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.
Mark
Hi,
I couldn’t find canned green chilis so I bought fresh. Should I remove the white membrane & remove the seeds before finely chopping them? Can you tell me aproximately how many tblps of chopped green chilis I should use for a single batch?
Thanks,
Mark
Sam
Hi Mark! Sorry for the delayed response. 🙁 Yes slice and remove the membrane and seeds (unless they WANT it hot). I would probably do about 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp) but this could be adjusted according to preference and cook them with the red peppers. I hope that helps! 🙂
Lami
Wow! Every time I try a chili recipe I have to doctor it up somehow. This I did not. It’s perfect! I doubled the recipe bc I knew we’d want leftovers and did add extra beef since I needed to use it- but I didn’t change anything else. Delicious!
Lucy M
I’ve never made the same chili twice.
it’s not intentional. I use what I have in the house. I’ve made this recipe twice- and it was aspicy twice. Very aspicy.
I can dig it. Added more brown sugar this time AND I found a new bacon that literally changed my life. Yes, literally.
OBVIOUSLY I added 2 more cans of beans bc I am a fiend. I can smell the success
Amanda
Can you make this in the crockpot? If so what temperature and for how long?
Sam
Hi Amanda! This is best done on the stove top and then transferred to the crock pot to keep warm. You need to cook the bacon and beef, as well as the onions.
Shauntaye
This is the chili recipe i use and it’s great! I use green bell pepper 🫑 instead of red and a little jalapeño (just a touch). I do omit the bacon as my family doesn’t eat pork…however next time i make it i will try beef bacon!
Kari Niles
Most excellent chili. The bacon indeed makes it. I added a beer (Brooklyn Brewery lager) and it turned out great.
Mo
When do u add beer? How much beer?
What does beer add to flavor profile?
Thx!
Jeff
nailed it. just got home from a church cook off as the winner. all I changed was extra cayenne for a little more kick and beef stew beef chunks instead of ground beef
penn
I added half cup black coffee, half cup red wine, cremini mushrooms and let it reduce.
magnifico! 👩🍳💋💥
fred miller
Do you chop or slice the green chiles or leave them whole? Am trying this for the first time….
Sam
Hi Fred! I use canned diced green chilies so they are already diced when I get them. 🙂
Joe
I made this recipe twice. First time, I used all the spices listed. Second time, I ‘cheated’ and used the McCormick chili mix. I couldn’t tell the difference. Both were equally great. One thing I did differently is to let it cook on low for about five hours. Chili needs time to infuse the meat.
Laura Pruett
Delish!!! I’m going to double it next time!
Karen K
I won the company chili cookoff with this recipe and had twice as many votes as second place. I made 2 minor changes. I roasted the garlic first and used half a head. I didn’t add it until I reheated the chili because I lost my original head of garlic due to a hole in the grocery bag. For the kidney beans, I used Brook’s Hot chili beans and did not rinse off the sauce as I wanted a little more spice.
John
When you say a red pepper, are you referring to a red bell pepper or a red chili pepper?
Sam
Red bell pepper 🙂
Mare
I rarely post comments anywhere but I have to for this.It has been a game changer recipe for me over the last three years. The spices elevate it from okay to fabulous; especially the cumin and paprika which I’d never used in chili before. My BIG MODIFICATION is I use chorizo (chopped) instead of bacon. Far better. WARNING TO UK READERS RE CHILI: in the UK chili powder is dried, ground chili, nothing else. If you used this much chili powder it would be inedible. I use half a teaspoon. FINAL ADVICE: Simmer for at least 1.5 hours. It’s even better when re-heated.
Cydni
This is the ONLY chili I will eat/make now. Nothing else compares. Absolute perfection! THANK YOU FOR SHARING THIS RECIPE!