The Best Chili Recipe
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Congratulations, you’ve found the actual BEST Chili Recipe! It’s won dozens of cook-offs and is about to knock your socks off. Made with bacon (and the option to omit bacon if needed) and ground beef and simmered on the stove for just 30 minutes, this is my family’s go-to cool weather comfort food.
Chili Cook-Off Champion!
Something savory/cozy for you today because believe it or not Fall is here, which means cold weather and hearty comfort foods like baked ziti, my favorite meatball recipe, and this best chili recipe!
This recipe is actually one that I shared last year, and since then I’ve made it probably 50 times. Not only am I completely obsessed with it, as of this writing it’s also won over two dozen Chili Cook-offs! While I’ve never entered it into a cook-off myself, so many of you who have tried this chili recipe have commented or e-mailed me that it’s taken home first place and I don’t even know how to express how happy that makes me!
So, yeah, I do feel a little bit extra proud of this chili cook-off champ recipe right here.
Not only does it taste amazing, it’s shockingly simple to make. Basic, no-fuss ingredients and just 30 minutes of simmering yield a complex and rich flavor that’s simply unparalleled.
This best chili recipe (alternating weekly with my potato soup) is on regular dinner rotation for me as soon as the weather starts to dip below 70 degrees. It’s easy to make, incredibly filling, and the flavor is out of this world.
Let’s get started.
How to Make the Actual Best Chili Recipe
- Start with bacon! Cook until crisp, remove to a paper-towel lined plate, and reserve a bit of the grease for cooking your veggies. The flavor that develops from this step elevates a great chili recipe to the best chili recipe.
- Cook your onion and pepper until soft, add garlic and cook until fragrant.
- Add your ground beef, cook until mostly browned (but not all the way cooked through).
- Add all your seasonings.
- Stir well, cooking beef through.
- Add the remaining ingredients (and your bacon from step 1!), give everything a good stir, and allow to simmer for at least 30 minutes and until liquid is reduced.
Tip: Make your chili even better by choosing the right toppings when you serve it! Sour cream is a must, but shredded cheddar, corn chips, sliced jalapeños, avocado, or green onions are all great choices, too!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, leftovers can be frozen in an airtight container for at least 3 months.
Kind of. For best flavor, you will still need to follow steps 1-4 of the recipe as written, then you can transfer everything to the crockpot and heat it there (I don’t add the bacon back in until I’m ready to serve). Cook on low until ready to serve.
The bacon imparts an incredible flavor and is the secret ingredient that makes this chili the best chili recipe and an award winner. If you’re entering a cook-off, use it! However, you can leave it out if you absolutely must. Please see the notes in the recipe for instructions on making this chili bacon-free.
I most often use 90% lean ground beef but any percentage will work just fine (I’ve used all of them, but usually end up draining some grease if I use 80%). Ground turkey or chicken or really any ground meat will work here, but keep in mind the flavor will be slightly altered!
What Goes Well with Chili?
Obviously, bread is my chili side-dishes of choice. Because this chili is so hearty and filling on its own, a slice of cornbread makes for a sufficient side for chili.
Enjoy, and make sure to check out my other easy dinner recipes!! And make sure you let me know what you think when you try this! I love hearing about the cook-offs it wins and if you really agree that it’s the all-time BEST chili recipe!
Let’s cook together! Make sure to check out the how-to VIDEO in the recipe card!
The Best Chili Recipe (Award Winning!)
Ingredients
- 5 strips uncooked bacon, chopped¹
- 1 large yellow onion, diced (about 1 cup)
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 Tablespoon)
- 1 lb ground beef, (455g) (I use 90% but any will work)
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon chili powder²
- 1 Tablespoon ancho chili powder²
- 1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ¾ teaspoons ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper³
- 1 ¼ cup beef broth, (295ml)
- 15 oz can dark red kidney beans, lightly rinsed and drained (425g)
- 15 oz can black beans, lightly rinsed and drained (425)
- 14.5 oz can diced fire roasted tomatoes, undrained (411g)
- 7- oz can fire roasted green chilis, (198g)
- ¼ cup tomato paste, (66g)
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- Preferred toppings, particularly sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, and corn chips
Instructions
- Place chopped (uncooked) bacon in a large pot or Dutch oven and cook over medium heat until crisp and cooked through. Remove bacon to a paper towel lined plate and drain all but 1 ½ Tablespoons of grease.5 strips uncooked bacon
- Add onion and pepper and cook until softened, about 3-5 minutes.1 large yellow onion, 1 red bell pepper
- Add garlic and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds).3 cloves garlic
- Add beef, breaking apart with a spatula as you cook. Once meat is partially (about 50%) browned, add sugar and all spices (chili powders, paprika, cumin, onion powder, black pepper, salt, cayenne pepper) and stir well.1 lb ground beef, 1 Tablespoon brown sugar, 1 Tablespoon chili powder², 1 Tablespoon ancho chili powder², 1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon onion powder, ¾ teaspoons ground black pepper, ½ teaspoon salt, ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper³
- Add all remaining ingredients — beef broth, beans, tomatoes, tomato paste, chilis, and Worcestershire sauce — and your cooked bacon and stir well.1 ¼ cup beef broth, 15 oz can dark red kidney beans, 15 oz can black beans, 14.5 oz can diced fire roasted tomatoes, 7- oz can fire roasted green chilis, ¼ cup tomato paste, 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- Bring to a boil and cook 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally. Simmer for 30 minutes to allow flavor to really develop.
- Serve with preferred toppings (sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, and corn chips are a must!)Preferred toppings
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
I originally shared this chili recipe 10/05/2018. Post has been updated to include more notes, a video, and more helpful information 09/11/2019.
how many servi gs does this recipe yield?
thank you!
Hi Noreen! I usually try to include this information right at the top of the article as well as right above the ingredients. 🙂 You will get about 6 servings (this recipe makes 10 cups total, so one serving is approx 1 2/3 cup). Enjoy! 🙂
My Goodness. Thank You. I will try this out tomorrow.
Why a red bell pepper, and not a green bell pepper
Hi Audrey! The flavor of the red bell pepper works well here. 🙂
I used this recipe and added Brisket and won my chili cookoff. It was the first time I ever entered a competition. The only modifications that I made were to add Brisket, remove green chile and sub 2 jalapeno peppers, I didnt have black beans so I used 3 cans of dark red kidney beans. There were 11 different chilies enterred and I won be a wide margin and they ate ever last bite.. the crockpot was completely empty.
Can you freeze this?
Sure thing! 🙂
I made this last night for a chili competition at work. I tied 4 ways for 1st place and I was the tie breaker and I chose mine of course lol however, while I was voting (i was in a meeting), they re-voted so I tied for 2nd then I did rock paper scissors and lost…so I really ended up in 3rd place. but I still think I won 😂
I followed the recipe exactly! thank you for a delicious chili!
I am living in Vietnam and I can’t get fire roasted tomatoes or green chilies. Any suggestions? Would love to make it as close as possible to the original recipe.
Hi Katie! You can use regular diced tomatoes and regular diced chilies if you have them available. The fire roasted gives the chili a little extra flavor, but if you don’t have access to them it will still be really good. 🙂
I made this last year and won a chili contest! Now I have to repeat the win. I did add leftover BBQ rib meat which gives it a great added depth of flavor.
This chili recipe is wonderful! I followed the recipe exactly as written, except I couldn’t find ancho chili powder, so I just doubled up on the regular. It seemed a touch on the sweet side at first, but the longer it cooked the better the flavor got! The only thing I will do different next time is to add an additional half pound of ground beef. Not because it needs it, but my husband requested it be a little meatier. Otherwise, we both loved it! I served it with sourdough honey cornbread that I made from a mix I purchased at our local makers market. The two paired perfectly together! Delicious… thank you so much for sharing your recipe!
Does this reheat well? Due to my schedule, I need to make it on Saturday and then reheat on Sunday probably in a crockpot. Thank you. I’m getting hungry just reading about it!
Hi Sharon! This chili reheats really well! Enjoy! 🙂
Just won a chili cook off with this recipe! So good and I am not a chili lover!