Quick Chili? Doesn't chili take hours and hours of simmering to develop those flavors? Not anymore! You can make Quick Chili in the Ninja Foodi that tastes like it simmered for hours... in under 30 minutes!
Still not convinced? Give me a chance, please. I know there are chili gurus out there that pride themselves on taking 2 and 3 days to make a good batch of chili. I was one. Seriously, I was.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with taking your time to develop flavors and spending weeks, months, and even years perfecting that winning pot of chili. I have done this too many times to count during my brief time of entering local chili cook-offs.
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Now, I was not going to big events or nationally recognized competitions, but I did compete against some folks that were VERY serious about their chili!
I'm very proud to say that my recipe for Thai Curry Chili came in first place in two competitions and second in another.
Since I have only competed in four competitions, this is a pretty good track record.
I pride myself on chili making and this recipe for Quick Chili is no exception. It's good. Really Good.
Do I have to have a Ninja Foodi to make this recipe?
No, you don't. You can make this recipe for Quick Chili on the stove or in an Instant Pot. If you don't have a Ninja Foodi and are interested in learning more about it, this post on How to use the Ninja Foodi. In this article, I go over the various functions and various models of the Ninja Foodi.
Even if you have been cooking in a pressure cooker for years, you might find this post on Pressure Cooking 101 interesting. I know I learned a lot doing research for it!
Stove top: In a large stockpot, sauté the meat, onions, and seasoning for 5 minutes. Add in the garlic and saute for 2 minutes. Add in the rest of the ingredients and simmer on low for 1-2 hours or until the sirloin is the desired texture.
Instant Pot: Follow the same instructions as for the Ninja Foodi.
Is this a Dump and Cook Recipe?
Pretty much, yes. The only thing that I don't add in until after the pressure cooking time is the canned beans. You probably can add them in and I did in this recipe for Instant Pot Chili, but I decided to add them in at the end this time and they were perfect.
I do sauté the meats with the onions and garlic for a few minutes, but after that it is a dump and cook. Super easy, super delicious, and super quick!
Can I use Different Meats in this Quick Chili?
Yes, absolutely! When choosing the type of meat you want to use remember to adjust the pressure cooking time for that type of meat.
You can probably get away with decreasing the time to 5 minutes or even increasing it to 20 or more minutes. Of course longer than 10 minutes will take away the "quick" in this chili.
Here are my cook time recommendations for different meats:
All Ground Beef: You will not need to change anything in the recipe if you want to use all ground beef. The only thing you may want to do is drain the fat after sautéing for a few minutes.
Brisket: Cut the brisket into bite-size pieces and sauté for a few minutes. Set the pressure cooker for 20-30 minutes. Brisket takes longer than other cuts of beef.
Ground Chicken or Turkey: After sautéing the ground chicken/turkey until it is ½-3/4 of the way done, you can set the pressure cooker to 5 minutes.
Chicken Breasts: Cut into bite-size pieces and sauté for a few minutes. Set the pressure cooker for 5 minutes.
Already Cooked and Shredded Meat: If the meat is already cooked, set the pressure cooker for 2-5 minutes.
Is this Quick Chili Spicy?
That is a hard question to answer because everyone's tolerance for spice is different. Some would consider this a spicy chili and some would consider it mild. I love spice, but not overwhelmingly hot, so I consider this Quick Chili to be perfectly spiced.
If you like your chili super spicy, double or triple the ground chipotle and the Cholula.
If you like your chili mild, omit the chipotle and jalepeno pepper. Or you can try this version of Instant Pot Chili, which is very mild and kid friendly. If you are cooking this in the Ninja Foodi, you can follow the Instant Pot directions without any changes.
So, Let's get to making this Quick Chili!
If you prefer to watch me make this chili, you can watch this video on YouTube for Quick Chili in the Ninja Foodi or at the end of the recipe.
First (and I say this a lot), prep your ingredients. This makes any recipe flow very smoothly and avoids surprises. I can't tell you how many times, I've gotten to the middle of a recipe and realized that I didn't have something.
Measure out all of your spices and make the chili seasoning. Of course you can also use your favorite chili seasoning or even a packet, but I do recommend giving this blend a try. I like to make my own spice blends because I can control the salt content and the spice level.
Trim and cube the sirloin into ½" pieces. Dice the onions and peppers. Mince the garlic.
Turn the Ninja Foodi on High Sauté and add in ground beef. Add the sirloin to the inner pot with onions and seasonings. Sauté for 5 minutes.
Add in the garlic and sauté for 2 minutes or until the ground beef is 50%-75% cooked.
Add in the peppers. If using a jalepeno pepper, it is a good idea to try a small bite to see how spicy it is because they vary in heat. Then you can decide if you want to add more or less or if you want to add the seeds/membrane. Most of the heat is in the seeds and the membrane.
Pour in the 3 cups of beef stock and the Cholula. Use a plastic or wood utensil to scrape along the bottom of the pan to remove any pieces that might be stuck. This will avoid them burning during the pressure cooking process and giving you that dreaded "water" notice.
Add in the fire roasted tomatoes and top with the tomato paste. DO NOT STIR.
Put on the pressure lid and make sure the black valve is on seal. Set the Ninja Foodi to high pressure for 10 minutes. Allow to natural release for 3 minutes, then manually release the remaining pressure.
Remove the lid. Add the kidney beans and stir. Close the TenderCrisp lid and allow to sit with the Ninja Foodi off for 5 minutes.
Serve and Enjoy!
Quick Chili in the Ninja Foodi
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lb top sirloin
- 1 ½ lb ground beef
- 1 onion
- 3-4 cloves garlic minced. About 1-2 tsp.
- 1 green pepper
- 1 jalepeno pepper
- 2 cups beef stock
- 29 ounces fire roasted tomatoes 2 14.5 oz cans
- 1 tablespoon Cholula
- 6 oz tomato paste
- 32 ounces kidney beans canned and drained
Seasoning Blend
- 2 tablespoon Chili Powder
- 2 tablespoon Cumin
- 1 tablespoon Sea Salt
- 1 tablespoon Smoked Paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
- ½ teaspoon Chipotle
Instructions
- Dice up onion, jalapeno pepper, and green pepper. Mince garlic. Combine seasonings in a medium bowl.
- Turn the Ninja Foodi on High Saute and add in ground beef. Trim and cube the sirloin into ½" pieces. Add to the inner pot with onions and seasonings. Saute for 5 minutes.
- Add in the minced garlic and saute for 2 minutes or until the ground beef is 50%-75% done.
- Add in the green pepper, jalapeno pepper, Cholula, and beef broth. Use a plastic scraper to scrape along the bottom of the pot to make sure nothing has stuck to it.
- Add in the fire roasted tomatoes and do not stir. Place the tomato paste on top and do not stir. Put on the pressure cooker lid and make sure the valve is to seal. Set the pressure to high for 10 minutes.
- Allow to natural release for 3 minutes and then manually release the remaining pressure. Remove the lid and add in the drained kidney beans. Stir to incorporate. Now is a good time to give it a little taste to see if you want to add any more spice or seasoning. Close the TenderCrisp lid and allow to sit for 5 minutes to thicken. If you are not serving it right away, you can turn on the keep warm button with the pressure lid on vent.
- Serve and top with your choice of toppings. Enjoy!
Baz
Trying this tomoz 22nd may ..pic and comment to follow
Gina
I wanted to add some beef stew beef that i have on hand, with the ground meat to make the chili. Will the stew beef cook the same amount of time as the ground beef?
Not sure if should cook that first. I don't want it to be tough. Any help would be great.
Louise
As long as you cut it into small cubes, it should be fine.
Baz
Hi Louise, I cant find tomato paste in the UK, can I use tomato puree instead of paste, if so how much would you recommend, thanks for your fantastic videos. Baz
Louise
I did a quick search on Google and this is what I found: In the UK, tomato paste is referred to as purée or concentrate. In the US, purée is much thinner, but it sounds like it might be thicker in the UK. The goal of the tomato paste is to thicken the chili after pressure cooking. Since I'm not sure of the consistency of your tomato purée, I would decrease the liquid in the recipe by 1 cup (240ml) and then use as much of the purée as needed so it is the consistency you want. You can also use the sear/sauté to simmer and thicken the chili.
Chris Allen
Wow! Just made chili for lunch!! 🙂 Started prepping ingredients just after 11 am and despite several work interruptions, had chili for lunch by 1:30. And it tastes amazing. Might have to tone down the spice just a tad and chop up the tomatoes chunks a little for my wife, but I love it!
UPDATE: The wife just grabbed a bowl and I hear from the kitchen: "MMMM... that's good... That's really good. I'm going to eat this for lunch instead."... 2 minutes later.. "That's really good stuff" 😀
Thank you Louise for all your work testing and providing these great recipes! Next will be the Cheesy Ground Beef & Rice Casserole and Chicken Alfredo.
Louise
That's awesome!
Barbara Cardinal
I have never had chili so delicious!
The best part of this recipe is that you can make it as hot or as chill as you want. We ate a bunch and gave leftovers to a couple of "foodie friends.
They both loved the mouth feel and the heat as made with this recipe as is
Louise
I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Eleanor
I LOVE chili and no one in my family would eat it. So, Wendy's chili was about it for me. Putzing around on the internet I found your website and this chili recipe. I am a novice to the Ninja Foodi, so I love the option to watch the preparation video or go straight to the recipe. I am NOT a Cumin fan, but I said I was going to make the recipe exactly as posted. The entire family loves it! The only change I now make is I add and extra can of kidney beans. We had a chili cook-off at work. My chili was the only one completely gone. Thank you.
Louise
That's awesome! I'm so glad you and your family (and the co-workers) enjoyed it!