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Award Winning Chili Recipe

Award Winning Chili Recipe

Published: February 4, 2019 Last Updated: April 14, 2021

This post may contain affiliate links.  For more information, read my disclosure policy here.   

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4.7 from 20 votes
This Award Winning Chili recipe is one of the worlds best chili recipes. It's thick, spicy and loaded with hearty goodness.
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
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Chili in a large pot with a wooden spoon

This Award Winning Chili recipe is one of the worlds best chili recipes. It’s thick, spicy and loaded with hearty goodness.

Chili in a large pot with a wooden spoon

If you are looking for a beef chili recipe that will make your taste buds sing, you found it! This chili has everything you’d desire – it is thick, hearty, sweet, smoky and spicy. This quick chili recipe has tons of flavor and lots (and I mean LOTS) of stick-to-your-ribs goodness.

How this Recipe came about

Let me tell you a little bit about how I came up with this Award Winning Chili Recipe. My son races BMX. For those of you that don’t know, that’s bicycle moto-cross. He races his pedal bike around a dirt track with hills, small jumps and turns.
He’s been racing for a little over a year and has gotten pretty good at it. He’s moved up in proficiency from novice to intermediate level and has even earned the #4 spot in the state for his class! (Can you tell I’m a proud mama?)

This Almost Famous Chili is one of the world best chili recipe ever.  It's thick, hearty and loaded with goodness. 

I’ll be you’re wondering what BMX has to do with chili, right? A few weeks ago, our local BMX track hosted their annual Halloween race. It’s a fun time with games, racing and, of course, food.

One of the dads at the track brought a big pot of chili. At one point in the evening there was quite a bit of chatter about how this was one of the best chili recipes ever. I had to agree. It was AMAZING!

I’m no stranger to good chili. I love the stuff and have tasted lots of different chilis. My Turkey Chili and Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili are two of my faves. But, this one was exceptional. There were two types of beans, butternut squash and corn cooked into a sweet and spicy sauce that just made you want more. It was definitely the talk of the evening around the track.

The next day, I started working on coming up with a recipe for this chili based on what I had tasted. It took several attempts but ultimately I came up with a recipe that was pretty close to the world best chili recipe ever.

How to Make this Award Winning Chili Recipe – Step by Step

  • Step One: First in a Dutch oven add beef, onions, bell peppers and garlic. (Photo 1 below)
  • Step Two: Next add the House Blend Seasoning.  (Photo 2 below)
  • Step Three: Then use a ground beef masher to break up the beef. This is one great invention.  (Photo 3 below)
  • Step Four: Brown the meat over medium high heat. Then drain the fat from the pan.  (Photo 4 below)

Step by step photos for how to make award winning chili recipe

  • Step Five: Sprinkle the flour over the beef.  (Photo 5 below)
  • Step Six: Add my homemade Chili Seasoning.  (Photo 6 below)
  • Step Seven: Mix in the brown sugar.  (Photo 7 below)
  • Step Eight: Place the chilis in adobo into the mixture.  (Photo 8 below)

step by step photos for how to make this award winning chili recipe

  • Step Nine: Combine all the ingredients together.  (Photo 9 below)
  • Step Ten: Cook for 2 minutes.  (Photo 10 below)
  • Step Eleven: Next add Crush tomatoes, corn and butternut squash (Corn and butternut squash not shown in pictures).  (Photo 11 below)
  • Step Twelve: Lastly, add your beans and combine. Cook for 30 minutes and serve.  (Photo 12 below)

step by step photos for how to make award winning chili recipe

Can you make this quick chili recipe in a slow cooker?

This chili can definitely be made in a slow cooker. I love using mine for these types of recipes. In addition, you can try making one of my other favorite chilis. My White Bean Chicken Chili.

Is this a spicy chili recipe?

You can easily cut down the spiciness by decreasing the amount of chili in adobo. Likewise, if you like it spicier, add a few more or adding crushed red pepper flakes or other hot sauce. This Best Chili recipe is so delicious because you can adapt it anyway you like. For example, I sometimes don’t use the squash or corn, my mom uses potatoes instead.

Expert Tips for Making the Best Beef Chili Recipe

  • Use some Amazing Toppings. For Instance, top your Chili with your favorite Mexican Blend Cheese, Sour Cream and Green Onions
  • Instead of a regular bowl, serve the Chili in Bread Bowls to make a delicious meal.
  • Use the Chili over Baked Potatoes and then use Melted Cheese.
  • This Spicy Chili Recipe Freezes great too!

Shop This Recipe

  • Dutch Oven
  • Ground Beef Masher
  • Ground Beef Drainer

More Recipes You Might Like

  • Slow Cooker Taco Chili
  • Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
  • Easy Turkey Chili

Looking for more?  Check out all of the quick easy recipes for dinner on It Is a Keeper.

⭐  Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below! ⭐ 

Chili in a large pot with a wooden spoon

Award Winning Chili Recipe

4.7 from 20 votes
This Award Winning Chili recipe is one of the worlds best chili recipes. It's thick, spicy and loaded with hearty goodness.
Print Pin Rate
Prevent your screen from going dark while you're cooking
Servings: 8 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
  • 1 sweet onion diced
  • 1 bell pepper diced
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 teaspoons House Seasoning blend
  • 3 tablespoons Chili Seasoning Mix
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons chili in adobo
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1 29 oz can crushed tomatoes
  • 2 cups butternut squash diced
  • 1 15.5 oz can kidney beans
  • 1 15.5 oz can black beans
  • 1 15.25 oz can corn

Instructions

  • In a large pot, add ground beef, onion, bell pepper, garlic and House Seasoning blend and cook over medium high heat until meat is no longer pink.
  • Drain excess fat from meat.
  • Stir chili seasoning mix, brown sugar, chili in adobo and flour into meat mixture; Cook for 2 minutes.
  • Add crushed tomatoes, squash, kidney beans, black beans and corn; Stir until combined.
  • Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook for 30 minutes or until squash is fork-tender.
  • Serve with your favorite chili toppings.

Video

Expert Tips

  • Use some Amazing Toppings. For Instance, top your Chili with your favorite Mexican Blend Cheese, Sour Cream and Green Onions
  • Instead of a regular bowl, serve the Chili in Bread Bowls to make a delicious meal.
  • Use the Chili over Baked Potatoes and then use Melted Cheese.
  • This Spicy Chili Recipe Freezes great too!

Estimated Nutritional Information

Calories: 589kcal | Carbohydrates: 84g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 60mg | Sodium: 1190mg | Potassium: 831mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 55g | Vitamin A: 5540IU | Vitamin C: 30.9mg | Calcium: 89mg | Iron: 4.6mg

The nutritional information provided are estimates. To learn more about how I calculate this information go to www.itisakeeper.com/about-its-a-keeper/privacy-disclosure-policies/

PIN THIS RECIPE FOR LATER!Follow Me: @ItsAKeeperBlog or tag #itisakeeper

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Comments

  1. John Souter says

    January 19, 2020 at 1:23 pm

    Love this recipe!!!! I add a bottle of SBC Toboggan beer at the end, which adds another layer of flavor.

    Reply
    • Christina Hitchcock says

      January 20, 2020 at 11:36 am

      Great idea!! thanks for sharing!

      Reply
  2. Lisa says

    December 3, 2019 at 4:46 pm

    Do you drain the beans and corn?

    Reply
    • Christina Hitchcock says

      December 5, 2019 at 11:14 am

      Yes, you do.

      Reply
  3. Sandy says

    January 1, 2018 at 9:31 am

    I can’t get enough of the smokey adobo sauce! Delicious!

    Reply
    • Christina Hitchcock says

      January 8, 2018 at 4:49 pm

      Thanks! That’s one of my favorite parts too!

      Reply
  4. Denay DeGuzman says

    December 30, 2017 at 2:22 pm

    As soon as I saw the colorful tortilla strips and generous dollop of sour cream, I just knew I had to make this recipe. So today I wanted to drop by to tell you how scrumptious it was. It’s loaded up with all the flavors I love!

    Reply
  5. Sandra says

    November 18, 2017 at 3:12 pm

    The butternut squash is genius! I never thought about adding it before. Great way to sneak veggies in on my kids. Shhhh…. don’t tell them. 🙂 The hint of smoke-y flavor from the adobo is really nice.

    Reply
    • Christina Hitchcock says

      November 24, 2017 at 8:20 pm

      I think the adobo is what makes it!

      Reply
  6. vicki finn says

    November 18, 2017 at 11:23 am

    Oooh – I love this recipe! I have never added butternut squash to my chili – what a great idea!

    Reply
    • Christina Hitchcock says

      November 24, 2017 at 8:21 pm

      Thanks! I love to sneak in veggies when I can!

      Reply
  7. Corinne says

    November 18, 2017 at 11:03 am

    The recipe I used for chili before this was really close, but the adobo and corn in this one definitely make a big difference. Love this chili!

    Reply
  8. Denay DeGuzman says

    November 18, 2017 at 12:28 am

    Oh my gosh – this chili recipe was so delicious! As soon as I saw the gorgeous image and ingredients I pinned it to Pinterest. This warm yummy recipe made a cold fall night cozy and comfy.

    Reply
  9. Cerys says

    November 17, 2017 at 8:57 am

    The butternut squash added a little extra warmth and made it even more filling. Perfect recipe for fall.

    Reply
  10. Jill Robbins says

    November 15, 2017 at 10:02 pm

    I love the addition of corn and butternut squash. Such a unique and flavorful chili recipe!

    Reply

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