Crowd Pleasing Chili Recipe (2024)

Beef and kidney beans are slowly cooked in a tomato sauce, seasoned with warming spices of cumin, chilli, coriander and more. This crowd pleasing chili recipe is a one for the books!

If you are a chili enthusiast and enjoy lots of different flavours, give my Chile Verde a try! Delicious and so comforting!

There are certain recipes that are so intrinsic to who you are as a family you forget how truly special they are! This chili recipe is one of them.

I’ve made it for nearly two decades now and although it has evolved slightly over the years, its core remained. This bowl of chili is the epitome of comfort food.

Not only does this chili recipe cheer us up but it also keeps on giving. The recipe is quite large, so if you don’t have a crowd to feed, half could be frozen for another meal.

Chili con carne

No one can say with certainty where chili came from, although it was almost definitely somewhere in Northern Mexico or Texas. San Antonio is usually brought up as a home of chili, which does point towards Texas.

However the name itself is Spanish: chili con carne means ‘chili peppers with meat’. I wouldn’t dare express an opinion on this except to note that, when taken together, it makes chili the definition of Tex-Mex cuisine!

As with many of the best recipes, chili was very much a meal for the working class. Which makes sense, as it is the sort of dish that can be made from the ingredients one has available and will fill anyone up after a long day of work.

Although chili as we know it is a pretty recent addition to our dinner tables, it has become one of the quintessential comfort foods, filling and warming and ever so good!

Ingredients

This chili recipe mainly consists of:

• ground beef (I use 5% fat for a leaner meal but higher fat will also work)
• beans (any kind but I usually use either kidney beans or black beans)
• canned chopped tomatoes
• onions and garlic
• spices
• a tiny square of dark chocolate (for a depth of flavour)

Now the spice and seasoning mix is very specific to our family. It tends to be on the hotter side and it is one of the changes that happened over the years.

As our kids grew older, the chili became spicier without every hitting anything extreme. That being said, feel free to adjust the spice level to your liking.

Spice Mix

Here are the spices that I use to season my chili:

• cumin (non-negotiable)
• chilli powder
• dried coriander
• oregano
• smoked paprika
• chipotle paste or chipotle peppers, minced (optional but recommended)
• bay leaves

You can definitely adjust the amount and the proportions but I do believe the combination of the above spices makes the tastiest chili.

Beans or No Beans

As someone who’s been blogging for years I’ve had my fair share of reader’s feedback. Some of my recipes are met with great enthusiasm and some with suspicion.

My Texas Style Chilli (British spelling here) was one of the recipes that you guys said was not authentic and the main point of contention was the BEANS!

I have learned my lesson that no beans go into an authentic chili recipe from some nice and not so nice (comments deleted) folks. However, I also know that although putting beans in chili might not be an authentic method, it is also conventional. To say it plainly, it is done all over the US and the UK.

I always add beans to my chili for two main reasons:

• I love the taste and the texture they bring into this dish
• Mixing beans and meat is an economical way to cook!

Controversial, no doubt! But if you really can’t stomach beans in your chili, you are more than welcome to leave them out.

How to make it

Making chili is very similar to any stew. Cooking it slowly at low heat is key to developing deep flavours.

I always start by browning the ground beef. Make sure your beef is truly browning and not simply steaming. For that you need 1 tablespoon of hot oil and a very hot pot. I love using my Dutch Oven for it.

Add your beef and let it sear undisturbed for good five minutes, then start breaking it up with a spoon. Once the the beef is browned, move it to one side of a pan, lower the heat and add the onions.

Sauté them well until they are soft and translucent, which takes no less than 7-10 minutes, stirring once in a while. Once again this step ensures flavour, so don’t rush the process here. Then quickly stir in crushed garlic.

After that feel free to simply add rest the ingredients, stir and simmer for 1 hour. Your work here is done.

How to thicken chili

I recommend cooking chili covered for about 40 minutes but it’s important to uncover it and cook for 20-30 minutes longer to allow some of the liquid to boil out for the chili to thicken.

If your chili still looks a bit watery at the end of the cooking time. Take a potato masher to the pot and crush some of the beans with it. This will naturally thicken your chili without using corn starch.

Serving suggestions

Once again this is a matter of preference. A bowl of chili on its own is a much loved meal, but serving it over a starch of some sort is a great way to make it go further.

Eating chili with cornbread is an absolute classic. I rarely have cornbread around but like eating mine with a slice of homemade no-knead farmhouse bread or my easy flatbread.My kids love their chili over rice or french fries the next day.

Topping your baked potato or a jacket potato is another classic and is very delicious indeed.It is undoubtedly tastier when served topped with grated cheese, a dollop of sour cream or yogurt, sliced onions and chopped cilantro.

Storage and leftovers

There are not a lot of dishes that work as leftovers as well as chili. In fact, there are some who insist that chili should only be eaten a day after it has been made to give the flavours more time to meld!

Refrigerated chili will keep for 4-5 days in an airtight container. Frozen chili can be kept in a freezer for 2-3 months.

The best way to warm it up is in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring regularly so it heats through evenly. Add a bit more water if you feel it is needed and let it come to a boil.