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
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
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.
Tina
Made this today for our family chili cook-off and took first place out of six entries! It was my third time making it and it’s been a hit every time. I’ve made it with beef and turkey and went with the turkey today.
Sam
That is so awesome! I’m so glad you enjoy it so much, Tina! 🙂
Christina
Made this for my office cookoff this week and won! I took some creative liberties with the bacon (8 slices and used all of the grease) and spices. Not bad for my first time ever making chili! Thanks for sharing!
Sam
I am so thrilled to hear this, Christina! Thank you so much for trying my recipe, and for letting me know how it turned out! I appreciate it!
Jim M
Excellent chili recipe, I used all the bacon fat to sauté the onions, peppers and garlic and brown the meat; otherwise, I followed the recipe. I’ve never used bacon in any of my chilis, (don’t have a good reason why not). And you always come across The Best recipe for just about everything. Guess it was the bacon that caught me, Anyway, it turns out it makes for a delicious chili. Thank you.
Rhonda
I can’t seem to find ancho powder anywhere, well Walmart has it but they are out of stock. I do have ancho chili’s, can I use them and if so how much? Help, I was planning on making this tonight
Sam
Hi Rhonda! I would just use regular chili powder here. 🙂
Doug Van Riper
Buy dried ancho chili’s in a bag (2-3 oz for $2.00). pull the stem off and empty the seeds and grind the dry pepper in a coffee grinder. Boom: you now have ancho chili powder.
Maggie
Another name for ancho Chiles is California (style) chile
Ebone
I’m making this right now, made it once already. My family loves it, my suggestion is to make it the night before. It’s so much better the next day!
Tracy
This chili is spectacular. I NEVER post recipe reviews but I had to this time. I added one Spanish chorizo and some steak pieces. So delicious!
Amanda
Thank you so much for this recipe! I used it for my work Chili Cookoff and won. It’s so yummy. 🙂
Elizabeth
This is insanely delicious. I used another reviewer’s suggestion to add a bit of dark chocolate (the darkest I had was Guittard 63%) and it was amazing!!! Also, don’t skip the ancho chili powder. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Qikiq
Made this chili for the church cookoff. Brought a sample to my 93 year old mother and she took one bite and said “well, that will never win!”. Guess what, Mom? I won the cookoff! Everybody loved it and asked for the recipe.
Chandler
Made this recipe lastnight with a couple changes. I used 1 1/2 pound of ground wagyu, cherrywood bacon, merlot salt and my special ingredient two small pieces of dark chocolate 😉. Do not be afraid of the dark chocolate(I use this in every recipe for chili). But this was the first time I’ve ever seen a big pot of chili demolished so quickly. Everyone said it was the best chili that they’ve ever tasted.
Sam
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Chandler! 🙂
Mike
Sorry Sam, I made 2 separate batches – follow the recipe to the “T” It was good, but too sweet. I did not win the office Chili Cook-off, but they all liked it – and yes, they too said it was too sweet. I liked the fact that it was not soupy, it was thick and hearty – just too sweet. I definitely would add more heat as well. I don’t know if it was the the tomato paste, the Worcestershire, the onions, or the Red Bell pepper (which I usually hate because they make me burp), or the Tomatoes? It was just too sweet. I think I said that about 10x already. I am not a chili expert, so I am going to experiment and try an figure out what is making it so sweet? Maybe the Ancho Chili Powder? Like I would like it when I can remove that sweet taste – add some heat, then it will be excellent!
Sam
I’m so sad to hear this, Mike! Really there’s nothing in the chili that should make it sweet and I’ve never found it to be so myself (nor had anyone say they found it too sweet before, I don’t believe). While ancho chili powder could be described as having a subtle sweetness compared to classic chili powder, I’ve never had anyone say it made the chili overall sweet before. You can swap this out for regular chili powder, though! Did you only use the 1 tablespoon of sugar? I’ve had people double that before and even add chocolate without finding it too sweet. I’m happy to help troubleshoot further, though, and do appreciate your feedback!
Mike
Well, I have to be honest and fair, I did end up WINNING after all. They just posted the results in the weekly newsletter so I believe Sam gets the credit.
I personally still say it was too sweet, and I did not use ANY sugar. Some of my co workers also said it was sweet, BUT…….they also LIKED IT! So if I won, obviously it was good.
Sam
Well that’s good news! 🙂
Dianna
Eliminate the brown sugar!
Carla
Yummy!
Tom
Made this recipe and won the neighborhood Chili Cookoff!! One small change, I doubled the recipe and added 1lb ground Italian sausage, so 1/2 lb to the actual recipe. I also used a can of Rotel with green chili’s in place of one of the cans of green chili’s that would’ve been required after doubling the recipe. The neighborhood practically licked the pot clean!
Sam
I’m so happy to hear this! Thank you so much for letting me know how it turned out, and congratulations on your win, Tom! 🙂
Kathy
Oh my goodness! I made this tonight, and it is delicious! All of the ingredients & seasonings were just perfect. I WILL make this again. Thank you!
Alexandra
I rarely leave reviews, but this is the best chili recipe I have ever tried! Stumbled upon it one day when looking for a new chili recipe, and now it is my go to and I make it often. It tastes even better the next day. I love to serve it with skillet cornbread made in the cast iron. Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Alexandra! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. I really appreciate it. 🙂
Patty
I’ve known my husband over 30 years and he has always called “Freddie’s Chili” the best he’s ever had! (Yes, he keeps track of these things.) Back in elementary school he would stock pop coolers for Freddie, and Freddie would reward him with a cola and bowl of chili. (Actually, he corrected me a bowl of chili and two bottles of Pepsi!) According to my husband, this recipe (or how I cooked it) beats Freddie’s!!! Need I say more? LOL
Sam
🤣 That’s an awesome story! I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it so much. 🙂