This is the first post in a series of three that will cover how to make (and ultimately can) my chicken & black bean chili.

The key to truly great chili is not a recipe. It is not a specific cut of meat or a certain type of chili pepper. The key to truly great chili is the quality and freshness of your ingredients. To achieve a truly complex depth of flavor in your chili, you need a freshly ground chili powder. Most chili powders found in stores will not measure up. They are generic, stale, and one-dimensional. There are a few exceptions to this, but they are hard to find and the only guarantee of great chili powder is if you make it yourself.

I understand that there are many of you who would love fresh chili powder, but will realistically never go to the trouble of making it yourself. I understand, and I am here for you. I sell my freshly made chili powders in 55g containers and will drop them off if you live in the Elmhurst, Illinois area. They are $6 each, but I'll refund $1 if you give me back an undamaged tin. If you live further away, email me at jenn@chefwylie.com for shipping options. Or just man up and make it yourself! The recipe below is the recipe I use. I am not holding back anything. Everyone deserves to eat great chili whether they buy my stuff or not.

I often buy bulk dried peppers from specialty stores. If you are not looking to make pounds and pounds of powder like me, Whole Foods, Caputo's, or a Hispanic market is the best place to find them.

My recipe is exactly the same for my mild, medium and hot versions. The only thing that changes is the type of pepper I use for the '1 Tbsp ground toasted dried chili peppers'. For mild I use a mix of Ancho, Guajillo, and Pasilla ; Medium is Chipotle, Japanese chili, and Ancho; Hot is Habenero and Chili de Arbol. I sometimes use other peppers too, it just depends on what I can get my hands on.

Chef Wylie Chili Powder:

• 1 Tbsp ground toasted dried chili peppers.
• 1 Tbsp cumin seed
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp cayenne
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano, preferably Mexican
• 1/2 tsp cocoa powder

Combine in a spice grinder (I use a dedicated coffee grinder for this, but don't use it for coffee again after) and process until finely ground. Use within 6 months for best flavor. It doesn't 'go bad', by which I mean it won't hurt you to eat it after 6 months. It just slowly loses flavor and potency until it ends up tasting like powdered cardboard after enough time.