Cajun Chili Recipe: A Mexican-Cajun Fusion Chili

Inspiration

Sometimes the best inspiration comes from looking in the fridge and pantry and seeing what you have on hand.

The happy thing about this particular meal was that we didn’t just make do–we ate Very, Very Well.

Friends Thomas and Roberta brought us a baggie of peppers of Unknown Hotness from their garden. I had some happy andouille in the fridge and some lovely basmati in a big old sack, and this Cajun-Mexican fusion meal was born!

Ingredients

I strongly encourage you to make substitutions whenever and wherever necessary. I’ll make some suggestions in the ingredient list below this image. Here’s what’s in my Cajun chili extravaganza:

• Olive oil: to heat in the pan for sauteeing. You could also use any vegetable oil you prefer
• Andouille sausage: a very flavorful, very smoky and delicious sausage prevalent in Cajun cooking. If you have other sausage, by all means use it. It might not be Cajun fusion chili at that point, but it will be delicious. Try chorizo for more Mexican flare, sweet or hot Italian sausage, or even smoked Polish sausage.
• Cajun “trinity”: This is the flavor base of almost all savory cajun foods. It’s a mixture of diced onions, celery, and green bell pepper. This is the Cajun answer to French mirepoix, which is a mixture of onions, celery, and carrot.
• salt and pepper: to taste. I know that’s a maddening instruction, but there you have it. You can read more about what it means to salt to taste in this post.
• water: for more flavor, feel free to use chicken or vegetable stock rather than water
• Cajun seasoning: I like to use Tony Chachere’s Creole seasoning. Other good brands include Benoit’s, Marshall’s Creek, and Frontier Co-Op which also has nice herbal notes of thyme and marjoram
• bay leaves: These aren’t strictly necessary, but if you have them, use them. They do add a nice perfume to the stew
• mixed hot peppers: You’ll need about 2 cups of diced peppers. Use any mix from mild Anaheims, banana peppers or bell peppers to poblanos to spicier jalapenos or serranos. Or go hog wild and add a Scotch bonnet or Carolina reaper or two to the mix. You can also add 1-2 minced chipotles in adobo to increase the heat and the smokiness.
• black beans: I used dried beans, but feel free to use canned beans. You can also sub any beans you have, so kidney beans, white beans, pinto beans–all would work. And if you’re a no-beans-in-chili person, just leave them out and add a bit of extra Andouille or even some browned ground beef instead
• fine cornmeal: This is my secret (not so secret) for thickening stew. The cornmeal adds a bit of texture and the lovely corn flavor permeates the whole dish. Just mix it with a little water to form a slurry and pour it in towards the end of cooking. Using cornmeal for thickening also keeps this gluten-free (as long as all your ingredients are gluten-free) if that’s a concern for you.

PRO TIP: To add more flavor, toast the cornmeal in a dry skillet on the stovetop until fragrant. In a pinch, you can also use finely crushed tortilla chips to thicken your chili.

Instructions

These instructions are for making this recipe in a slow cooker. Check out the Q & A for alternate instructions for Dutch oven and Instant Pot.

1. Brown the Andouille in the oil, and remove to the slow cooker.
2. Add the trinity to that same pan, and cook until softened and starting to color. Put the cooked onions, celery, and bell pepper in the slow cooker.
3. Add all the spices, water, bay leaves, mixed peppers, and soaked beans to the slow cooker.
4. Cook on high for 2-3 hours, until the beans are nicely softened.
5. Whisk together the cornmeal and water and stir into the chili to thicken. Allow to cook an additional 10-15 minutes.

Cajun Chili Q & A

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Continue to Content

Cajun Chili Recipe

Yield: 6 -8

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours

Total Time: 3 hours 10 minutes

This Cajun-Mexican mashup is a great chili to make on a cold day. There are many ways to vary the heat and flavor, and any way you make it, this Cajun fusion chili is pretty excellent!

Print

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound Andouille sausage, cut into 1/2" discs
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 ribs celery, diced
• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
• 2 cups water, vegetable broth or chicken stock
• 2-3 teaspoons salt-free Cajun seasoning of choice
• 2 fresh bay leaves
• about 2 cups seeded, diced mixed hot peppers (Use bell peppers for less heat or a mixture of poblano, serrano and jalapeno for more heat)
• 3/4 cups black beans, picked over, rinsed, and soaked in cold water for 6-8 hours
• 2 Tablespoons fine cornmeal and 1/2 cup water slurry to thicken

Instructions

1. In a large, heavy skillet, brown the sausage in the oil. Remove to the slow cooker.
2. Cook onion, garlic and celery in the same pan until golden. Season with salt, pepper and Cajun seasoning. Remove to the slow cooker.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients, except for the cornmeal/water slurry, and cook on high for 2-3 hours, or until beans are tender.
4. Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking.
5. Whisk in as much of the slurry as necessary to thicken the cooking liquid to your liking.
6. Serve over rice with grated jack or pepper jack cheese and/or a big dollop of sour cream.

Notes

If using canned beans, add them to the slow cooker after 2 hours of cooking.

You can even use some light lager for the cooking liquid. If using Mexican flavors, stick with a darker Mexican beer like Negro Modelo. If cooking in a Dutch oven instead of a slow cooker, you can brown the meat and aromatics in the Dutch oven before cooking. One-pot easy-ness!

Recommended Products

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• 
  6 Quart Instant Pot
• 
  6 Quart Slow Cooker by Crock-Pot
• 
  5 Quart Dutch Oven

Nutrition Information

Yield 6 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 364Total Fat 27gSaturated Fat 8gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 16gCholesterol 47mgSodium 2777mgCarbohydrates 18gFiber 4gSugar 6gProtein 14g

The stated nutritional information is provided as a courtesy. It is calculated through third party software and is intended as a guideline only.

I hope you guys enjoy this Cajun chili recipe. It’s very forgiving and always delicious!

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