When Sweet Meets Heat: The Secret Ingredient You'd Never Expect To Go In Chili

Great chili is much more than just peppers, tomato sauce, ground beef, and beans — controversial in Texas. Lovers of the dish can attest that the best thing about chili is the many different types there are: from chili con carne to chili verde and everywhere in between, there's an entire world of flavor-boosting ingredients that can be utilized to make a great pot of chili. One unexpected ingredient your chili needs? Cocoa powder. Don't just take our word for it –– Food Republic spoke to Serge Krikorian, executive chef and managing partner at Vibrant Occasions Catering, who swears by this unique twist.

"When I tell people I put chocolate in my chili, they look at me like I've lost my mind," Krikorian said, "but then they taste it, and their eyes get big." If you find yourself equally skeptical about this unique combination, you might be imagining something that tastes like ground beef covered in chocolate syrup. However, adding a small amount of cocoa powder to chili creates a subtle complexity similar to the richness of chocolate-laced Mexican mole sauce. "The cocoa powder wraps around all the other flavors like a warm blanket," said Krikorian, "making everything taste more rounded and complete."

Making chili is all about balancing flavors, and less is always more when it comes to adding chocolate to your dish. "I use about two tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder for a big pot," explained chef Serge Krikorian, "so not enough to taste like dessert, just enough to make the chili taste more like itself." If you're making a smaller quantity of chili, try stirring in half a tablespoon of cocoa to start, and add more to taste if necessary.

Of course, if your pantry is lacking unsweetened cocoa powder, there's a super easy swap that can be made in a pinch: "If I don't have cocoa powder, sometimes I'll grate in about an ounce of really dark chocolate," Krikorian told us. He suggested reaching for a bar that is at least 85% cacao, though "the darker the better."

While it's not necessary to use the most expensive chocolate that you have, be sure to use a good quality baking chocolate that has no added milk or sugar content. "Just remember, we're not making hot chocolate," Krikorian said. "It should be our little secret in the pot that nobody can identify, but everyone will love."