Before ever trying Cincinnati style chili, I knew I'd love it. Tons of noodles, melt in your mouth ground beef, and copious amounts of bright orange extra sharp cheddar cheese. Oyster crackers are optional, yet essential in order to soak up that little pool of ethereal grease floating on top.
The first time I had it wasn't in Cincinnati, but in my hometown of Milwaukee at Real Chili. It was not a good experience. Although they don't boast their recipe as being 'Cincinnati' style, that is basically what it is. I went there with my husband while I was pregnant, and needless to say I was very excited about what I was about to experience. When I witnessed the server pull up a heaping ladle of the stuff, without mixing in the grease slick on top, I knew I was in for trouble. My bowl consisted of noodles literally drowning in grease, with a bit of chili on the side. Not so good, and the little person that I was sharing my meal with had quite the acrobatic show to let me know that she wasn't having it. If only she had stirred the pot before filling my bowl! It would've been such a more enjoyable experience. I knew that despite the extremely off ratio of chili to grease, the chili was really good. Yet I needed a good home experience before I'd venture out for this kind of chili again.
So began my mission to find an easy yet authentic and genuinely good version of this chili with so much potential. I found a great one by Dax Phillips that I've slightly adapted, and it's truly dynamite. I serve it up a bit differently than true Cincinnati style that offers up to '5 Ways' to adorn the chili. Noodles are a given - I used orzo tossed with a touch of butter and a bit of freshly ground nutmeg that pairs amazingly well with the chili. And since I adore beans, I put them in the chili instead of on the side... and I may be insulting some people here, but black beans made their way in with the kidney beans. Although there wasn't much grease left for the oyster crackers to soak up due to the brilliant method of cooking the beef before adding the spices and other ingredients, they were a welcome addition. I've got a couple ways to enjoy the large amount you'll probably have leftover that I usually did with my Turkey and Soy-Rizo chili, such as Cheesy Chili Mac, which is always a huge hit in our house.
INGREDIENTS
3 lbs ground beef, up to 90% lean
7 cups water
2 bay leaves
5 Tbsp chili powder
3 Tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp allspice
3 tsp adobo or 5 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp pepper
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp cumin
1 Tbsp smoked paprika
3 Tbsp cider vinegar
3 Tbsp Worcestershire
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 28 oz can + 14 oz can salt free diced tomatoes OR
8 large tomatoes, peeled and diced
cooked orzo pasta for serving, with lots of grated extra sharp cheddar and toppings of your choice
Set a large dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot over medium heat and add the ground beef and water. Bring to a steady near boil and cook till nearly all the water is gone, about 45 minutes to an hour. While your beef is cooking, skim the fat and 'scum' off the top and discard. You may find it hard to believe at first, but your beef will end up looking like this at the end of the process-
Add the remaining ingredients all at once(!), except for the beans, noodles and toppings, of course. Give it a good stir and bring to a gentle simmer.
After the chili has cooked for a bit, it should look a bit like this-
Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 2.5 hours, stirring occasionally. Add the beans and cook for another 30 minutes, uncovered. Once the chili is done, the tomatoes will have completely disintegrated in the chili and it will be a deep, rich brown color. Yum. Remove the bay leaves and discard.
Boil up enough orzo pasta to yield ~4 cups (nearly a pound) and toss with 1 Tbsp unsalted butter and 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg. Serve chili atop the orzo with finely chopped red onion, lots of grated extra sharp cheddar (preferably the neon orange variety) and oyster crackers.
The original recipe states that one should let the chili cool to room temp and store in the fridge overnight to develop the flavors as well as skim off any additional fat that rises to the top. I've tried this way once, and I didn't feel it was a necessary step since there was nearly no grease sitting on top of the chili. The flavors do develop a touch after a night in the fridge, but after smelling this chili cooking for a few hours, I doubt you'll be able to wait that long.
This chili has been in my arsenal for quite some time now. It's really easy to make, can feed a crowd, and the leftovers are great. It seems that the longer this sits in the fridge, the better it tastes. Of course, it's still delicious the first day.
Chicken chilies I've had in the past always seemed more like a soup to me - the flavors were kind of there, but the consistency just wasn't reminiscent of chili. Since the chicken isn't ground (nor would I want it to be), there is kind of a sacrifice to the comforting thickness of a ground meat chili. I tried adding some corn meal to thicken the broth, and haven't turned back. Not only do you get a more satisfying viscosity to the liquid, there is fantastic flavor imparted by the corn meal. It works really well with the combination of beans and peppers used in this recipe.
As far as chilies go, this one is super fast. You don't have to simmer for a long time in order to get nice developed flavors. You can also use whatever combination of peppers look good to you; as long as you have a jalapeño in there, you're good to go.
INGREDIENTS
1.5 - 2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 large sweet onion, diced
2 - 3 large poblano, anaheim, cubanelle, or banana peppers, small dice
1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
8 - 10 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tsp Mexican (or regular) oregano
1 Tbsp cumin
Adobo seasoning (if you can't find this in the grocery store, its easy to make your own.)
2 bay leaves
2 quarts low sodium chicken stock
2 cans great northern or cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
~1/2 cup corn meal
cilantro (optional)
Add oil to a large dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot over medium high heat. Pat chicken thighs dry on both sides and lightly sprinkle (as you would with salt) Adobo on each side. Nestle thighs into pot (you may have to do this in 2 batches to avoid crowding the pan) and cook for 5 - 6 minutes on each side till golden brown. Remove chicken to a plate and set aside.
There should be enough residual oil left in the pot, but if not add ~1/2 Tbsp more. Add the onion and peppers, and dial heat back to medium. Add a couple splashes of the chicken stock and scrape up all the browned bits. Cook for about 10 minutes till the onions and peppers are softened, stirring often. Add the garlic, oregano, and cumin and stir for about 1 minute or so. Add the remaining chicken stock and bay leaves. Place chicken back into pot and cook covered over medium low heat for about 20 - 25 minutes.
Remove chicken thighs and place on a cookie sheet to expedite cooling. Add the beans to the stock and increase heat to medium. Once chicken is cool enough to handle, shred it into bite size pieces using your hands. Add the chicken back to the pot. Slowly add the corn meal into the chili while stirring constantly, ensuring the corn meal isn't sticking to the bottom of the pot, for about 5 minutes or until chili is thickened. You may want to add a bit more if the chili isn't as thick as you want it, but a word of warning - it takes a couple minutes for the corn meal to swell and thicken the chili, so don't be over zealous.
If you like, tear off a handful or two of cilantro and add to chili. Stir well and serve immediately. A squeeze of lime and some Mexican crema are lovely additions.
