Chilis Original Chili Recipe from CopyKat.com (2024)

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by Stephanie Manley, Last Updated 67 Comments

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Did you know Chili’s chili recipe was the foundation for this famous restaurant chain a time ago? Their recipe changed, but this was the recipe they used to pass out as their original recipe.

Chilis Original Chili Recipe from CopyKat.com (1)

Table of Contents

Chili’s Chili

I was recently researching recipes for my column at Parade Community Table, when I came across for a couple of blog posts about someone who loved Chili’s original chili, and he was upset that they changed their recipe.

I know that Chili’s used to make most everything in the restaurant, and now it is made in a central location and sent out to restaurants. Yes, they still cook some things there like hamburgers, steaks, and other items. Many restaurants follow this practice, so you always get food that is consistent across their restaurants.

I remember going to Chili’s many years ago and getting a hearty thick bowl of chili that tastes amazing. I don’t go there as much any longer, but I know that while I loved their endless soup and salad lunch combo, it wasn’t quite the same as it used to be. Drewcipher knew why and received a copy of their old recipe.

For my fellow Texans’, you will love this chili, it has no beans. Chili’s chili is a thick, rich chili that is very hearty. If you wanted to thin this chili out, I would add more water. This chili may be too thick and too spicy for some. I think it is perfect, and wouldn’t touch a thing.

Chilis Original Chili Recipe from CopyKat.com (2)

I love that this recipe has you cook the onions in a different pan than the chili. I think this adds a nice layer of flavor to the onions. It also keeps their texture much more defined. I am a fan of cooking the onions separately, and I will do this going forward now.

Now this recipe isn’t to copycat their current version, but an older one. And one that I think is much more flavorful than their current version. I hope you enjoy it.

Ingredients

Here’s a list of what you need:

  • Chili powder
  • Salt
  • Ground cumin
  • Paprika
  • Ground black pepper
  • Garlic powder
  • Cayenne pepper
  • Ground chuck
  • Water
  • Tomato sauce
  • Yellow onions
  • Cooking oil
  • Masa harina
Chilis Original Chili Recipe from CopyKat.com (3)

How to Make Chili’s Chili

  1. In a small bowl, combine chili powder, salt, cumin, paprika, pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper.
  2. Heat a 6-quart stockpot over medium heat.
  3. Place ground beef into the stockpot and cook until the meat is browned. Drain if desired.
  4. While the meat is browning, combine chili spice mix, water, and tomato sauce in a bowl. Stir until well blended.
  5. Add chili seasoning liquid to the browned meat. Stir well and bring to a boil.
  6. Sauté onions in cooking oil over medium heat in a skillet until the onions are translucent.
  7. Add the onions to the chili.
  8. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for one hour stirring every 15 minutes.
  9. In a separate bowl, mix water with masa harina.
  10. Add the masa harina mixture to the chili stockpot and cook for an additional 10 minutes.
Chilis Original Chili Recipe from CopyKat.com (4)

Do you love Chili’s food and drinks? Check out my copycat recipes!

  • Prezidente Margarita – The perfect co*cktail to get your weekend going.
  • Chili’s Southwestern Egg Rolls – Great for game day.
  • Chili’s Awesome Blossom Petals – Crispy appetizer for any party.
  • Chili’s Salsa – Seriously good and incredibly delicious.
  • Chili’s Black Beans – A great way to make black beans.
  • Chili’s Queso Dip – Perfect for tailgating
  • Southwest Soup – Deeply flavored Tex-Mex chicken soup.
  • Chili’s Chicken Crispers – Crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside.
  • Chili’s Monterey Chicken – This is a great way to update your ordinary chicken breast.
  • Chili’s Margarita Grilled Chicken – Have some margarita mix? Try this on chicken

Popular Chili Recipes

  • Wendy’s Chili – Made with beans and tomato sauce.
  • Two Alarm Chili – Copycat of the Wick Fowler mix.
  • Chili Verde – Deeply flavored Mexican pork, tomatillo, and roasted pepper chili.

Be sure to check out more of my easy chili recipes and the best Chili’s copycat recipes.

Chilis Original Chili Recipe

Here is the chili recipe that Chilis started serving in their restaurants. This is the no bean chili recipe that put them on the map.

4.97 from 27 votes

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Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Chilis Recipes, Keto, Low Carb

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 8

Calories: 626kcal

Ingredients

Chili Spice Blend

  • 1/2 cup chili powder
  • 1/8 cup salt you can use less if desired
  • 1/8 cup ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper add more if desired

Chili ingredients

  • 4 pounds ground chuck – ground for chili
  • 3 1/4 cups water
  • 16 ounces tomato sauce
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions
  • 1 tablespoon cooking oil
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon masa harina

Instructions

  • In a small bowl combine the chili spice ingredients, mix thoroughly. Heat

  • a 6-quart stock pot over medium heat. Place meat into the stock pot and cook until the meat is browned. Drain if desired. While meat is browning combine chili spice mix, 3 1/4 cups of water, and tomato sauce in the bowl. Stir until well blended.

  • Add chili seasoning liquid to the browned meat. Stir well, and bring to a boil. Saute onions in 1 tablespoon of cooking oil over medium heat in a skillet until the onions are translucent. Add the onions to the chili. Reduce the chili to low and simmer for one hour stirring every 15 minutes. In a separate bowl, mix 1 cup water with masa harina. Mix well. Add to chili stock pot, and cook for an additional 10 minutes.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 626kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 47g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 161mg | Sodium: 2226mg | Potassium: 873mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 780IU | Vitamin C: 6.4mg | Calcium: 62mg | Iron: 5.3mg

About Stephanie Manley

I recreate your favorite restaurant recipes, so you can prepare these dishes at home. I help you cook dinner, and serve up dishes you know your family will love. You can find most of the ingredients for all of the recipes in your local grocery store.

Stephanie is the author of CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home, and CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home 2.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Phil Ruffin

    Chilis Original Chili Recipe from CopyKat.com (6)
    Maybe I’m the only jerk who loves the current recipe Chili’s uses. Do you have that recipe?

    Reply

    • Stephanie Manley

      I do not have this recipe, I appreciate your suggestion.

      Reply

  2. Greg Zoller

    Chilis Original Chili Recipe from CopyKat.com (7)
    This was spot on the flavor of Chili’s chili. I didn’t want to risk this not working, so I halved everything. That was a mistake. Next time I will do the full 4 lbs of meat. Delicious.

    • Gregory S Zoller

      Chilis Original Chili Recipe from CopyKat.com (8)
      You have created a monster.

      Reply

  3. Barbara Carson

    I make this for my DIL who has celiac and I use refried beans to thicken it – works great!
    .

    Reply

  4. Tim

    Chilis Original Chili Recipe from CopyKat.com (9)
    This recipe is the exact replica of what I used to eat with my dad back in the day after Soccer Practice. Gonna figure out the thickness next time, substituted corn starch for mass harina, was a little thin. Try this!

    Reply

  5. Chris

    This looks like a pretty much standard chili recipe. I’d like to know how it changed, because I had chili just the other day because the calorie count seemed manageable compared to some of their other menu items.
    The chili tasted just terrible. There was an overpowering taste that was just too much. It wasn’t all that spicy.. but man. What have they done??

    Reply

    • Stephanie Manley

      They now cook their soups in a large industrial kitchen, and then the restaurant warms the soup there. My personal opinion is that you likely had cooks fine-tuning the chili when it is made in the restaurant, that doesn’t happen now.

      Reply

  6. Richard

    Do you know how close it is to the chili from Carroll Shelby Texas Chili Mix that comes pre-mixed? (Not the current one, but the one that came in the little brown bags?)
    I didn’t know about the connection between him and Chili’s, so I’m wondering if the recipe was borrowed from him as well.

    Reply

    • Stephanie

      I am sorry I never had that chili mix before.

      Reply

    • Desiree

      I’ve had the brown box and I think it tastes similar.

      Reply

  7. David Nordling

    Chilis Original Chili Recipe from CopyKat.com (10)
    Love this Chilis Original Chili Recipe!

    Thanks for making it available !

    David

    Reply

  8. Jack

    Thanks for posting this. I used to go to the original (and only one at the time) Chili’s on Greenville Ave. in Dallas. They served chili, Tacos and burgers and not much else and it was fantastic.
    So once again thanks for the recipe.

    Reply

  9. E

    You probably want to leave out the masa harina if you’re trying to stick to a Keto diet.

    Reply

  10. Ceil

    Can fine cornmeal be used in place of the Masa Harina?? that only comes in 5 pound bags, no use for it unless I make tamales~

    Reply

    • Stephanie

      It won’t work quite the same way. I would just omit it, and know the texture will be very light, and not thick.

      Reply

    • Jmc

      Just crush up a big handful of tortilla chips or chop up some corn tortillas. They will dissolve into the chili.

      Reply

    • Jack

      If you want to thicken the chili and you don’t have any masa just mix a heaping tablespoon of corn starch with a 1/4 cup of cold water and add it instead. Works like a charm.

      Reply

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Chilis Original Chili Recipe from CopyKat.com (2024)

FAQs

What kind of chili do chili's use? ›

The chili served at Chili's is a Texas-style con carne recipe, which traditionally means no beans and no tomato. You won't find any beans in this recipe or chunks of tomato, but their chili does have a tomato base to boost flavor, so I'm adding that into the mix by including one 6-ounce can of tomato paste.

What was in the original chili? ›

Everette Lee DeGolyer, oil millionaire and occasional chili scholar, believed that the first chili was an early 19th-century form of trail food: dried beef, fat, and chile peppers pounded together and shaped into packable chili bricks that could be reconstituted in boiling water over a campfire.

Does chili's chili have onions? ›

Our original recipe with beef, onions & signature blend of spices.

Does original chili have tomatoes? ›

What primarily distinguishes Texas chili from other chili recipes you might find is a lack of beans, but it also doesn't feature any tomatoes. It is, largely, a ground beef dish that's seasoned with a spicy chili paste made of dried peppers.

What's the difference between Texas chili and Chile Colorado chili? ›

And while Texas chili is usually all beef, people often cook their chile colorado with pork instead.

What type of onion is best for chili? ›

Sweet onions are great for caramelizing due to their higher sugar content. You can cook them into your chili, serve them raw over top, or even elevate your chili with a sophisticated caramelized onion topping! Some of my favorite sweet onions are Walla, Walla, Maui, and Vidalia Onions.

Does original chili not have beans in it? ›

The ICS defines Traditional Red Chili as "any kind of meat, or combination of meats, cooked with red chili peppers, various spices, and other ingredients. Beans and non-vegetable fillers such as rice and pasta are not allowed."

What state is famous for chili? ›

“Despite being the official dish of Texas, chili has grown to become America's dish,” said Doug Koegeboehn, chief marketing officer for Wienerschnitzel.

What is chili's secret sauce? ›

You can make my Chili's Secret Sauce recipe revealed here in just a couple of minutes with a simple combination of mayonnaise, ketchup, barbecue sauce, honey, and mustard, plus a little turmeric to add a golden tint.

What beans are best in chili? ›

The best beans for chili are pinto, kidney, and black beans, like in this easy and tasty recipe. This 3-bean chili freezes great for meals later in the week. If you prefer thinner chili, add an extra can of tomato sauce. The green chiles are not hot and add a wonderful flavor, so don't be afraid to use them.

Is Wendy's chili made from leftovers? ›

He even asked himself, “what do you do with the leftover hamburger?” The answer was simple: combine the beef we use for our hamburgers with a hearty helping of vegetables, chili beans and a dash of spice. Creating the perfect chili recipe wasn't easy, but Dave knew it would be worth it.

Why do Texans not put beans in chili? ›

If you go pretty much anywhere in Texas you will find chili ingredients simple and rarely differing: meat, sauce, peppers and spices. Carol Hanco*ck, President and CEO of the International Chili Society, told Texas Living there is a specific reason why Texas chili contains no beans: it's tradition.

How do Texans eat chili? ›

I use tortillas or biscuits. One of my daughters prefers cornbread.” “The official dish of the State of Texas: a bowl of red has no beans. Whatever you want to go with it—tortillas, cornbread, crackers.

What kind of chili's are in chili powder? ›

Varieties of chili peppers used to make chili powder include Aleppo, ancho, cayenne, chipotle, chile de árbol, jalapeño, New Mexico, pasilla, and piri piri chili peppers.

How to roast chilis for chili? ›

Oven broiler: Place the chiles on a foil-lined roasting pan and put them a few inches under a pre-heated broiler in the oven for about 10 to 15 minutes, checking them and turning them every few minutes until all sides are blackened.

What are the best chilis for chili paste? ›

They include costeño, New Mexico (a.k.a. dried Anaheim, California, or Colorado), and choricero chiles. Hot: An overwhelming heat. The best, like pequín chiles, also have some complexity, while others, like árbol, deliver more heat than anything else.

What chilis do Mexicans use? ›

Jalapeño, Serrano, Poblano, Chipotle, Habanero, and a whole host more are popular in both their fresh and cooked forms in a large variety of Mexican dishes. Each chile serves its purpose and adds flavor and spice to the food providing different heat levels.

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