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.
ReNae
I won by a landslide at a church chili cook-off with this recipe! The pot went empty while all the other chilis remained. Yes. it’s that good!
Kristen
Did you make your batch fresh for the cook off, or is it best to make it the day before?
ReNae Gonzalez
I made mine the day before. That way you can take off any grease that accumulates on the top. Plus, chili always tastes better the next day!!
Kat
This is the very best chili… EVER!!
Diane
Very delicious! Can this be pressure-canned?
Sam Merritt
Hi Diane! I am not familiar with the process of canning so I can’t say for sure if it’s a good candidate for it. 🙁
Sam
We won my father in law’s church chile cook off with this recipe back in February. There were about 20 entries.
Kim
Hello,
Planning to do the recipe on Sat, but I can’t find .5 oz can diced fire roasted tomatoes undrained. Can regular can tomatoes be used? Thanks
Sam Merritt
Hi Kim! The 14.5 oz can is a pretty standard size. You can use a regular diced tomato, but the canned stuff adds a nice depth of flavor to the chili. 🙂
Steph
You buy them in a regular kit and then drain them at home
KRISTIN LYLE KOPSICK
I found mine at Walmart in the Mexican food aisle.
Cheryl
To die for, no wonder this recipe for chili has won so many awards. My second time ever making chili & it was the best I’ve ever tasted. One dinner guest agreed thoroughly.
Sherry Helfer
Since Covid I can’t eat spicy food ( very upsetting)! How spicy is the chili? Should I just cut out the spices or add very little?
Sam Merritt
Hi Sherry! I wouldn’t say it’s spicy. My young kids typically eat it as written. You can always reduce the spices a little bit, but they add most of the flavor here. 🙂
Red
Hey Kim, unsure of where you are located but Hunts makes a brand of fire roasted tomatoes. If you are close to a Walmart they have their own brand with fire roasted as well as the brand Rotel! If you really cant find some, what Ive done in the past is slice tomatoes in half and grill them sliced part down, cooking them until they are charred. Or even broil them with the slice part up until blistered! I hope this helps you
Irene White
We found it a bit too sweet for our taste. I am going to try it again but omit the brown sugar.
Melinda
This is the BEST chili recipe I have ever made! The only things I added was Better than Boullion Chili Base and some Rufus Teague BBQ sauce. But everyone who tried it said it was amazing!
I have one question…would it be okay to cook the bacon in the pot and just leave it in there afterwards to cook with the ground beef?
Sam Merritt
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Melinda! I would worry about burning the bacon if you were to leave it in there the whole time.
Katie
Some suggestions for substitutes if you don’t eat bacon: Bacon Salt (it’s vegan!), liquid smoke (USE SPARINGLY), smoked paprika, chipotle. 🙂
Amanda
I love this recipe! I’ve been using it for years, sometimes following it as is and sometimes making variations, but I always use it as my base. One variation I love is adding chipotle in adobo or chipotle powder for additional smokiness.
Dee
I plan to try this recipe very soon. can turkey bacon be used for this recipe?
Sam Merritt
Sure thing! It will change the flavor a little bit but it should work. 🙂
kelly
i’ve made this but i double everything and fry up a whole pack of bacon. I add an extra tablespoon of brown sugar and 1/4 cup captain morgans spiced rum. let it simmer in the crockpot for a few hours. It’s absolutely amazing. We used red beans instead of black beans. Then we take tostitos scoops and put a dab of sour cream in it, a spoonful of chili, tillamook chesder cheese sprinkled on top and serve a platter of those. I call them my chili cheese bites lol but the extra bacon and brown sugar with the rum give it a depth that is mouthwatering!
Margaret Molenda
Super delicious!! My kids and I loved this recipe
Michelle
A definite keeper!!! I won second place in a chili cook off but omitted the beans. It was delish!!!
Bill
This recipe was phenomenal! I doubled the batch and added 3 cans of rotel instead of the diced tomatoes and green chillies. (2 cans mild) (1 can hot) it had some heat but bit unbearable. I’ll never make another chili recipe
John
My new go-to recipe. I’ve had to share to my friends, as they all want to make it!
Linda Marguerite MacPhee
Absolutely the best I’ve cooked in over 60 years