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Cincinnati Chili is a classic Midwestern recipe that slow simmers the meat sauce then served over top noodles. This chili is nothing like you have ever had before!
This fun, iconic American dish is a staple in the city of Cincinnati. Complete your meal by serving alongside a Greek Salad, a baked potato, and end the meal with some homemade funnel cakes!
Cincinnati Chili Recipe
This chili is definitely unlike any other chili! It’s a combination of so many different foods and flavors. This chili cooks up as a flavorful meat sauce that is perfect to use over noodles or to smother hot dogs with. It can be eaten in a bowl like a regular bowl of chili, but that’s not it’s purpose in life!
This is such a fun and unique meal that the entire family is sure to love. The best part is that everyone can choose which way they want to eat it. Beans? No beans? Onion? Cheese? You can pick your own way!
What Makes Cincinnati Chili Different?
Cincinnati Chili is a recipe developed in the 1920s thanks to Greek immigrants who settled in the Midwest. It’s a combination of a soupy Midwestern stew and traditional Mediterranean spices. It was created as a hot dog topping, and was originally served at a stand outside a theater called Empress.
Later the owners of the hot dog stand expanded into a restaurant which they named Empress and started serving the chili over noodles also. As the idea spread other restaurants and chili parlors opened, adopting the same style of chili. Today some of the most popular chili parlors serving this dish are Empress, Skyline, and Gold Star Chili. Today Cincinnati Chili is known as an iconic American dish, and is enjoyed by many people visiting the Midwest.
Ingredients Needed
- Tomato Paste: helps to thicken the meat sauce and also gives a nice red, tomato base to the broth.
- Water/Broth: This recipe can be made with just water, as the meat simmers in the pot it will become quite flavorful. If you want to push the flavor along a little bit you can do a mixture of half water and half beef broth.
- Ground Beef: 80/20 is a good balance for the chili. We need just enough fat to create a flavorful broth while simmering, but we don’t want too much fat, since we’re boiling the meat, the grease will stay in the pot, we can’t just drain it out.
- Onion: some say that no onion is included in the actual chili, but it gives a great flavor. Mince the onion up nice and fine and you don’t even notice the bits in the chili.
- Chili Powder: Adds a depth of flavor.
- Salt: Amount can be adjusted to taste if needed.
- Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Allspice & cloves: The warm spices are what sets this chili apart from all others!
- Cocoa: a necessity to come as close to authentic Skyline Chili as possible.
- Worcestershire Sauce: not a required ingredient, but it does add a depth to the broth of the chili.
- Vinegar: brightens up the meat sauce.
How to Make Cincinnati Style Chili
This copycat original is famous by Skyline chili parlor. Cincinnati chili is a flavorful meat sauce infused with mediterranean spices. Serve over noodles or on top of a hot dog!
- Combine: Water/broth with tomato paste to start the broth. Crumble the ground beef with your hands and add it into the liquid.
- Add in: Remaining ingredients for the chili.
- Bring to a simmer: Let the chili simmer for 2-3 hours while covered, until meat is fully cooked. Stir the meat. To ensure the meat is completely crumbled, it should have a fine texture, no large chunks of meat.
- Storing Chili: Let the chili cool to room temperature and then cover to store in the refrigerator overnight.
- Remove Grease: The next day, break up the cooled grease on the top of the chili, remove it completely, then bring the chili back to a simmer on the stovetop.
- Serve: Serve over spaghetti noodles or on a hot dog.
What to Serve with Cincinnati Chili
While you could serve up a bowl of this chili, that’s not how you will typically see it served. Most common ways of enjoying this particular style of chili is over hot dogs as a “cheese coney” or over spaghetti noodles.
Whichever way you choose to go, just make sure you have plenty of oyster crackers on the side!
- Cheese Coney: hot dog, bun, chili, cheese, mustard and onion (optional)
- Simple: Just noodles and chili combined.
- Have it with more: Add cheese with your noodles and chili
- More to Love: Noodles, chili, cheese and onions or beans. The variations are endless!
- The Works: Add all five together and you have it all with noodles, chili, cheese, onions and beans.
More Chili Recipes to Enjoy
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Cincinnati Chili
Ingredients
- 2 pounds lean ground beef
- 4 cups water may substitute 2 cups water, 2 cups beef broth
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- ½ cup finely diced onion
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground all spice
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 ounce dark chocolate or 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 bay leaf
Toppings
- cooked spaghetti noodles
- hot dogs
- beans
- diced onion
- shredded cheddar cheese
- oyster crackers
Instructions
- Add 4 cups water and 6 ounces tomato paste to a large dutch oven and whisk to combine.
- Crumble 2 pounds lean ground beef with your fingers and add it to the dutch oven.
- Add ½ cup finely diced onion, 3 tablespoons chili powder, 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon light brown sugar, 2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon ground all spice, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves, 1 ounce dark chocolate, and 1 bay leaf to the dutch oven and stir to combine.
- Bring pot to a simmer over medium heat, then cover and lower the heat to low. Let the chili simmer for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally. Skim the grease from the top as needed.
- Remove the chili from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Cover and store it in the refrigerator overnight.
- After the chili has cooled overnight, use a spoon to break up the grease on the top of the chili and remove it completely.
- Heat the chili over medium heat once more until fully heated through.
- Serve warm over cooked spaghetti noodles or hot dogs and top with beans, diced onion, shredded cheddar cheese, and oyster crackers.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Whoever has ANYTHING negative to say about this recipe obviously has never had Skyline or Goldstar chili. This was absolutely amazing and took me and my husband back to sitting down in Ohio eating a coney with chili. Thank you for this! We enjoyed it to the fullest.
Very good! I didn’t read ahead and had to do a quick cook version (just simmered for 2 hours and ate that evening), but it still turned out well. I actually used 99% lean ground turkey, and added more beef broth, and the flavor was great!
Contrary to what a lot of recipes say, there is NO cocoa or chocolate in Skyline chili or any authentic cincinnati chili. One ingredient that is always left off of the internet recipes is yeast. Yeast is an ingredient in Skyline chili.