I’ve been searching for the perfect chili recipe for YEARS now, and I’ve finally found it!! This one’s absolutely perfect.
Certain foods just remind me of my childhood. Chili is one of them. I love chili so much I’d marry it. (Also filed under “things that used to be cool to say in middle school”).
Fantastically, my hubby and kids do too (Spoiler alert: I ended up marrying a hot Italian pilot instead of chili. Alas). Aliza, my two-year-old, ate three grown-up sized portions when I made it last week. So did I. Gracious, I’m getting hungry just writing this post. Good thing I have some of this simmering on the stove as I type.
So. I’ve been searching for the perfect chili recipe for years now. YEARS, I tell you! I just wanted a basic recipe that doesn’t call for any strange ingredients I don’t already have in my cupboards. I wanted it to taste good. Like really gooooood. Ya know what I’m sayin’? I wanted it to be the kind of recipe I could throw together in 20 minutes, or I could dress it up and experiment with it when I felt like having fun. And did I mention it has to taste amazing?
I’ve found it.
Or, rather, I sorta made it up.
There a bajillion ways to make chili, and probably many of them are really good. This recipe hits the sweet spot for me, and I will make it over and over again for years to come. I’ll share it with y’all here in case you too are in the middle of a noble quest for the perfect bowl of chili.
Here it is.
Beth’s (Comfort Food) Chili
Ingredients
- a blob of butter probably around a quarter cup or so – I don’t actually measure
- around 1 cup of diced sweet peppers red, yellow, and/or orange
- 2 medium onions diced
- 6 cloves of garlic – chopped into teeny bits I find the flavour better when I chop rather than using the garlic press
- 1.5-2 lbs ground beef I use 2, but might use less if I needed to be a bit more frugal
- 2-3 cans diced tomatoes the big fat cans
- 2-3 cups of cooked kidney beans or a couple of cans, if you don’t use dried
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- a few shakes of black pepper
- 1 tablespoon unrefined sea salt
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 2 teaspoons coriander
- 4 tablespoons chili powder or more to taste
Instructions
- Heat up your cast-iron pan to medium-low and throw your blob of butter into it. When it’s nice and sizzly go ahead and toss in your diced onions and peppers. Stir them around occasionally until the onions are translucent (that’s the clear one, right? I always get them mixed up) and the peppers are soft. Toss in the chopped up garlic and stir for another minute.
- Add ground beef to pan and cook it until it’s browned and cozy with the onion party.
- Meanwhile, get out your big stock pot and put in all the rest of the ingredients and get them simmering. Add the meat and onion mixture. It doesn’t actually really matter how it all comes together – just make sure the ingredients all get cozy and stay simmering for a while until they’re nicely melded. I like to simmer it all for a few hours before serving, if possible. It’s also even better as leftovers!
- Serve with a salad on the side, and your choice of garnish. I love diced avocado, grated cheese, a blob of sour cream, and crumbled organic corn chips.
- Adapt as you see fit, and make as much as your pot will hold. You’ll be fighting over the leftovers.
- Come back and tell me if you loved it!
Do you have a favourite chili recipe?
Beth
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I made it for a Super Bowl get tigether and everyone complimented me on it! I’m keeping the recipe! Very tasty!
Cracks me up how people post what THEY do to make YOUR recipe better! SMH…anyway looking forward to making this to take to a beekeepers club meeting-you had me at HONEY and cocoa!
Hi – this sounds like a wonderful recipe. Thank you for sharing it with us! Your directions say that you let it simmer for “several” hours but there is no mention of an exact time. How many hours would you reccomend for optimum flavor and consistency? Thank you & Happy Holidays!
Turned out great. Very flavorful. No butter. Crushed tomatoes. Substituted 1 tblspn chipotle powder for chili pdr. This is really good.
I have high hopes that this recipe ends my search for the perfect chili! One question, about how many would you say this serves?
Ooh, hard to say because it depends on how much people eat. (It always varies at my gatherings!) I make it for my family of 6 (4 kids ranging from age 1-10 who are pretty big eaters) and it feeds us for 2-3 dinners.
I make mine just about the same but try a dash of Worcestershire Sauce and a dash of Cinnamon. It just adds to that Great Flavor.
BEST Chili EVER! I do always end up adding a little more chili powder to amp up the flavor but my goodness I love this chili!!
Awesome recipe!!! Not sure if it was the honey or cocoa, or both that make this recipe amazing and unique. Very tasty!!!
Amazing! Its actually amazing post, I have got much clear idea about from this post.
I’ve got a pot of this simmering now! I love chili but I’ve never made it with honey and cocoa so I’m excited to see how that turns out. My first tastes are really good- just need to wait a few hours for those flavours to really settle in! 🙂
So how’d you like it, Chelsea? 🙂
It was AMAZING! I might even say that it was the best chili I’ve made. I made it for my fiancé’s family and my future mother in law even went for seconds (she hardly eats!). They normally eat Persian food (they are Iranian), so going for seconds of my chili made my day! Great recipe, total success!
I made this last night and added 1 can of tomatoes sauce and 1 qt of tomatoe juice and my family loved it!
Yay! So glad you enjoyed! Still one of our family all-time faves here. 🙂
I twisted it a bit because I already thought mine was the best. It’s simmering now but I used all of the ingredients and I have to say AMAZING flavor and I haven’t even simmered it very long yet. Thanks for the secret!
Just made this for our church potluck tomorrow. My eldest son, 11, and I tried it and we both love it! And my son hardly likes any chili! I didn’t have any salt or honey on hand, so we did without the salt and added about 3 tbsp of brown sugar. We also did use several cans of beans..some had chili seasoning, so I suppose that had enough salt.
It is very good! Thank you for sharing!
OK, we’ve been on a chili quest for years and it looks like we’ve found the holy grail for us.
It is always a temptation to modify a published recipe, but we resisted it with this and followed the directions to a “T”. We did add one seeded jalapeno and used one 10 oz. can of Rotel to the 28 oz. of diced tomatoes called for. No other changes and we loved the result. Keeper!
The freezer is happy too. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Where the heck did all those “s” s come from???
Well it looks like I’m gonna try this chili recipe today. I’m always trying different chili recipes and this one is a bit unique. I’m a little iffy about it because I generally like my chili a little on the spicy side and I usually try recipes that have jalepenos and cayenne pepper in it. On the other hand, I’ve been looking for a recipe that I can feed to my children. Usually when I make chili, they get mac and cheese. Lol
I hope you enjoy it! (And your kids too!)
Hi Beth
Thanks for the recipe! I love it and my husband thinks that it’s the best chili he has had ever!
😀 So glad you’ve enjoyed it!
This is my new go-to chili recipe! I’ve made it 5 or more times, follow to the T and always comes out great! Such a crowd-pleaser! Thank you!
I like your thought of jalapeño, I like to add celery about 3 stalks. Sounds like we have a good chili here.. Oh.. Instead of Cocoa powder, mother in law uses a cup of black coffee..
I followed this to the tee. Wasnt happy with it, did i miss something? Was i supposed to drain the meat and ” onion party” before adding to the other ingredients?
You always drain the oil from meat. I would agree the recipe still should have stated that.
Made this last night and it was absolutely AMAZING!!!!!❤
Glad you liked it! It remains a family favourite after many years for us. 🙂
Hi
I will definitely try this Chili recipe although being a massive chilli head I would and will add fresh Chili and give a bigger hit!
I’m going to try the Instant Pot version of this tonight. When you say the big cans of diced tomatoes do you mean the 800 gram cans? (About 28 ounces in American speak)
Yes!
What is the secret ingredient? It all looks pretty standard.
Cocoa powder!
Hi. I just made this chilli, and it is great!! I LOVE IT!!
Yay!! Glad you like it! I’m making it tonight – it’s my kids’ fave. 🙂 🙂 🙂
Just made this according to recipe with the only difference I used black beans instead of kidney and smoked paprika because that’s all I had. It’s a winner in this house!!
Glad the whole family likes it! 🙂 -Andrea, R&H Assistant
I look forward to trying yours. Mine is – – –
Onion and green peppers till tender add 2 minced garlic cloves
Add 2 lbs ground beef till cooked
Add to crockpot with
White, black, and pinto beans-homemade canned chili tomatoes, corn- ranch dressing powder, cumin, coriander and chili powder.
I luv the taste of cumin in chili
I like to make what I call Texas Red Chili. I use onions, bell peppers(green and red), kidney beans, and pinto beans, and 2 lbs of ground meat. I put it together a lot like you do. I just use a lot more chili powder, and I put in fresh cut up jalapeños with the onion mixture at the start.
I like your thought of jalapeño, I like to add celery about 3 stalks. Sounds like we have a good chili here.. Oh.. Instead of Cocoa powder, mother in law uses a cup of black coffee..
It was amazing! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Hi! Excited to try this tonight, but am having a hard time finding coriander where I live…. Someone has some coriander seeds I can use, is this what you are talking about? Thanks!!
I made this chili today with a few additions. I added two diced jalapeños and a can of tomato paste, and 1/4 cup or so of hot sauce. It is a good recipe. It will be added to the line up. Thank you
Glad you liked it! I’ve been using less diced tomatoes, and adding a can of tomato sauce lately. My kids like it better. The jalapenos sound yummy too! 🙂
I entered this chili recipe in a contest with about 15 other chili’s. It came in 2nd place! It is a really good recipe! I highly recommend it. Only thing I did was i added one can of diced tomatoes with green chiles, one can of brooks hot chili beans, and a little brown sugar! So good!!!
There are so many versions of Chili but I wanted to try something just a little different. The addition of cocoa and honey caught my eye. I made it for dinner tonight and it was very tasty although i did add a tin of tomato paste and two tablespoons of dark brown sugar to the mix. I will definitely make this again. Thanks!
I am going to try this because of the cocoa in it. Sounds like a very good recipe. Only difference I will do, is add a can of stewed tomatos, I love the flavor it adds. Will let you know when I’m done. May be awhile. Thanks.
I’m trying this wonderful chili tonight! The addition of honey and cocoa is different for me-the fantastic aroma is making my mouth water! Normally we serve our chili on rice, top with grated cheddar, raw onion, and a dollop of sour cream. I don’t have kidney beans, so I’m using canned black beans. Should be interesting!!! Can’t wait to see the family’s reaction! Thank you, Beth!
I was raised by a Southern woman, and needless to say, my standards when it comes to cooking and baking are HIGH. My mother’s chili can’t be beat! I’ve also tried just about every chili recipe in the book, and this is one of the most absolutely amazing recipes I’ve ever had the good fortune to make. This will be a regular rotation at our house for sure. Absolutely fantastic!!
Wow! That’s totally the best comment I’ve ever gotten on a recipe… thanks SO much!! 🙂 🙂 🙂
This looks delicious! I’m a Texan who would usually never DARE put beans in her chili, but I might have to give it a try! 😉
I had no idea that Texans don’t put beans in chili. What would they normally add?
Nothing at all! Just meat, spices and a tomato base! I have no idea why, but I’ve actually never had chili with beans in it, so I’m really excited to give this recipe a try! 🙂
Actually, as a native born Texican, I have to say that we Texans are a varied bunch. I make chili in several different ways depending on the weather, the season, and my mood at the time. Sometimes beans figure into it. The only chili I haven’t been interested in making is the meatless variety. I dunno why, I guess I’m too much of a carnivore.
Yes, we do! We love beans in our chili. And a can of beer in it too.
We are a Texan house divided…My husband says no to beans in the chili, I say that makes it hot dog sauce…..but he eats beans in the chili if he doesn’t want to starve ;]
Ha! That’s hilarious, Hilary! 😀
I planning to make this for ten adults and 5 kids later this week. Will your recipe be large enough to feed all of them? Can I use a crockpot instead of a stock pot?
I’m going to using part ground venison and ground pork. I’m looking forward to using your recipe and will let you know how everyone likes it.
Hi David! Sorry I didn’t see your comment until just now. I would say that this recipe makes enough for a family of 5 (3 being little kids), with lunch leftovers for the next day. In other words – for the amount of people you’re feeding I would definitely triple or even quadruple the recipe. That’s a lot of people! It would depend, however, on if you’re serving anything with it. I know that some people serve chili over baked potatoes or rice, so if that’s the case you’d need less… but if you eat it straight up in a bowl, you’ll definitely want a huge pot of it. I would think a crockpot would work just fine, too. Hope you enjoy!
Beth, I forgot to reply, but your chili was a hit. Unfortunately I didn’t have enough for seconds 🙂
Thanks for the recipe. I will definitely be using again.
I am intrigued by the use of cocoa powder in this recipe! I find most chili recipes to be too tomato-y for me, so I usually add a bunch of chicken broth to mine to cut the tomato-y-ness. I will have to try adding cocoa powder next time though!
Here is my favorite recipe:
http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2011/12/21-ingredient-chili-slow-cooker-recipe.html
Let me know if you try it! I love how it mingles in 🙂
I tried this last night and it turned out amazing, not going to need to those pre-packed flavourings any more 🙂
Thank you for this lovely recipe!
SO glad you liked it!! Thanks for letting me know! 😀
I just made this for dinner and it was fantastic! I knew it was a keeper when my picky 3 yr. old (who has never cared for chili before) actually said, “This is good!” Then my 12 yr. old daughter who isn’t a big fan of chili either said it was good too and then ate her whole bowl. Hallelujah chorus! My husband and boys liked it too so I immediately wrote it down in my recipe book. Thank you so, so much for sharing!
Woohoo! SO glad it was a hit in your house. It’s a favorite here too 🙂 Thanks for commenting! 🙂
I made this tonight and it was SO delicious! My nineteen month old refused to share the avocado, so I didn’t get to try it with that added, but it was superb nonetheless. Thanks!
“
So glad you loved it! Next time wrestle the 19-month-old for the avocado. It’s worth it 😉
Will have to give this recipe a try! Never added cocoa powder or honey to my chili, very intrigued!
Question about dried beans, do you buy organic dried (and if so where/how), or non-organic? Does it matter with dried beans? Thx!!
Hi Frances,
Right now my budget does not allow me to buy anything organic unless it’s pretty well the same price. If I do buy organic I generally stick to produce because I think that’s the most important. I refer to the Dirty Dozen for which things to buy organic (and the Clean Thirteen). If I can’t afford to buy something organic that’s on the dirty dozen I try to just not buy it at all.
With that being said – if I could afford it, I’d buy everything organic. Everything from spices to bananas to dried beans. That however is not too likely anytime soon.
So – does it matter? Yes, I think buying organic is good, but for me it’s just not a reality and I’ve made my peace with it. Maybe things will change in the future.
That was probably a way longer and stranger answer than you were looking for, haha!
PS – Dried beans are awesomely cheap, and really quite easy to cook 🙂
I give you 10 points for a great title! You had me hooked! I consider my own chili pretty darn good, but can’t wait to add cocoa powder…So intrigued. 🙂
Thanks 🙂 The cocoa powder really brings out the other flavours. It’s strange, but it works!
Beth, I have been on the lookout for the perfect chili for awhile. So hope this works out! If I can handle it I will try it today or tomorrow. Thanks!
Let me know if you like it! 🙂
I’m making it right now and while all the flavours haven’t had a chance to get to comfy with each other, I can tell it is going be DELICOUS! I often put a bit of bacon in my chili but I don’t have any so I replaced the butter with bacon grease for the sauteing and it adds great flavour. I also add some grated carrots and zucchini…not too much, just a bit:).
Hurray! Glad you (probably??) like it 🙂
LOVE Chili. Like, I said I’d marry it way before you (‘cuz I’m so much older, haha). I’ve been happy with my recipes and experiments but enjoy trying new things, so this recipe’s next on the menu. VERY MUCH looking forward to trying something that sounds unique and delish! Thanks for posting!
Haha, yeah you’re ancient, for sure 😉
Hope you enjoy it when you try it!
I’ve heard about adding in cocoa powder but it sounded disgusting so I’ve never tried. I’ll have to make chili using your recipe and give the cocoa powder a chance! 🙂
You don’t actually taste the chocolate – it just enhances the other flavours!
Sounds yummy! I have never made chili that I loooooved, and I have also never tried adding cocoa powder or honey, so I’ll give this a try next time I need cold weather comfort food (which will be soon I think!)
Yay! Hope you love it as much as I do, Alyssa! 🙂
Can you make this without the meat and if so what would you think you need to change ?
Perhaps with more beans and tomatoes?
This recipe is Chili with beans.