Editor’s Note: This is a limited series featuring wild game recipes from local wild game chef Jeff Benda, author of the Wild Game & Fish Cookbook. More content is available on his
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By the time fall settles into North Dakota, chili starts making sense again. The evenings cool down, football fills the weekends, hunting season arrives and a steaming bowl of something hearty becomes exactly what you want.
I love making a big pot of this duck chili to share while tailgating outside the Fargodome before an NDSU Bison football game, when the air has that familiar autumn bite and something hot ladled into a bowl is particularly welcome.
But you certainly don’t need a Saturday kickoff to justify making it. This recipe was built for the other nights of the week, when work runs late, the kids have homework or practice and everyone asks what’s for dinner at precisely the moment you realize you haven’t thought about it.
If you have a pound of duck breasts from a waterfowl hunt in the freezer and 30 minutes to spare, you can easily put this meal on the table to feed your family.
And yes, it uses a packet of taco seasoning.
I enjoy making my own spice blends, and some weekends I’m perfectly happy to toast cumin seeds, grind spices and let a pot of chili simmer for half an afternoon.
But knowing how to cook also means knowing when not to complicate things. A packet of store-bought taco seasoning gives us cumin, chile, garlic, onion, and other familiar flavors in seconds, and those spices work particularly well with the rich flavor of duck.
The other shortcut is one I wouldn’t skip. Pureeing one can of beans with beef broth before stirring it into the pot gives the chili the thick, substantial texture we normally associate with a much longer simmer. It’s a small technique, but an effective one: instead of waiting hours for liquid to reduce, we build body into the chili from the beginning.
Add Ro-Tel tomatoes, onion and browned duck, then simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Top with shredded cheddar, a spoonful of sour cream, diced onion, and cilantro, and you’re ready to serve.
Make it for a Bison tailgate party, after a cold day outdoors, or on a Wednesday night when the family is hungry, and nobody has the patience to wait three hours for chili.
Some recipes are worth giving an afternoon. This one is worth knowing when you don’t have one.
30-Minute Duck Chili with Taco Seasoning
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Serves: 6
Ingredients
1 pound boneless, skinless duck breasts (about 3 ducks)1 teaspoon kosher salt½ teaspoon black pepper½ teaspoon onion powder½ teaspoon garlic powder2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil2 (15-ounce) cans chili beans or kidney beans¾ cup beef broth or water1 medium yellow or red onion, diced (about 3/4 cup), divided1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce1 (10-ounce) can Ro-Tel diced tomatoes and green chilies1 (1-ounce) packet taco seasoning1 teaspoon granulated sugar2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, for serving¼ cup sour cream, for serving¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
Place the duck breasts on a cutting board and, using a sharp knife, cut the duck into 1-inch chunks and toss with salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder.
Set a large (6-quart) pot or Dutch oven over medium heat and add oil. Once hot, add the seasoned duck and brown, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes.
While the duck cooks, place one can of chili beans and the beef broth or water in a bowl and puree with an immersion blender until smooth. (If you don’t have an immersion blender, puree the beans and broth in a blender.) Stirring the pureed beans into the chili gives it a thick, hearty texture without hours of simmering.
Add about one-third of the diced onion, reserving the remaining onion for serving.
Stir until everything is well combined. Bring just to a boil, then immediately reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer gently for 10–15 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the chili thickens and the flavors come together.
Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if needed. Serve topped with the shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, remaining diced onion and fresh cilantro.
For more approachable wild game and fish recipes, visit
Pre-order Jeff Benda’s new Wild Game & Fish Cookbook today, featuring 80 recipes inspired by North Dakota’s remarkable hunting and fishing heritage and the wild food that brings families back to the table.
Jeff Benda is the founder of Wild Game & Fish Media where he works with businesses in the hunting, fishing, and shooting industries. With 25 years of past experience in the restaurant and catering industry, he is now a full-time wild game and fish recipe developer and food blogger living in Fargo, North Dakota. His goal is to celebrate local fish and wild game and provide achievable, bright recipes designed to build confidence for new cooks, and inspire everyone to elevate their cooking. You can learn more about Jeff on his website www.wildgameandfish.com or follow him on Instagram: @wildgameandfish
