The Best Chili Recipe

Name: The Best Chili Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 150 min
Total time: 160 min
Ingredients: 8 oz raw bacon; 2 lbs ground beef (85%-15% lean to fat ratio); 1 yellow onion; 2 bell peppers - various colors; 2-3 jalapeno peppers; 2 tomatoes; 4-6 large garlic cloves; 14 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes; 4 oz tomato paste; 16 oz can low sodium pinto beans (or other beans you love); 16 oz can low sodium kidney beans; 1 cup beef stock (or broth); 2 1/2 tsp cumin; 2 tsp dried oregano; 2 tsp garlic powder; 2 tsp smoked paprika; 2 tbsp ancho chili powder; 1 tbsp salt (more or less to taste); 1/2 tsp black pepper

Created: January 18, 2019 Updated: October 17, 2022 by lyuba 31 Comments

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This Chili recipe is so delicious, made with bacon, ground beef, vegetables, beans, and a perfect combination of spices to make chili seasoning. This perfectly comforting and classic dish makes a great weekend dinner. Make a big batch of it because chili is even better reheated than it is freshly made.

Chili is also a great dish to serve at football parties and my Boozy Chili is a perfect choice for that. Turkey Chili is a great healthy option for a protein loaded and lean dinner. No matter what chili you make, don’t forget to serve some homemade cornbread with it.

top view of chili in a white bowl with jalapeno and cheese toppings.

Why It’s Best Cold Weather Food

Would anyone be surprised if I said that beef chili is my kid’s favorite dish? I am still surprised, especially since it is baby girl’s absolute favorite thing to eat. Yes, my 16-month old loves chili more than anything.

I am more than happy to spend a couple of hours making a big batch of chili for the family. Chili is a healthy dish because it’s made with lean meat, vegetables, and beans. It’s loaded with protein, fiber, and iron.

Besides tasting great, I like adding beans to my chili because it does have great nutritional value. So if you’re debating whether to add beans to chili or not, I say go for it!

Now, my Texas friends, don’t come after me for putting beans in the chili. I know that the original Chili Con Carne is made with meat and chilis and many Texans stay true to the original chili recipe. On the other hand, the idea of putting beans in the chili has been around for a long time now and in a way, it’s just as classic as the original way.

Tradition or not, when it comes to cooking for yourself and the family, we all do what we like best. And of course, what tastes the best.

ingredients to make chili recipe in a cutting board.

Step-By-Step Instructions:

breaking up ground beef to sear it in a pot.

1. Sear the bacon and ground beef. Sear diced bacon first, until it’s mostly done and add ground beef. Beak it up as much as you can and mix and cook until most of the meat had turned dark. Take it all out of the pot and set aside.

2. Sauté veggies. Add a little more oil if needed and sauté onions and peppers until mostly softened. Once softened, make room for minced garlic and sauté until garlic is fragrant. Mix everything and add back the meats.

adding minced garlic to the softened veggies in a pot.

stirring seared veggies and ground beef together.

3. Beans, tomatoes, and seasoning. Drain beans and add them to the pot. Add can of diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and all the seasoning. Mix everything very well and stir in the beef stock.

adding beans, tomatoes, and seasoning to the chili.

adding beef stock to the chili in the pot.

4. Cook! Bring the chili to a low boil and then lower the heat to low. Cover with a lid but leave a small crack for the steam to escape. Cook on low heat for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Remember to stir from time to time!

How To Make It In A Crock Pot

Slow cooker lovers will be happy to know that chili recipe can just as easily be made in a Crock Pot.

Begin by browning bacon in a cooking pan, over medium heat. Add ground beef, break it all up, and cook until beef is browned. Transfer beef and bacon mixture into a Crock Pot.

In the same pan where you cooked beef, add onions, peppers, and jalapeno. Sauté veggies until softened and add smashed and minced garlic. Sauté until garlic is fragrant and transfer veggie mixture onto the Crock Pot as well.

Add tomatoes, tomato paste, beans, broth, and seasoning to the Crock Pot. Stir everything well, cover, and cook on HIGH for 4 hours or on LOW for 6 hours. (Open and stir about once an hour.)

Tips and Trick For The Best Results

There are a few things you can add to make your chili taste great.

First of all, the chili seasoning. Chili seasoning is basically the spices and herbs that go into chili. Be generous with chili powder and make sure to add cumin, oregano, and paprika. I recommend smoked paprika for a smoky taste in chili.
To help regulate spice level in chili, you can add jalapenos or other spicy chili peppers. Adding spicier chili peppers can increase the spice level dramatically and if you add seeds from those peppers, that will bring up the heat even more.
I prefer to make chili ahead of time and eat it the next day. It really does taste best when it gets a chance to sit in the fridge overnight.

closeup of chili in a bowl with cheese and jalapenos.

Freezing Instructions:

You will be happy to know that you can easily freeze chili.

After chili is cooked, you will want to cool it as quickly as possible if you plan to freeze it. This will give bacteria less chance to build and extend the shelf life of food. The best way to cool chili quickly is to place the pot of chili into a larger container filled with ice and make sure to stir it from time to time as it cools.

Once it cools, portion it into smaller freezer bags, let all the air out, and close it well. Remember to label and date. Lay the bags flat on the cutting board and freeze. Chili can be frozen for up to 6 months.

To Thaw: Make sure to slow-thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

Creating a Chili Bar

1. If you’re making chili for a game day, creating a chili bar is an awesome idea. Chili bar is basically a spread of awesome chili and an array of toppings that people can use for their chili.

2. Make sure to keep chili warm, so keeping it in a Crock Pot is a good idea even if you didn’t cook it in it.

3. Set out plenty of bowls and extra spoons so each topping option can have its own spoon.

4. There are many topping options like:

cheese
sour cream
diced jalapeno peppers, onion, avocado, cilantro, lime wedges, green onions
crackers, tortilla strips, pretzels
dried chick peas

scooping out some chili from a bowl with a spoon.

Variations You’ll Love:

Meat – you can use just ground beef or mix ground beef and ground pork. You can also go for a leaner meat and just use ground turkey.

Spicier – Love it spicy? Use spicier peppers like serrano or habanero. Your chili will also be spicier if you keep the seeds in jalapenos or other peppers.

Add more veggies – feel free to load your chili with veggies like carrots, more bell peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, and avocado for topping.

Vegetarian Chili

Turkey Chili

White Chicken Chili

Instant Pot Chili