Boilermaker Chili (a healthier version)!

Boilermaker Chili is a fabulous tailgating chili or for your football party! This version is healthier and uses lots of flavorful chicken sausage to keep everyone happy.

I have been racking my brain (yes, it’s “rack”, not “wrack”; there’s your grammar lesson for the day :) trying to come up with the perfect recipe using al fresco chicken sausage. There are so many things I love to make with it that I was on recipe idea overload. An overnight breakfast casserole, a scrumptious salad that is perfect with healthy, flavorful sausage (I’m still making that one!) or a New Year’s Eve appetizer with a little balsamic reduction on the side. And yet, this Boilermaker Chili is what I ultimately landed on and I am soooo glad I made it.

The thing with chili is that the majority of ingredients are already good for you. Tomatoes, onions, peppers…they’re all usual suspects in a good pot of chili. Even beans are good for you. The unhealthy part of chili is really the beef or sausage that’s added (and crucial to a good pot of Boilermaker Chili, in my opinion). The good news is that al fresco chicken sausage has all the flavor you’re looking for so your Boilermaker Chili will be much healthier, too!

This Boilermaker Chili recipe is my version after making it many times over. It’s basically just chili – but it’s a GOOD chili! I used three different kinds of al fresco chicken sausage – four packages in total – for a nice mix of flavors that really makes this chili recipe shine. I also use both fresh sausage removed from its casing as well as fully cooked that I dice. I used Italian Style for the fresh and one each of Chipotle Chorizo and Spicy Jalapeno for the cooked sausage. All of them add terrific flavor to this hearty Boilermaker Chili recipe. Be sure you also use fire-roasted diced tomatoes, that always adds an extra layer of flavor as well. Not that you’ll need much, you’re going to love this one!

More great soup recipes:

• Lobster Bisque with Old Bay Oyster Crackers
• Lentil Soup Recipe with Parmesan and Smoked Sausage
• Chicken Tortilla Soup with Hatch Chiles
• Roasted Cauliflower Soup
• Avgolemono Soup (Chicken Soup with Egg and Lemon)

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Boilermaker Chili

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Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large yellow or sweet onion, chopped
• 2 packages al fresco fresh Sweet Italian Style chicken sausage, removed from links
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 2 poblano peppers, diced
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ancho chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 4.5 ounce tube tomato paste
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 package al fresco fully cooked Chipotle Chorizo chicken sausage, diced
• 1 package al fresco fully cooked Spicy Jalapeno chicken sausage, diced
• 1/2 cup beer, I use Negra Modelo
• 4 14.5 ounce cans chili beans, medium spicy, undrained
• 4 14.5 ounce cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat a large dutch oven over medium heat. Add olive oil then saute onions for three minutes, stirring occasionally. Add fresh chicken sausage that's been removed from its casing along with red bell and poblano peppers. Saute for about five minutes or so, or until sausage is cooked through. Add oregano, chili powder, ancho chili powder, ground cumin, tomato paste and garlic; saute two minutes more, stirring frequently.
2. Add fully cooked chicken sausage and cook a few minutes, stirring frequently.Add beer to deglaze the pan, cook a few minutes more. Add chili beans, tomatoes and Worcestershire sauce, stirring well. Add salt and pepper. Simmer gently for at least one hour.
3. Taste chili and season well with more salt and pepper, if desired. Allow to simmer longer if needed or spoon into bowls and enjoy! Serve with the usual chili fixin's of your choice.

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Kristy Bernardo

Kristy Bernardo is the recipe creator behind The Wicked Noodle. She's a five-time cookbook author, has taught cooking classes to both kids and adults, and has been creating recipes for nationwide brands since 2009. She learned most of her cooking skills from her mom and grandmother, then honed those skills at boot camp at the Culinary Institute of America.

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