Easy Homemade Chili Recipe
Published September 23, 2019. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Learn how to make this easy homemade chili recipe with flank steak that is perfect for this cool fall and winter months!

Homemade chili is an integral part of tailgating and is a must on every game day, and for those cool crisp nights and weekends. This features finely chopped flank steak and is finished off with a bit off cinnamon and chocolate.
Don’t let that freak you out, I promise this is delicious. Of course, what would a good chili recipe be without a little spice and all the Fixin’s added on top? We are a condiment family, so you better believe we are piling on the sour cream, cheese, avocado, and green onions.
This recipe is delicious, hearty and packed with meat, vegetables, and beans with a really unique flavor.
Chili Ingredients
There are several ingredients you can add to this depending on what you like. Here are some of my favorites:
- Onions – red, yellow or white, or all of them together
- Garlic
- Bell Peppers – red, yellow or green or all of them together
- Jalapeños, serrano, Fresno or poblano peppers, or all of them together (Use dependent upon your tolerance for spice)
- Beef – flank steak, skirt steak, brisket, top round or sirloin
- Beans – dark or light kidney beans, pinto beans, chickpeas, you can get creative outside of just kidney beans.

- Tomatoes – canned diced, petite diced, whole peeled, or use all of them together
- Chili powder
- Cumin
- Tomato paste – you may need this as a thickener at the end when your soup is done cooking
- Salt and Pepper – seems simple but goes a long way to enhancing the flavor of your homemade chili.
Other ingredients could include corn, zucchini, squash, carrots or celery.
What Is the Best Secret Ingredient to Use in Chili
I’m not sure there is a perfect secret ingredient, but following simple techniques and guidelines will always render a really delicious homemade chili.
Ensure you are caramelizing the onions and garlic to give off an umami flavor with a hint of sweetness.
Use quality ingredients in your chili, don’t dump everything from a frozen bag or can into it. Use as many fresh ingredients as possible.
Time! The longer your chili will simmer over low heat, the more time the ingredients can infuse flavors and the meat can break down to be tender. This is hands down the secret for the best chili.
With all this being said I do have 2 secret ingredients which I finish mine off with and that is a hint of cinnamon and dark chocolate when the homemade chili is finished cooking. It just adds a really cool flavor to it making it absolutely delicious.
How Long Do You Cook It For
Chili, just like all soups, is usually better the next day. Since there are so many complex flavors in it from caramelized onions to beef, to peppers, to the spices, they need time to infuse and that can only happen with time.
You can be finished with it in 45 minutes but to me, it needs to simmer over low heat for at least 4 hours for you to get any sort of meaningful flavor from it.
How Do You Make Chili More Flavorful
Salt and pepper can go along way to making your soup more flavorful. A few other ingredients to help take it up a notch are Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco sauce.
I was always taught to finish all of my soups off with those 2 ingredients and it always just takes everything up a notch in the flavor department, plus everyone has these t things already in their refrigerator.
How to Make Homemade Chili
I wanted to share a few tricks I’ve learned over the years to help take your recipe to the next level so you can show it off to your friends and family.
1. Brown the meat very well in some oil or butter before setting it aside and cooking your veggies.
2. Add the onions and take the time to caramelize them before adding anything else. The onion should be golden brown and will take about 30 minutes.
3. Use different spicy peppers, I used poblano, jalapeño, and chipotle peppers and add them to the onions and cook for a few minutes to incorporate into the onions.
4. Add the cooked flank steak back into the pot.

5. Add in the tomatoes, beans, chili powder cumin, and paprika.
6. Take the time to simmer it, remember chili tastes better the longer it cooks.
7. Season with salt and pepper, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, and tomato paste if it needs to be thickened.
8. Finish off your chili with a tad bit of ground cinnamon and a little amount of dark chocolate to help take this thing to the next level.
Chili Toppings
There are several things to add to the top of it to enhance the flavors are here is a list of my favorites:
- Shredded cheddar or Colby jack cheese
- Diced yellow onions
- Sliced green onions
- Sliced fresh or pickled jalapeños
- Sour cream
- Avocado
Reheat and Storage
How to Reheat: To reheat it simply add your desired portion to a small saucepot and heat over low heat until hot. You can also simply add your desired portion to a microwave-safe bowl and heat for 2:30 stirring after 1:15.
Storing and Freezing: It will hold well in the refrigerator covered up for up to 5 days. It will also freeze well covered for up to 3 months. Simply pull it out as you need it and reheat following the directions above.
chef notes + tips
- If you ensure to follow all these steps I can guarantee you that you are going to have 1 dang good homemade chili that is easy to make and beyond delicious.
- Be sure to scale it to fit your needs and try serving it up with some polenta, you won’t regret it.

More Great Soup Recipes
If you are loving this recipe then learn how to make these recipes.
- White Chicken Chili Recipe.
- Lentil and Sweet Potato Chili
- Brisket Chili Recipe
- Italian Minestrone Soup Recipe
Be sure to follow me on Facebook, Youtube, Instagram, and Pinterest and if you’ve had a chance to make this then definitely drop me a comment and a rating below!
Easy Homemade Chili Recipe

Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 2 pounds of finely minced flank steak
- 5 finely minced cloves of garlic
- 2 peeled and small diced yellow onions
- 2 seeded and small diced red bell peppers
- 2 seed and small diced poblano peppers
- 1 seeded and small diced jalapeño pepper
- 1 finely minced chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
- 3 28- ounce cans of Hunt’s Diced Tomatoes
- 6 15- ounce cans of BUSH’S Pinto and Kidney Chili Beans
- 1 8- ounce can of tomato paste
- 1/3 cup of chili powder
- 1/4 cup of cumin
- 3 tablespoons of paprika
- Lea & Perrins to taste
- Tabasco to taste
- ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- 2 ounces of dark semi-sweet chocolate
- sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large hot pot on high heat with olive oil add in the minced flank steak and cook until browned and cooked through.
- Once browned, set aside and then add in the onions, peppers (minus the chipotles) and garlic and caramelize. Once brown add in the meat.
- Next add in the chipotle peppers, tomatoes, and beans and bring to a boil.
- If the chili is too thick and a few cups of beef stock or water, or if it is too thin add in the tomato paste and stir.
- Add in all seasonings, except for the cinnamon and chocolate and simmer on low heat for 1 hour.
- Before serving, stir in the cinnamon and chocolate until combined.
- Serve with sour cream, sliced jalapeños, diced avocado, shredded cheddar, and sliced green onions.
Notes
- How to Reheat: To reheat it simply add your desired portion to a small saucepot and heat over low heat until hot. You can also simply add your desired portion to a microwave-safe bowl and heat for 2:30 stirring after 1:15.
- Storing and Freezing: It will hold well in the refrigerator covered up for up to 5 days. It will also freeze well covered for up to 3 months. Simply pull it out as you need it and reheat following the directions above.
- If you ensure to follow all these steps I can guarantee you that you are going to have 1 dang good homemade chili that is easy to make and beyond delicious.
- Be sure to scale it to fit your needs and try serving it up with some polenta, you won’t regret it.
When carmelizing the onions and garlic, do you leave the lid on?? Someone please answer.
It doesn’t matter if it’s on or off
This took my Chili to the next level. I was a bit sceptical about chocolate but wow, this was amazing. Thank you Chief Billy, this will be a regular recipe from now on.
Hands down best Chili. And so easy to make. Its my family’s new favorite Chili recipe. And by new I mean we have made it already 20+ times! Thanks Chef!
thanks for making it.
This got 2 thumbs up from both my 70 year husband and my 7 year old granddaughter! It’s a keeper!
Awesome!
Phenomenal recipe. My new go to chili recipe. . Thank you so much
I’m a foodie from way back. In restaurants at the age of 12 – WOW that’s 50 years – Directed and managed restaurants for 32 years now retired and so enjoying your approach- to scratch homemade cooking. Still learning after all these years. I APPRECIATE YOU !!!
Chef, can you post a video on this so we can see what finally minced flank steak looks like
It should look pretty similar to ground beef.
Thank you chef. Making it today with your polenta recipe. It is a first for both. Used your smoke chicken recipe earlier this week and made chicken pot pie with the leftovers using your pie crust recipe. Excellent result and use of leftovers
Hi Chef, This is an amazing recipe..bold flavours!! I made it for game night last night and it scored major points! it will be my new go to recipe. Thanks so much for all your videos and recipes.
Chris
Love making chili! Such a comforting and easy dinner idea.
This chili has so much flavor! I love all your ingredients.
This chili was so full of hearty flavor – our new gameday favorite !!
Homemade chili for the win! so dang good
You’ve got some really interesting and different ingredients in here! I love the flank steak! It’s got such a different texture and flavor from ground beef! The chocolate…reminds me of mole! I love it! Great recipe!
O Chef so can’t wait to make!!! Thanks for sharing & I’m mixing up the beans which I know is okay!!!! a 3 some …. red kidney beans/pinto beans & black beans!
This is a huge pot of chili! The recipe reads perfectly, and I can’t wait to try it.
Lol sorry I meant to say beans
red kidney beans 🙂
I used abuelitas Mexican chocolate which Congress with cinnamon already in it. I also made my kitten brand with beef sock Absolutely amazing.
Thanks a bunch
Hey chef there are bands in this right? If so what ?
Do the caramelized onions make this to sweet?
not at all. Just adds that extra love!