This Award Winning Chili Recipe is a showstopper. If you are tired of boring recipes, tired of chili that tastes like beef stew, tired of recipes that seem one trick ponies, then this is the best chili recipe you have been waiting for. My ultimate cook-off-winning chili is loaded with flavor and a secret ingredient. Perfect comfort food for cold weather, your whole family will love it.
- "Go-to recipe"
- "Wonderful Flavor"
- "The Best Chili"
- "Highly recommend it"
...these are just some of the numerous reviews people leave under my Chili pin.
Not to brag, but this Award Winning Chili Recipe is seriously AMAZING!
A few years ago while I resided in northwestern Indiana, the community where I lived, announced a Chili cook-off.
Since I'm a food blogger, I absolutely couldn't pass up the opportunity to show off my cooking skills. I knew I had to be there and make the best hearty Chili recipe that will be a winner.
Now comes the fun part:)
Up until the Chili contest, I never made homemade Chili.
I don't even remember if I tried it.
Nevertheless, I love challenges. With a little bit of research, I created the best Chili recipe that was unique and came out perfect from the first attempt.
The result of my experimental cooking?
My best Chili recipe won the cook-off and everyone was curious to know what I added there to make it taste that good.
Are you curious yet?:)
Here, I'm sharing with you the exact award-winning Chili with beans recipe that I won the cook-off with. It has a perfect combination of ingredients and is moderately spicy.
I'm going to spill all the secrets to help you make the best Chili ever!
Here's Why This Recipe Works
- healthy. Made with lean turkey, diced tomatoes, beans, and aromatic spices. This award-winning chili recipe is loaded with protein and fiber;
- hearty. This best Chili is very satisfying and perfect for beating hunger;
- unique. The unusual combination of spices that I put in my award-winning Chili makes it super delicious. I bet you never added cocoa powder to your Chili😁. But trust me, it works and makes this hearty homemade soup grand prize-worthy.
By the way...
Did I say, you can make this Chili in a Crockpot? I made a few minor tweaks to the recipe and prepared it in my favorite Slow Cooker. The same incredible taste and flavor are guaranteed.
Be sure to also check out my BEST Vegan Chili with chickpeas and sweet potatoes. Healthy, easy to kid-approved.
Instructions
This best award-winning Chili is really easy to make. If you want to speed up the cooking process, you can cook everything in one pot. First, brown the turkey and then cook the veggies.
- In a large Dutch Oven heat 2 tablespoon of olive oil. Add onion and sauté on a medium-high heat for 5 minutes.
- In a medium sauté pan heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and add ground turkey thighs and breast.
- Add cooked meat into a pot with an onion and pepper mixture.
- Dilute tomato paste with 1 cup of chicken broth and add into a pot. Add chili powder, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, oregano, cumin, brown sugar, cocoa powder, the remaining chicken broth and ½ teaspoon of salt.
- Add garlic and both types of peppers and cook over medium heat stirring occasionally for 10 minutes.
- Cook, stirring constantly and breaking up the big chunks with a fork until the liquid evaporates and meat is thoroughly cooked and slightly brown, about 7-10 minutes.
- Pour in diced tomatoes and beans.
- Give everything a good stir and bring Chili to a boil. Cover with a lid and reduce the heat to low. If the soup becomes too thick, add ½ cup of chicken broth. Simmer for 1 hour.
- Adjust the seasoning and serve best Award-Winning Chili immediately with shredded Cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream.
📌 Frequently Asked Questions
You can always regulate the amount of Cayenne Pepper that you add into the soup, but I found that 1 ½ teaspoons to be the perfect amount.
If your homemade Chili soup is one the spicy side, simply add a good dollop of sour cream or my favorite Creme Fraiche to cut through the spiciness.
Adding more toppings like cheese, avocado or tomatoes will help too.
Beans with the firmer skin are best. That way they'll retain their shape during prolonged cooking. Opt for Kidney Beans, Cannellini Beans or Black Beans. Avoid butter beans.
The right amount of spices that will highlight the individual ingredients not overpower them is the secret to the best award winning chili.
If your Chili is lacking flavor, bump up the smoked paprika and cumin. In addition, don't forget to add some sugar to cut through the acidity of tomatoes.
🍴Serving Suggestions
Homemade Chili Soup can be served with a variety of toppings. Here are some of my favorite options:
- Shredded Cheese: Sharp Cheddar, Monterey, or Pepper Jack;
- Avocado - simply dice it and sprinkle on top of Chili
- Tortilla Chips (these are great)
- Sour Cream
- Diced Tomatoes;
- Green Olives
- Cilantro - sprinkle some in each bowl
Variations & Substitutions
Every US state has its own variations of the best Chili. Texas Chili doesn't usually have beans or tomatoes and it's called Bowl O'Red.
Cincinnati Chili, on the other hand, can be on the sweeter side and contain spices that you would normally put in soup, like cinnamon, cloves, or all-spice.
Here're some other variations of homemade Chili:
- Meat. Feel free to substitute ground turkey for ground beef, pork, venison, or bison. You can also use a combination of meats and/or Italian sausage. In addition, feel free to use beef broth instead of chicken broth.
- Beans. If you don't have kidney beans and/or white beans, replace them with black beans or navy beans.
- Tomato paste. Tomato sauce can be used instead. 1 ½ c should be enough.
- Bell pepper. Here I used green bell pepper, however, you can use red bell pepper, orange, or a combination of peppers.
⏲ Storage & Reheating
Refrigerator. To ensure optimal freshness, store Chili in an airtight container for 2-3 days in the fridge. When ready to serve, reheat Chili in a microwave or in a saucepan and serve.
Freezing. You can freeze this cook-off-winning Chili for up to 2-3 months. Let it cool to room temperature, place it in the airtight container or freezer bag (I recommend these BPA-free double-zipper bags), and lay it flat in the freezer.
Thawing. To defrost award-winning Chili, simply transfer it to the refrigerator and let it thaw for about 24 hours. Then, squeeze Chili into a saucepan and reheat until it starts to simmer.
🍲 Similar Recipes
If you make this recipe, please leave me a comment below and rate it. I always appreciate the feedback. Also, you can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest.
To get a quick overview of the recipe, please check out my Award Winning Chili recipe web-story.
Recipe
Award Winning Chili Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground turkey thighs
- 1 lb ground turkey breast
- 2 cans (14 oz each can) diced tomatoes
- 1 can (14 oz) kidney beans
- 1 can (14 oz) white beans
- 6 oz tomato paste
- 32 oz chicken broth
- 1 large onion finely minced
- 1 jalapeño pepper chopped
- 1 green bell pepper chopped
- 8 cloves garlic finely minced
- 4 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cups Sharp Cheddar shredded, for serving
- 8 tablespoon sour cream for serving
Instructions
- In a large Dutch Oven heat 2 tablespoon of olive oil. Add onion and sauté on a medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and both types of peppers and cook over medium heat stirring occasionally for 10 minutes.
- In a medium sauté pan heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and add ground turkey thighs and breast. Cook, stirring constantly and breaking up the big chunks with a fork until the liquid evaporates and meat is thoroughly cooked and slightly brown, about 7-10 minutes.
- Add cooked meat into a pot with an onion and pepper mixture.
- Pour in diced tomatoes and beans.
- Dilute tomato paste with 1 cup of chicken broth and add into a pot.
- Add chili powder, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, oregano, cumin, brown sugar, cocoa powder, the remaining chicken broth and ½ teaspoon of salt.
- Give everything a good stir and bring Chili to a boil. Cover with a lid and reduce the heat to low. If the soup becomes too thick, add ½ cup of chicken broth.
- Simmer for 1 hour.
- Adjust the seasoning and serve immediately with shredded Cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
If you don't have a good cast iron Dutch Oven in the kitchen, now is the time! It's one of those kitchen items that will last you a lifetime and is so versatile. From cooking soups, stews, braising meat to frying and baking bread, this Le Creuset Dutch Oven can do it all. I own one and can't recommend it enough!
Danny886 says
Where in the name of God do you find ground turkey thighs?
Iryna says
Danny886, turkey thighs are probably easier to find around Thanksgiving time, but you can substitute with ground chicken thighs.
Lauren says
That seems like an awful lot of calories and fat for a turkey chili. Does that include sour cream and cheese? And what is the serving size that corresponds with the nutrition estimates? Thanks!
Danny says
Where in the world do you find ground chicken thighs?
Jean Jenkins says
Maybe buy boneless chicken thighs and have the butcher grind them.
Barbara Petoskey says
Wonderful flavor! Just the right amount of spice! Added corn and mushrooms! Will definitely be making it again.
Iryna says
Barbara, thank you for your comment and a 5-star rating! I'm happy you enjoyed this recipe! Adding corn and mushrooms sounds like a delicious addition to the soup.