Sweet Potato Chipotle Chili

Bison Sweet Potato Chipotle Chili is perfect for a cold day – and in spite of what you might think, yes, it does get cold in Texas.

In fact, it has been super cold in Texas recently. The last time it was this cold, our hot water froze! The same thing happened last year when my in-laws visited us for the first time in our new house. One low point was seeing my father-in-law standing outside with a hairdryer trying to thaw the pipe. It turns out the builder installed the tankless hot water heaters on the outside of the house with the pipes exposed. Not a great idea. When we found out the builder is out of Florida, and this is their first development in Texas, it made a bit more sense. Compared to Florida, Texas does get more extreme winter temperatures. We learned our lesson from the previous freezes and this time, when the temperatures dipped into the teens, we dripped the faucets! Problem solved.

This week school was cancelled because of sleet and freezing temperatures that turned the roads to ice. So we found ourselves at home together for the day. I had a couple of pounds of ground bison in the fridge and some sweet potatoes in the pantry. When I remembered there was a can of chipotle peppers in the fridge it seemed liked the makings of something just right for a freezing day – Bison Sweet Potato Chipotle Chili.

I had never made chili with sweet potatoes before. The thought of sweet potato chili just seemed odd to me – maybe something a vegetarian would do out of desperation trying to replicate the real thing? I prefer savory flavors so I thought perhaps the sweetness of the sweet potatoes would overpower the other chili flavors. That might have been the case had it not been for the addition of the chipotle peppers. It added just the right amount of kick to perfectly complement the bison and sweet potatoes. Bison Sweet Potato Chipotle Chili is easy to make and highly recommended for any day, but especially a cold one!

Bison Sweet Potato Chipotle Chili Recipe

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Bison Chipotle Sweet Potato Chili

Spicy homemade chili recipe with the sweetness of sweet potatoes and the spice of chipotle peppers!

  • Author: Lea Valle
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 1 hour
  • Total Time: 1 hour 15 mins
  • Yield: 8 servings 1x
  • Category: Main Dish
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 chipotle peppers, chopped, plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
  • 2 lbs ground bison
  • 1 32 oz can diced tomatoes
  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 medium sweet potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
  • 3 tablespoons chili powder
  • 2 tablespoons cumin powder
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • scallions (green onion), sliced (optional)
  • cilantro leaves (optional)
  • radishes, sliced (optional)
  • avocado (optional)

Instructions

  1. Heat a large stock pot (or similar) and add one tablespoon of fat
  2. Add in the diced onions and cook on medium heat until softened, about five minutes
  3. Add in the garlic and chipotle peppers and cook for about one minute
  4. Brown the bison (or other ground meat) in the pot with the rest of the ingredients
  5. Add all the remaining ingredients – tomatoes, tomato paste, sweet potatoes, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper
  6. Stir well and bring up to a boil then simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, for about 45 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are soft.
  7. Adjust the seasoning, if desired, and serve immediately.
  8. Top with things like scallions, radishes, chopped onions, cilantro and avocado

Bison Sweet Potato Chipotle Chili

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