My FAVORITE homemade chili recipe I've been making for years. Perfect for a cozy night in or game day, this thick hearty chili recipe is flexible and so delicious. Don't forget all the toppings!
I've always felt the beauty of chili was that no real recipe is ever required. However, this is a hard argument to hold onto when you're a food blogger. So in my typical hypocritical way, I'm here to share an easy chili recipe while also insisting you don't need this recipe for chili.
In my defense, a popular dish like this deserves a full recipe and this time of year often calls for a big thick bowl of chili to eat over crunchy corn chips (my favorite!), pasta or alongside some cornbread.
Thick and hearty chili ingredients
Meat: This recipe works with any sort of ground meat, so ground beef, lean ground turkey and ground chicken are all fair game. The chorizo is my real secret weapon! Along with the incredible flavor it adds, the chorizo cooks down so much that it gives the final dish this perfect texture. It's hard to describe, but you'll know when it's missing. Even if you already have a favorite classic beef chili recipe, I highly suggest adding some chorizo in and seeing what it does. So good!
Veg: The vegetables here can be boiled down to one word - peppers! I use a couple of bell peppers (the color doesn't matter, but I generally avoid green bell pepper due to personal preferance) and then add in a poblano pepper and a jalapeno. I don't bother deseeding the jalapeno, but you can if you want to keep the spice level down.
Spices: I don't shy away from the chili spices in this recipe. I've legit used half a bottle of chili powder on occasions when I'm not measuring. But you need it! It's just not chili if it's not heavily seasoned, right? I've found the perfect blend of spices is chili powder, black pepper, cumin, oregano, smoked paprika and ground coriander. Plus my little spice secret weapon - Cinnamon! Just the tiniest bit makes a huge difference. It's totally optional, but I suggest trying it at least once.
Beer: Obviously this is a thick chili recipe so I don't use a ton of liquid - just one cup. But the good news is you can use whatever kind of liquid you want. Chicken stock, beef broth, beer, red wine...even water! You just want enough to help everything come together. With that said, if you like a slightly thinner chili you can add another cup of liquid, no problem. You might get a more loose soup texture, but will still be delicious.
The usual suspects: Don't worry, I didn't forget about the tomatoes and beans. I don't love chili that super heavy on tomatoes, so I just use a small can of crushed or diced tomatoes. If you like a lot of tomato flavor, I'd suggest adding some tomato paste or tomato sauce to really amp up the flavor. For beans, I keep it simple with just one can of black beans and one can of kidney beans because that's what I like. But you can do all black or all kidney, or go with pinto beans, navy beans or even chickpeas. If you happen to come across a can of chili beans, even better!
Layer layer layer
The difference between good chili and GREAT chili? Layering flavor.
You start by sauting your vegetables + aromatics for a bit over medium heat, letting them soften and just start to brown. THEN the meat goes in. I do it this way so I can guarantee some flavor with the vegetables. If you start with the meat, your onions and peppers won't have any space to cook. Not a big deal, but I find it makes enough of a difference that I insist on it these days.
Many "best chili recipe" seem great because they are basically a dump-and-stir type thing. Throw some meat, vegetables, beans, spices and stock in a pot and let it simmer away, right? Not today, friends. You already know I'm a big fan of "toasting" spices, and things are no different here. I add the spices to the meat and vegetables and let them cook and toast for a few minutes before adding in the beans, tomatoes, etc. This is what really brings out that chili flavor!
It's also why I don't often make chili in a slow cooker. Sorry about that. BUT! If you have a slow cooker with a saute function or an Instant Pot, you could definitely follow this recipe. Cook everything on saute, including the spices, and then let the slow cooking happen for a few hours or pressure cook for 20-30 minutes and ta-da!
The most important part: TOPPINGS!
"Would you like some chili with those toppings?" - an actual thing a real person has said to me.
I have thoughts.
In my mind, chili is great but is also just one component. Chili without toppings is just....sad. I want cheddar cheese, sour cream, avocado, diced red onion AND green onions (I'm very particular about this...surprise surprise), raw jalapeno AND hot sauce. Honestly, the list goes on.
But what's most important is what goes UNDER the chili. I know many people who ladle their chili over spaghetti noodles or rice, and that's fine. I guess. But if something is going under my chili, it's going to be crunchy, salty corn chips. Full stop. I don't remember when I started doing this, but I do know I haven't stopped. Frito pie is one of the best things on earth, and I will fight anyone who disagrees.
FULL STOP.
(I told you I have thoughts.)
Looking for more cozy recipes? Check out my creamy tomato lentil soup, Zuppa Toscana or this easy roasted tomato soup for one.
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Easy Thick and Hearty Chili
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 1x
Description
My FAVORITE homemade chili recipe I've been making for years. Perfect for a cozy night in or game day, this thick hearty chili recipe is flexible and so delicious. Don't forget all the toppings!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 bell peppers (any color!), diced
- 1 poblano pepper, diced
- 1 jalapeno, diced
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 lb ground beef
- ½ lb Mexican chorizo
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon*
- 1 14oz can crushed tomatoes*
- 2 14oz cans beans (I used black and kidney), drained and rinsed
- 1 cup light beer (or chicken stock or water)*
- Toppings: Sour cream, diced avocado, shredded cheese, cilantro, green onions, red onion, jalapeno, corn chips, tortilla chips, etc.
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil (I use avocado, but any kind is fine!) in a large dutch oven (or any large pot) over medium heat. When oil is hot, add 1 large diced onion. Saute for a few minutes, until onions soften and start to turn translucent.
- Add 2 diced bell peppers, 1 diced poblano pepper, 1 diced jalapeno pepper and 6 minced garlic cloves. Saute for 5-7 minutes, until peppers soften and everything starts to turn a light brown.
- Add 1 pound ground beef and ½ pound chorizo. Increase to medium-high heat and cook meat, breaking apart with a wooden spoon every few minutes.
- Once meat is almost cooked through, add 3 tablespoons chili powder, 1 tablespoon ground cumin, 1 tablespoon salt, 2 teaspoons dried oregano, 1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon ground coriander and ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon. Mix well and continue cooking for another 5 minutes until the meat is fully cooked through and the spices are nice and toasted.
- Add 1 14-oz can of crushed tomatoes (or you can use whole and crush yourself like I do!), 2 14-oz cans of drained and rinsed beans and 1 cup beer (or chicken stock or water). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and let chili simmer uncovered for at least 30 minutes. If I have the time, I like to let it go for an hour!
- Taste and adjust salt as needed. Serve chili with your favorite toppings!!
Notes
- The ground cinnamon is optional, but I find that even that tiny amount brings some warmth to the dish and I love it. Along with the chorizo, it's my secret ingredient!
- When it comes to the tomatoes, you can used diced, crushed, fire-roasted or whatever you have on hand! If you want extra tomato flavor, you can add another can, some tomato paste or tomato sauce.
- Like most chilis, this one is delicious right when you make it but gets better and better as it sits. If you can, make this the day before you plan to serve!
- This is obviously a big batch of chili, but leftovers are delicious and extra freezes beautifully. To save space, put the cooled chili in a plastic bag and store flat in the freezer.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Main
- Method: Stovetop
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