Venison Chili

This venison chili is rich, comforting, and perfect for slow Sundays or busy weeknights. Venison makes it hearty without being heavy, and a long simmer brings everything together into a deeply flavorful pot of chili that’s even better the next day.

❤️ Why You’ll Love Venison Chili

It’s freezer-friendly, crowd-pleasing, and perfect with a slice of warm sourdough on the side.

This is my favorite soup to make when we have friends come over, or when I have a sick kiddo in the house. You can pack it with nutrient dense ingredients while also feeding a crowd. This is a great recipe to have in your family cookbook, we make this at least once a week!

🍲 Ingredients

Venison -(but can also be replaced with two pounds of ground beef, or one pound of ground beef and one pound of pork)

Broth – Homemade broth or one container of good quality store bought broth so we can keep with the nutrient density of the soup.

Tomatoes – I like stewed tomatoes for this recipe because it has the tomato juice which gives flavor, but they can also be smashed or picked out easily for your pickier eaters.

Beans - Chili beans, kidney beans, black beans, the perfect chili trio!

Veggie trio - Onion, pepper, garlic.

Chili powder - 2 tbs of your favorite chili powder

👩🍳 How to Make Venison Chili

• In a heavy bottom pot (I use my Dutch Oven) add in ground venison (or beef and pork), diced onion and diced pepper. Cook on medium low heat until the meat is totally cooked through.
• Drain off any fat and transfer the meat back into the pot.
• Add in your tomato paste and chili powder and cook for 2-3 minutes.
• Add 2 cans of diced tomatoes and the drained black beans and chili beans. Let that cook together for another 2-3 minutes, then add your chicken broth (add 4 cups if you like a more liquid soup), add Worcestershire, apple cider vinegar, and sugar if you choose.
• Bring the soup to a boil, and cover with a lid and bring the heat down to a simmer.
• Let the soup cook on low for 20 minutes and enjoy! As with any soup or chili, the longer it sits, the more the flavors will melt together; but I find this soup is good both right away, and the next day.

🪄 Tips and Tricks

• I add the vegetables after browning the meat because I don’t like when the vegetables are too soft, but if you want to cook the vegetables before the venison you can absolutely do that.
• Chop all the vegetables into similar-sized pieces, ensuring even cooking and a pleasing texture.
• If the soup is too thick, add more broth or water. If it’s too thin, let it simmer uncovered to reduce it down.
• Enhance the soup by adding a variety of vegetables such as carrots, mushrooms, and zucchini, for more nutrients.
  

🗒 Variations

Our family is a big soup family, especially in the winter. It is such a good way to pack in nutrients while staying warm and cozy on the shorter, colder days. I have a free soup + sourdough e book available if you’re signed up for my email! And here are a few more recipes you might like –

Cabbage Soup – Acts of Sourdough

Penicillin Soup – Acts of Sourdough

Dutch Oven Tomato Soup – Acts of Sourdough

Sourdough Chicken 'n Dumplings – Acts of Sourdough

Sourdough Bread Bowls – Acts of Sourdough.

Chicken Pot Pie with biscuits – Acts of Sourdough