, and simmer for 1 hour, allowing the juices from the crushed tomatoes to reduce a bit. Stir the chili occasionally, about every 15 minutes or so.
- Use a large saucepot instead of a dutch oven. Follow steps 1 & 2.
- Add the beef mixture to the slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker, stirring to combine together. Cover the slow cooker. Cook on low for 5-6 hours. I don’t recommend cooking this on high. The meat will dry out.
Notes
*The sugar is optional. I used it to cut some acidity out from the tomatoes.
Storage: Keep in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Reheat: Microwave in a bowl or heat it in a pot for 8 minutes until heated thoroughly.
- Freeze: Let it cool completely, then freeze in a freezer-safe container or Ziploc bag for up to 2 months. You can freeze in smaller batches for smaller portions. Thaw completely then reheat.
Can I use ground beef if I can’t find bison? You can! You can even swap it out for ground venison, ground elk, or 80% lean ground beef.
I recommend doubling this recipe for game day. Pour it over some nachos or serve it on its own!
Toppings: Serve this chili with plenty of topping choices such as avocado, guacamole, cotija cheese, cheddar cheese, cilantro, green onion, red onion, jalapeño slices, sour cream, Greek yogurt, Pico de Gallo, crushed tortilla chips, and/or crumbled cornbread
What to do with leftover chili: There are so many ways to reuse leftover chili. Pair with crackers, corn chips, tortilla chips, or warm tortillas
- Serve over rice
- Top fries or potato wedges with your leftovers
- Stuff the chili inside baked potatoes (sweet or russet)
- Use it to make Sloppy Joes, piled high on hamburger buns
- Make chili dogs
Nutrition Facts
Calories
409.06Fat (grams)
17.15Sat. Fat (grams)
5.69Carbs (grams)
44.08Fiber (grams)
12.57Net carbs
32.06Sugar (grams)
13.67Protein (grams)
27.18Sodium (milligrams)
750.25Cholesterol (grams)
52.92The nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and the brands of ingredients used.
Miss Raven's Kitchen 
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