You’re confusing the ingredient list with the cooking order. Chili is a chili based recipe because that’s the main ingredient, the ingredient that needs to be there, on top of which you can add other stuff.

Those are just used as aromatics, they’re not a main ingredient . You can replace them with other stuff or just omit them altogether and you’d still get a Chili. But if you replace the chili, then you just get a stew, can’t really call it chili anymore.

Take beef bourguignon, for example. It’s a stew as well but its main ingredients, or base, if you will, are the beef and the red wine.