Venison Chili

Venison Chili is a super simple recipe that is a great way to enjoy your fall deer harvest or anytime you are lucky enough to have venison in the freezer. This is a hearty and delicious recipe that is a favorite for cool weather.

We have a whole family of deer hunters and the guys had terrific luck during bow season this year. With the freezer stocked with deer meat, a hearty pot of chili is going to be on the menu often. We like to serve it up with Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread for a family favorite meal.

Venison Chili ~ Quick and Easy Weeknight Dinner

A big pot of chili is perfect for feeding a crowd and if you are lucky enough to have leftovers, it’s even better the next day. Make this venison chili mild or as spicy as you prefer and watch it disappear!

Ingredients Needed:

• Bacon Grease or Olive Oil
• Onions
• Bell Peppers
• Carrots
• Ground Venison
• Diced Tomatoes
• V8 Juice or Tomato Juice
• Pinto Beans
• Green Chile Powder
• Granulated Garlic
• Kosher Salt
• Chili Powder
• Ground Cumin
• Ground Red Pepper

Step-by-step Instructions:

• In a dutch oven or large pan, add the bacon grease and place over medium heat.

• Add diced onions, bell peppers and shredded carrots. Carrots are a great addition to chili because they help cut the acidity of the tomatoes.

• Cook, stirring often until vegetables are softened.

• Add ground venison and continue to cook, breaking up the venison to brown well on all sides.

• Combine brown sugar, salt and spices and mix into venison mixture.

• Next, add can tomatoes and V8 juice.
• Rinse and drain pinto beans and add to the dutch oven.

Mix well. Continue to cook until mixture comes to a low boil.

• Lower to simmer and continue to cook about 20 minutes. Keep warm until ready to serve.

• Serve with your favorite toppings.

Toppings for Chili:

• Shredded Cheese
• Sour Cream
• Candied Jalapeños
• Tortilla Chips or Corn Chips
• Green Onions
• Diced Avocado
• Cilantro

Recipe Tips and Variations:

Store: Leftover cooled chili in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days.

Freezer: Place chili in a freeze container up to 3 months.

Reheat: Place chili in a pan over medium heat, add additional V8 juice or a bit of water if it needs thinned. Stir until heated through.

Beans: Kidney beans or black beans can be substituted for pinto beans.

Venison: We butcher our own deer and added pork fat to the lean venison for about a 75/25 ratio. If you have straight lean venison, you can also add in ground beef or bacon to add some fat to the mix.

Make it Spicy: This recipe can made as spicy as you prefer. Increase the ground red chile flakes or use ground cayenne pepper to boost the heat level.

Yield: 8 Servings, double recipe as needed.

What to Serve with Chili:

• French Fries are a great side dish for chili or use the leftovers for chili cheese fries.
• Homemade Cornbread makes a delicious side dish for any chili or soup recipe.
• Air Fryer Tater Tots are so quick and easy to add to your chili supper.

More Delicious Venison Recipes:

• Venison Steak Pot Pie is a hearty meal filled with vegetables in a rich gravy. A family favorite to make again and again.
• These grilled Venison Chops are great for special occasions and are sure to impress if served to company.
• Smoky Chili is a great option made with smoked ground venison. Make it spicy or mild to suit your tastes.
• Venison Snack Sticks are so simple to make and our favorite for ground deer meat.

This venison chili is a hearty and filling meal for any night of the week. It’s one of the best recipes to make with the deer meat you have in the freezer and a surefire hit with the whole family.

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