Southern Chili Recipe

Ask five Southerners what chili should be, and you’ll get five different answers. My mama always made hers with beans, tomatoes, a lot of spices, and a side of cornbread. Just classic vibes. You will enjoy a bowl of this simple recipe whenever you want something a bit cozy. I just know y’all are gonna love it!

Southern Chili Ingredients

• Ground meat: You can use ground beef, ground chicken, or ground turkey to make your chili. You can even mix them up for extra flavor.
• Aromatics and Veggies: Onion, bell pepper, jalapeno pepper, and garlic. Try poblano for a smokier heat or green chilies for something milder.
• Tomatoes: I use diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, and tomato paste. If you don’t have crushed tomatoes, use tomato sauce instead.
• Beans: I stick with the traditional red kidney beans to make the best chili ever! But black beans, pinto beans, or even white beans work too. Also if you don’t want them, you can leave them out and add another half pound of ground meat.
• Stock: You can use either beef or chicken.
• Worcestershire sauce and Steak Sauce: If you don’t know which steak sauce to use, go for A.1.
• Chili powder: Add as much or as little as you like. For more heat, add more jalapeños, extra red pepper flakes, or a little hot sauce.
• Spices: Onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and cumin are perfect in this.
• Brown sugar: You can also use honey or maple syrup. It balances the heat.
• Allspice: You can leave it out if you don’t like it or use a tiny pinch of cinnamon.
• Red pepper flakes: Use more if you like it fiery, less if you don’t.

PRO TIP: Use this recipe as a jumping-off point to find your perfect chili. Get creative boos, and don’t be afraid to think outside of the box. I’d love to hear about any changes you’ve made in the comments! 

How to make Southern Chili

Step 1: Cook the Meat with the Veggies

1

Cook the meat with a bit of olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Season it with salt and pepper to taste and cook until it’s browned.

2

Add the onions, peppers, and jalapenos and saute until they’re tender. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.

Step 2: Add the Rest of Ingredients and Cook ‘Em Up!

3

Add the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and kidney beans to the pot.

4

Add the stock, Worcestershire, steak sauce, chili powder, onion powder, brown sugar, garlic powder, smoked paprika, cumin, allspice, and red pepper flakes and stir together. Add salt and pepper to taste.

5

Heat the chili to a slight boil and then reduce the heat and continue to simmer uncovered.

Classic Southern Chili Recipe

This chili recipe is made with Southern flare and slow-cooked in a Dutch oven until just right! Its loaded with meat, peppers, beans, and spices to keep you warm all winter.

4.92 from 57 votes

Print Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

0 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

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Author: Jocelyn Delk Adams

Course: Soup

Servings: 8 servings

Equipment

• Dutch Oven

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 tbsp olive oil
• ▢ 1 lb ground beef or ground chicken or ground turkey
• ▢ salt and pepper to taste
• ▢ ½ onion finely diced
• ▢ ½ bell pepper finely diced
• ▢ 1 tsp jalepeno finely diced (can go up to 2 tsps)
• ▢ 2 tsp minced garlic
• ▢ 15 oz crushed tomatoes 1 can
• ▢ 1 cup diced tomatoes
• ▢ 1 tbsp tomato paste
• ▢ 15.5 oz red kidney beans drained (1 can)
• ▢ 1 cup beef stock or chicken
• ▢ 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• ▢ 1 tbsp steak sauce
• ▢ 2 tbsp chili powder can go up to 2 1/2 tbsp
• ▢ 2 tsp onion powder
• ▢ 1 tsp brown sugar
• ▢ 1 ½ tsp garlic powder
• ▢ ½ tsp smoked paprika
• ▢ ½ tsp cumin can go up to 1 tsp
• ▢ ¼ tsp allspice
• ▢ ¼ tsp red pepper flakes can go up to 1/2 tsp

Instructions

• Add olive oil to a large dutch oven.  Add meat and season with salt and pepper to taste and brown.
• Next add onions, peppers and jalapenos and saute until tender.
• Add garlic and stir in and cook for up to 1 minute.
• Next add crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, kidney beans, and stock and stir together to combine.
• Stir in worcestershire, steak sauce, chili powder, onion powder, brown sugar, garlic powder, smoked paprika, cumin, allspice and red pepper flakes then add salt and pepper to taste.
• Bring to a slight boil then reduce heat and continue to simmer uncovered for about 15-25 minutes tasting as you go along (closer to 15 min if you want more liquid and closer to 25 and up to 30 minutes if you want a thicker chili).
• Taste, adjust seasonings to final tastes and serve.

Notes

Taste as you go. Once you add too much of something, there’s no taking it back. Adjust seasonings little by little.

Always try to for the good stock. Using homemade or high-quality store-bought stock makes a big difference in flavor. WAY better than just water.

Make this chili yours boos! Cook it to your preferred consistency. For a soupier chili, simmer for about 15 minutes. Want it thick? Let it go for 25-30 minutes.

Also, don’t over-stir it. Let your chili simmer and do its thing y’all. Stirring too much can break down the beans and make it mushy.

How to Store & Reheat Chili

Let it cool to room temp, then store it in an airtight container in the fridge. Keep it sealed up tight, boos!

To reheat, scoop out what you need and warm it up on the stove over low heat, stirring occasionally until heated through. If it’s too thick, add a splash of stock or water.

How long will chili last in the fridge?

This chili will have y’all eating good for 4-5 days.

Can I freeze this chili recipe?

Fo sho boos! Portion it into freezer-safe bags or containers, and it’ll keep for up to 4-6 months. When you’re ready to dig in, let it thaw in the fridge overnight, then reheat and enjoy.

Nutrition

Calories: 256kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 39mg | Sodium: 281mg | Potassium: 788mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1102IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 72mg | Iron: 5mg

Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @GrandbabyCakes or tag #grandbabycakes!

Recipe Tips

• Taste as you go. Once you add too much seasoning, there’s no taking it back. Adjust seasonings little by little.
• Go for the good stock. Using homemade or high-quality store-bought stock makes a big difference in flavor. WAY better than just water.
• Cook to your preferred consistency. For a soupier chili, simmer for about 15 minutes. Want it thick? Let it go for 25-30 minutes.
• Don’t over-stir. Let your chili simmer and do its thing y’all. Stirring too much can break down the beans and make it mushy.

Recipe Variations and Additions

• Make a vegan chili. Use vegetable stock rather than a meat-based stock. Replace the meat with a root vegetable like sweet potatoes or double up on the beans and use several different types of them. There are even a few plant-based alternative “ground meat” like tofu options that you can use in place of the meat.
• Add veggies. You can easily add some diced zucchini, yellow squash, grated cauliflower, or chopped mushrooms.

Recipe Help

More One Pot Recipes

• Spanish Chicken and Rice
• Homemade Hamburger Helper
• Brisket Chili
• Frogmore Stew
• Cajun Jambalaya Pasta
• Lemon Chicken and Rice Casserole
• Taco Soup Recipe
• Sheet Pan Chili (not a pot but one vessel so it still kinda counts)

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