Slow Cooker Chuck Roast Chili

This Slow Cooker Chuck Roast Chili, also called Chili Con Carne, is a spicy, super flavorful chili filled with melt-in-your-mouth chunks of beef like a chili-flavored beef stew. It’s hearty, comforting, and a real crowd-pleasure! Make this to enjoy for weekend dinner or the next time you’re hosting a football party.

Let’s talk chili. Everybody has a favorite recipe. Some like vegetarian chili, others enjoy a lean turkey chili, some like a tasty classic beef chili recipe, and some want the flavors of an Italian sausage chili. I love all of those recipes, but one of my favorite chili recipes is this slow cooker chuck roast chili.

The first time I had this chunky chili recipe was at a football party. My girlfriend had it simmering all day in the crockpot and then served it with numerous chili fixings, including corn chips. It was delicious! At that moment, chunky chili became a favorite of mine.

Reasons you’ll love this recipe.

• Cooks all day. This chunky chili cooks for 9 – 11 hours, so it is a perfect slow cooker recipe when you’re going to be out of the house all day at work or doing other things.
• A crowd-pleaser. Serve this chili at your next football party or fall harvest gathering, and everyone will love it!
• Make-ahead. You can prep the ingredients the night before, cook on the weekend to warm up and enjoy all week, or freeze the chili into portions for dinners later on.

Ingredients

• Onions and garlic. This starts the flavor foundation for this chili recipe.
• Chili powder, cumin, and oregano. Classic chili spices to add to the foundation layer.
• Olive oil. Cook the aromatics in olive oil before adding to the chili; this brings out the flavor.
• Tomato paste. This adds a deep tomato flavor and also assists as a thickening agent.
• Beef broth and tomato sauce. Creates a saucy base to this chunky beef chili. You use chicken broth, or water, in place of the beef broth, but grab some beef broth for the best flavor. Also, you can swap in diced tomatoes or crushed tomatoes for a different texture. 
• Canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. These peppers add a delicious spicy smokey flavor.
• Dark red kidney beans. A traditional chili bean but light red kidney bean or black beans will also work.
• Minute tapioca. This is used as a gluten-free thickener in many recipes. Slow cookers do not release steam, so they don’t cook down and thicken like they would on the stove. Stirring in some tapioca helps to thicken up this chuck roast chili. It’s still a little thinner than a ground beef chili recipe, but it’s thicker than stew or soup. You can leave it out but keep in mind the chili will be thinner than a traditional ground beef chili cooked on the stove.
• Brown sugar. This is an optional ingredient. It balances out the spice but if you don’t want sugar in the chili recipe then leave it out, it will still be tasty.
• Bay leaf. They are often used in soup and stew recipes to add another layer of flavor.
• Worcestershire sauce. Is one of my favorite ingredients to use in most beef chili, soup, or stew recipes. It adds a deep richness of flavor that highlights the beef in the recipe.
• Chuck roast. This is the best cut of beef to use when making a chunky chili. After cooking for 9-11 hours, the marbling in chuck roast melts away and turns each piece into melt in your mouth chunks of beef or sometimes shredded beef. It’s fantastic, and you can’t get the same results with leaner cuts of meat.

For best results and to keep this chili recipe part of a clean eating lifestyle, I recommend purchasing an organic grass-fed chuck roast. You can find this at Wegmans, Whole Foods, or online at Butcher Box.

FAQs

Cooking Tips

• Cook the aromatics first. The onions, garlic, and spices have more flavor when cooked before adding to the recipe. This process is to bloom the spices to hold up better during a long slow cooking time. Throwing the aromatics into the slow cooker without cooking steams them, which results in muted flavors. I cook the aromatics in the microwave, but you can also saute them on the stove.
• Freeze the chuck roast slightly before cutting it into chunks. The most challenging part of this recipe is cutting the chuck roast into pieces. A helpful tip is to freeze the roast for ½ an hour to firm it up slightly. Also, using a sharp knife is critical.
• Bulk up the veggies. Corn, bell peppers, or mushrooms are delicious in this chili recipe. You can also add another can of beans to increase fiber and protein.
• Control the heat. Chiptole canned chilis add a lot of heat to a recipe. Most of the heat comes from the seeds, so removing all (or some) will decrease the heat level of the recipe while still giving it that smoky flavor. You can also add fresh or jarred jalapeno peppers.
• Salt at the end. Slow cooker recipes that cook all day tend to have muted flavors. Salting at the end helps all of the flavors pop and come back to life.

Expert tip: Freeze leftover canned chipotle chilis and tomato paste in 2-3 tablespoon portions to use in a later recipe. I like using 2 tablespoon Souper Cube trays.

Supplies

• Mixing bowls
• Glass Storage Containers
• Souper Cubes

Featured Tool For This Recipe

How to Make Slow Cooker Chuck Roast Chili

• Start by prepping the aromatics. Add the onions, garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, tomato paste, and olive oil in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 5 minutes on high or until onions have softened and the mixture is fragrant. 
• Transfer the onion and garlic mixture to the slow cooker.
• Then stir in the beans, tomato sauce, beef broth, tapioca, Worcestershire sauce, chipotle chilis, brown sugar and bay leaf. Stir until all of the ingredients are combined.

• Season the chuck roast with salt and pepper and then stir into the slow cooker with the ingredients. 
• Tightly cover and cook on low for 9 – 11 hours or high for 6-7 hours. Discard the bay leaf. 
• Serve with favorite sour cream, chopped onions, avocado, cilantro, or your favorite chili condiments.

Make-ahead and Storage Suggestions

This slow cooker chuck roast chili does take some extra work, so it could be challenging to make the morning of the day you want to cook it. But the good news is you can prepare this recipe ahead of time.

• Assemble all of the ingredients 1-2 days beforehand into the slow cooker insert and refrigerate. In the morning, place the insert into the slow cooker base and then continue with the recipe.
• Assemble the ingredients into a slow cooker freezer kit using 1-2 (gallon size) freezer bags or containers. Freeze the kits, and then take out a couple of days before you plan on cooking. Add the ingredients to the slow cooker and continue with the recipe.
• Cook thoroughly and store in individual glass containers and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
• You can also freeze into portions using silicone trays (like Souper Cubes), glass containers, or plastic freezer bags. Reheat in the microwave or on the stove.

Other Healthy Chili Recipes

• Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili
• Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Chili
• Turkey Vegetable Chili

Did you make this recipe?

Have you tried this Slow Cooker Chuck Roast Chili? If so, I’d love for you to rate this recipe and leave a comment below. We all learn from each other’s experiences. Also, it would be awesome if you could share a picture on Instagram and tag it #organizeyourselfskinny. I can’t wait to see it!