Emily's Famous Chili

This is now my new chili recipe! Delicious! I halved the recipe and substituted a bottle of beer for equal part of water and used half kidney beans and half pinto-in-chili sauce beans. I like my chili a bit thicker, so I added more flour disolved in water at the end. I served it with chopped onions, sour cream and warm flour tortillas. This has just the right amount of spice, in my opinion - I like it spicy! I think this recipe without the beans and meat mixed with some cheddar-jack cheese would make a great enchilada sauce... in fact, I might try that and create my own recipe. Thanks, Emily!

What a kick *SS Chili!! My wife and I love a good hot Chili and this surely did the trick. It was Hot and flavorful. Wouldn’t recommend it for kids though (too hot) Emily if you read this review, thank you for this recipe it is surely a repeat.

I left out the chipotle peppers, because I didn't have any. I added a little more salt and pepper and didn't puree the tomatoes because I like tomato chunks in my chili. We topped it with shredded cheddar cheese, chopped onions and grated romano cheese. This was fantastic.

Holy ****! They aren't kidding, this really is hot! I can eat just about anything, but next time I'll remove the chipotle seeds to make this a little more enjoyable. The flavor is excellent, though. I did have to substitute a couple of serrano peppers for the Jalapenos because I'd run out at the last minute, and I also pureed the peppers and onions because I don't like chunky chili. It turned out really thick and attractive, definitely worth a try.

My husband and I made this on Sunday and it was perfect!! We didn't put in the whole can of chipotle peppers because we knew it would be too hot for our taste. This was a very good recipe so many flavors!!Yum! Would definitely recommend to anyone who likes a spicey flavorful chili!

I like my chili hot, and a big bowl of this really took care of business. I may use the recipe for our annual chile contest at work!

INcrediable, havent finished it yet but its already great!!! already a little warm and I only added half the chilli powder and havent added the hot peppers... DAMMM!!!

I got rave reviews on this chili! I served it for an open house this fall, I couldn't have picked a better recipe!

I made this chili for a work function and everyone LOVED it! It was really spicy, but it was loaded with flavor. For less heat you can cut back on the chipotles- but don't leave them out. Best served with sour cream and cold beer!

Emily, thanks for posting this recipe! I made it for my company's Christmas potluck luncheon and everyone raved. You know it's a great recipe when the guys ask for the recipe. Thanks!

this was awesome, changed a few things, like added a peperoni type sausage...but never have I used cumin and what a nice flavor...thanks Emily...I tried this in memory of my late Mother Emily...and this was almost as great as she was...will make again for sure.

made w/ turkey chili and cut the jalepeno and chipotle. great recipe and very easy. will make again.

Only thing I did different is used green bell pepper instead of red and chipotle chili powder instead of the chiles themselves (because for 1- I didn't have any & 2- A lot of reviewers said it was REALLY hot with the peppers themselves, using the powder made it so I could make it as hot or not as I wanted!) YUMMO! Totally hit the spot for my chili craving! :)

The 'chipolte peppers in adobo sauce' makes this chili way too hot. I only used half the can, yet the heat overwhelmed the other flavors. The amount of chili powder and cumin this recipe calls for are wicked, and I was looking forward to their impact. But, the heat completely covered up the other spices, which was disappointing (especially since I used almost a whole container of cumin). I will make this again because the other flavors intrigue me, but I will use one (maybe two) pureed chipolte peppers only.

This chili is the jam. There were a lot of reviews whining about too hot; weak sauce I say. I used the whole can of chipotles, doubled the jalapenos and used 4 habaneros. Came out absolutely amazing!!

We really loved this! I didn't have any chipotle peppers or rice vinegar, but did everything else according to the recipe. I have children, so the jalepeno was plenty of hotness for us. It didn't have too much tomato at all (which I loved) and thought blending the tomatoes up was a great idea. Thanks for this recipe- I will make it again!!

Awesome! Boyfriend followed recipe to the T and it came out great!!!

I didnt find this too hot at all. I used both jalapeno and half the chipotle. The heat may be in the type of chili powder you are using. I also cut the cumin in half. Otherwise we loved it. The chipotle makes it wonderfully different from all other chile I've tried.

Yummy! I only used 1/4 cup chili powder and just one chipotle pepper with some adobe sauce (not entire can) because it would have been way too spicy for us. Also added 1/4 cup brown sugar. Was delicious!!!

I have made this recipe quite a few times and it is ALWAYS delicious! Everybody loves it at my house. No changes made or needed!

Best chili recipe I have made, hands down.

The Best Chili!!! :o)

LOVE this chili!

Enjoyed this very much, think it could use some bacon or sausage for added depth of flavor.

this is some really good chili my husband loved it, I had never had chili before, I know!, but after I made this it was delish, I did add some pieces of bacon, and a tablespoon of oregano.

The wife thinks its too spicy. All the normal people says it's perfect.

Edit 03-02-19: I'm still using this as a base recipe 8.5 years later. If I don't at least glance at a recipe, I'm concerned I'll inadvertently leave something important out, and this one covers the bases. Over the years, I've used a variety of meat in addition to ground beef. Smoked brisket, smoked pork butt, rib meat, it's all good in this recipe!! (I do use an entirely different recipe for chicken chili) Sometimes I use all canned beans, sometimes (like tonight) I use my own homemade pintos plus a can of black or kidney beans. Original review Nov '18: I tried this a couple weeks ago. I was worried the family would find it too hot though i cut in half a couple of the pepper additions (jalapeno and chipotles). It WAS a bit spicy but they GOBBLED it up. they LOVED it. Tomorrow, we're having chili for the game. I asked if I should make this recipe and the family agreed no, make your chili mom. I'm going to incorporate BOTH!! I think the biggest difference is my chili is made with my homemade pinto beans. With ham. So, there is ham in my chili in addition to ground and/or shredded beef.

I loved it! I did not use the chipotle chili, because I did not have one, but still very good. The family loved it. It was gone in one setting..

I like thick chili. I made this and left out all but 1 cup of the water. It turned out great and I'll be making it again soon. Very hot though. I like hot food, and this ranked about a 7 on my personal 1-to-10 heat scale. Great for me, but might be too hot for less hardy souls.

Absolute best chili ever! I only put 1/2 the chili pwdr and 1/2 the cumin and it was still good and still spicy. Thank you for the recipe.

I tweeked this a little to fit the ingredients I had on hand. For example, I use 1 can of green chilies instead of the chipotle peppers. I also used 1 can kidney beans, 1 can black beans, and 2 cans of chili beans. The variety of beans made it very good. GREAT RECIPE!!

YUM, YUM, and more YUM! This went over very well...and is similar to the chili I normally make, only adding chipotle peppers. I did leave out the jalapenos and limited the chili powder because of the crowd I was cooking for and it still had a nice kick to it. I also replaced some of the water with a can of beer. This was delicious and will be made again and again - can't wait for the leftovers. Served with cheese and sour cream along with cornbread on the side. THANKS!

After some changes, this turned out to be an excellent recipe. Omitted the Jalapeno Peppers. Used only 2T each of cumin & chili powder. Replace 1/2 the meat with Gardenburger crumbles and chopped mushrooms. I really enjoyed the smoky chipotle pepper addition. This recipe, with the changes, is my new chili recipe.

very good! This is the first I ever made chilli and it was an easy recipe to follow! Good one!

this chili was awesome! i made a few changes.. i cooked the ground beef in red wine, didn't use red bell peppers (didn't have any) and didn't add flour at the end (gluten sensitive). it was spicy, but really delicious. my favorite chili recipe by far :) thanks!

This is very good. I stuck to the recipe with the exception of adding mushrooms because I'm a shroom fanatic and they make any chili better in my opinion. The Chipotle is a must. That's what gives it the special kick. I might try next time with beer instead of water. Thank you.

I give it a 3 because as is, it is terribly hot (and I love hot!) but it is so hot that there's no true chili flavor, only the burn of the spices. You'd be better off sucking on a jalapeno IMO. BUT, I did change it a bit and won a cook-off with it. I had people who competed in the cookoff calling and emailing me asking for the recipe (my version) which, I have to say, I'm so proud of that I did not give it out!

AWSOME!! So I didn't have any red bell, so I used about 1/2 of a green one. I didn't use jalapenos (didn't have it on hand). I did a 1/4 cup chili powder. I also used about 1 lb. of ground beef and about 1 1/2 lb london broil steak cut up into chunks. Browned all that 1st, drained and continued on. I also did 1/2 kidney beans and 1/2 black beans. I also used about 8oz of tomato paste. I LOVE the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce!! This is what makes this recipe. They're hot, that's why I cut down on chili pepper. Still spicy, but just right. I also doubled up on the flour to make it a thicker chili. Simmered for about 2 hours. Just remember to stir often. So YUMMY! Served with bread and green salad!Great for freezing, too! Thank you so much!!

I'm giving it a 5 even though I had to cut back on the hot spices. I totally eliminated the chili powder and the jalapeno deciding I could add it near the end. It was definitely hot enough for us without it so I never did add them. For those who love killer, hot chili - go for it all. What we did love was the smokey heat flavor of the chipotle peppers. Will make it again. Thanks submitter!

I heeded some of the warnings of the other reviewers on the spice level. I cut the chili powder and chipotles in half. Just right..Nice flavor..some heat but not too much.

Excellent chili. We made some tweaks because to us the original recipe would not have been edible. We made a 10 serving portion and used one large can of kidney, one tblspn of chiptotle peppers, one jalepeno, 1 tblspon of chili powder and cumin.

Loved this chili! I Didn't change anything in the recipe and thought it turned out great. Amount of spiciness was perfect for me but if you're not used a lot of heat you may want to cut it down a bit. Will definitely be making this again. Thanks for the recipe!

This was my first time making chili so we just picked a recipe randomly off of the internet and I think we hit the jackpot! My fiance likes things extra spicy so we added a habanaro pepper to the mix and WHEW! This was probably the best flavored chili I have ever had! It was a little on the spicy side for me with the habanaro but when you have cheese & sour cream in the chili and a glass of milk on the side (essential!) it's amazing!! Thank you for sharing!!

Terrific recipe! I made this for Super Bowl and it was a huge hit. I didn't have the jalapeno but it wasn't needed as this is quite spicy. Since we're all trying to cut down on carbs, I omitted the flour and so cut down the water a bit. The vinegar is a great addition and adds a lot to the depth of flavor. I just made a second batch since my hubby said he didn't get enough before it was all gone. Thanks!!!

Great Recipe!! I was looking for a basic chili recipe and found this one to be a Great Chii or a Great start depending on your taste. I can't do too much heat very well, but you can always adjust. I made a few changed according to my tastes. I added more garlic, less Much less chipoteles about 1 - 1 1/2 teaspoons (which I have on had already pureed frozen in tablespoon portions), happened to have a can of jalapintos on hand (pinto beans cooked and canned with jalapenos) so omitted the jalapenos, omitted the rice vinegar, and flour. I added refried beans in place of the flour and next time will cut back the cumin. But will tell ya if I wanted more heat I would have followed the recipe to the letter. it is GREAT! Thanks for Sharing with all of us.

This was the best chili i have had in a while.!! It had just enough spice and flavor and my family & me truly enjoyed it

I think I would have rated this 5 stars if I had used the chipotle peppers. I couldn't find them in the store, so I had to do without. Otherwise--- I loved it :)

Savory, meaty and satisfying. A couple of notes: use at least a 6 quart pot, use 1 less cup of water, and if you like it less spicy, try to seed the chipotle peppers as much as possible. After reading other reviews that recommneded adding pork, I included 6 slices of thick cut hickory smoked bacon.

Anybody who can put a whole can of chipotle peppers into this recipe is a serious "chili head"! I love chiptole peppers but I always have to take the seeds out. And even then I can only use about a fourth of a can. If you omit the chipotle peppers then this recipe is very average. It is the chipotle peppers that makes this recipe. I would suggest starting with a smaller amount of cumin and then adjusting from there. Mine was plenty thick so I didn't bother with the flour.

My husband and friend loved this recipe just the way it was posted. The rest of us mixed some with mild turkey chili so we could take the heat!

Very good! spicy!

This is the best chili recipe I've found in 35 years of searching! I doubled the garlic, omitted the chipotle peppers (it was quite hot enough!) and the flour, as I prefer my chili a bit less thick. I had dried pinto beans on hand, so I cooked them separately, unseasoned, and added them with the liquid, plus one can of kidney beans without liquid (yucky canned taste). The result was a home run! I served it with grated sharp cheddar, sour cream, and tortilla chips.

After reading all the reviews the only changes I made was to omit the jalapenos and replace the red bell peppers with green (because the red ones looked yucky at the store...lol)and cut the recipe in half. I also used 1lb. of ground elk meat and two cut up elk steaks instead of standard beef. The result was a thick hearty chili that my husband LOVED and even my picky kids ate it. The omission of the jalapeno made it etable for me and the kids but hubby said he could have used a bit more kick so I'll keep that in mind for next time around. This is definatley a recipe worth keeping! We'll use the leftovers this weekend for chili dogs/burgers! ****added note - I thought I'd save a little time and do this in the crock pot. It was partly a good idea. I say partly because I dumped all the seasonings and such in about two hours before it was time for dinner. The longer it simmers the SPICIER it gets! My poor kids cried and even hubby couldn't eat that batch. So if you decide to do this in the crock pot put the seasonsings in about a half hour before it's time to serve. And another note; this is a wonderful camping recipe! We did this right over the camp fire and threw in chunks of steak from the night before. I just preped what I could at home (dicing the vegies, blending the spices/water and putting it in a container) to make life easier at camp. The leftovers are GREAT on chili dogs/burgers/loaded baked potatoes!!

Pretty tasty. I held back on the heat (didn't add the jalapenos) and used only two cans of beans because my pot isn't big enough for more. Love the smokey heat that the chipotles give it.

Delicious!!I made this for my husband and 3 of his friends while they were watching football and there was NONE left! I did substitute a pound of italian sausage for a pound of the ground beef.

If there was a no star I would have selected that. It was wayyyyy too spicy. You probably should take out all of the spicy things, like the jalapeños, chipotle's, and the chilli pepper. I do not recommend this recipe. Apparently, it had a good taste but a big bite to it.

Every time I make it for a party I get several requests for the recipe. Always a hit!

Excellent recipe! Myself, I really like the taste of tobasco but this recipe was very tasty and pleased all my friends. As with many dishes like this one it is even better the next day. but you may need to add hot sauce the more it cookes.

This is a really good recipe! I didn't use the whole can of chipotles because I knew there were several guest who couldn't handle it. I used ground venison and venison sausage (3 to 1 ratio)and I also added a bottle of beer instead of water. I more than doubled the recipe so I can't comment on the ratios, I just added beans until i got a perfect ratio. So delicious the whole pot was gone by the end of the night.

Superb! This is delicious. I made a couple of alterations that made this taste even better. First off, I halved the recipe since I was just cooking for one. 1. Omitted bell peppers since I didn't have any. 2. Salt added at the end, reason below. 3. I like my chili thick, so I used a full 4 tbsp of flour. 4. Used an entire can (14.5 oz) of Italian style stewed tomatoes anyways, did not puree since I like small chunks of tomato in my chili. Minced my chipotles in adobo instead. 5. Used beef stock (with no additional salt added) instead of water. 1 cup goes into pot directly, use other 1 cup to stir in flour. Whisking is fine, dissolve all clumps. For this reason, do NOT add salt into chili before this step, as beef stock will naturally have some sodium. 6. Went heavy handed with the rice vinegar to compensate for the extra liquid, used approximately 1 tbsp. 7. Turn down heat to medium-low to simmer and STIR FREQUENTLY, or else chili will start to burn. 8. Simmer about 30-45 minutes, depending on how thick you like your chili.

This is a good recipe, but I think that the spice overpowers the rest of the flavors a bit (even though I'm a huge fan of spicy food).

The only thing I couldn't find at my local Grocier was the Rice vinegar so I substituted regular white vinegar.. I don't recommend that you change this recipie because it won me the best chilli contest all 4 times I've made it!! This is by far the best I've ever had. There were some people who couldn't take the heat, but they still said it was tastey! I agree its not really for children.

Too spicy for us! We had to give it away because even with two pieces of cornbread and tons of cheese, it was still too spicy and we live in Texas!

Super yummy, but seriously spicy! I used ground turkey instead of ground beef. I will make it again, however, will definitely cut the chili powder in half along with the chipotle peppers! My kids wouldn't eat this, it was too spicy.

Great recipe, but way to hot for some people. Chile should be made mild and let the guests add heat to their liking. You can always add heat, but you cannot remove it.

awesome yet simple recipe, great!

The boys loved it and the leftovers brought in staff from the hallway. Modification - used serrano peppers versus aboda sauce and some Louisiana Hot Sauce. Great recipe may use in the Chili Cook-off for Super Bowl. 2016.

I slow smoked the ground beef to brown it and give it a nice smoky flavor. I also substituted a bag of black beans for the kidney beans. I used 1/2 the Chili powder that it called for, because it was plenty spicy without it.

I cut the amount of spices to 1/2 in this recipe before preparing and still ended up throwing away the entire pot because it was just too hot. My reccomendation--cut the chipotles down to 1/4; leave out the jalapenos, and cut the chili powder down to 1/2.

This was delicious! The rice wine vinegar added a surprising sweetness that balanced the spice quite well. I didn't have the chipotle peppers, so my wife added some smoked paprika instead. I only used 1 lb. of the ground meat (I used turkey instead of the beef) and then added in some leftover kielbasa and smoked polish sausage that I had from the night before. I would highly reccomend the sausage/ground meat combo. It adds a rich and meaty complexity that my family raved about

Great recipe! I made it exactly as recipe called for the first time but have made different variations since. I find it too spicy for my tummy so I had to tone it down a bit! I used ground turkey, I added some kielbasa sausage one time, corn, etc. this is a great recipe and will continue to make it my go to! Since my first batch, I've made this 6-7 more times!

the people who didn't like this recipe either didn't follow it (by their own admission) or thought it was too hot... which is a personal problem, not a problem with the recipe. we love this recipe and even add an extra jalapeno or two. Definitely our new base chili recipe

Nice! The heat was perfect for me, with a pleasantly layered chili profile. I had to halve the recipe because I was eating it alone (My husband and chili? How about, no.), but it still made enough for a week's worth of lunches. I eat my chili with rice, so that both absorbs the broth and attenuates the flavor, but I would have eaten it as a soup with oyster crackers or saltines with equal pleasure. If If I had any fresh cilantro, I would have sprinkled it over the top before serving to accentuate the citrus notes from the jalapeno.

I made it just like the recipe said and it was so hot I couldn't even finish a bowl. My husband had two bowls and liked it but still complained that it was too hot. The flavors were good but next time I'll leave out the peppers or cut back the seasonings.

Delicious!!! It's definitely got a ton of kick so beware and adjust if need be...otherwise it has excellent flavour!

This was my first attempt at making chili. Best chili I've eaten.

Trying to please my whole family I left out the pepper's for the kid's and wanted to try a thick chili for my husband...cumin is all it tasted like ! I will not make again

My first time making chili and this went over well, i couldn't find the chipolte peppers and still people thought it was hot, next time i hope to heat it up a little more for myself, thanks again

I'll make it again. And again I'll add 3 jalapeño peppers. It's a bit more spicy with the extra.

This was my first chili and it won a chili cookoff! Thank you. Because everyone was saying this too spicy I only used half a can of peppers. After eating it though this had a good amount of spice. I don't think adding the remainder would have adversely affected it. Because I do not like my chili so full of beans I replace one of the cans of beans with another can of tomatoes. If I do make chili again this will be my go to recipe.

This chili had a really great flavor but it was much too spicy! I really enjoy spicy food, but I only added half of the chipoltle peppers and it was still MUCH too spicy! Next time I make this recipe I will probably leave out the peppers all together, but the spices gave it a great flavor.

I've been using this recipe and only this recipe since I found it on Allrecipes. Lots of heat, and flavour. It is really hot, nose running, sweating hot. If you prefer less heat, omit the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, or don't use as much. I have a pot of it on the stove right now. Yum!!

Total flavor!! But Whew was it hot!! I added some fritos and cornbread to it, along with some sour cream, at the end to try and displace some heat. The adobe sauce and peppers is what did it. If I changed anything i would lay off the heat a bit. Other than that the flavor was splendid

Yum. Yum. Yum. Plain and simple. At first, reading the ingredient quantities I thought maybe too heavy on the chili powder and cumin. NOT!!! This recipe has given me permission to add A LOT OF SPICE to my chili! However, I did not put in the 7 oz can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce! That would make it crazy-hot! I did put in about 15 slices of jarred jalapenos. Perfect. I shredded white cheddar cheese, diced avocados, chopped and mixed together some white onion, green onion, and sun-dried tomatoes and mixed them together, and offered a little sour creme - all for toppings. This will be my ABSOLUTE go-to chili recipe. THANK YOU Emily! Fantastic! Husband LOVED it!

I was really in the mood for chili and this recipe hit the spot! This might be the best chili I have ever eaten. Perfect blend of flavors and the texture is great. I halved the recipe and left out some of the jalepenos because I was having guests. Other than that I followed the recipe as written.

This was awesome. I just added some brown sugar for sweetness and it was PERFECT! Starts out sweet and smooth then the you get the kick. Will make this recipe every time. THANK YOU!

I used 2 cans of beans, but added a can of stewed tomatoes, so the seasoning was not overwhelming with less content. I did forego the Chipotle and added 3 very large minced jalapenos, seeds and all. My double dutch oven was just about 90% full, so lots of helpings. I also just used white vinegar I already had, a 12 oz beer, no water, no flower. If I did want to thicken it, I would use masa instead of wheat flour. Heat and flavor was awesome.

This pretty good. I liked it better the second day though. I think if I try this recipe again I'll cut back the beans by half...and I like beans in my chili. Also, it thickened up a little too much. Overall it was good but not great. Thanks for the ideas though...love the chipotles idea!

My husband and I really enjoyed this chili but they weren't kidding when they said it's spicy! I even spiced it down and used 1 poblano instead of 2 jalepenos. I had to simmer a little longer than 45 minutes for it to thicken . I'll definitely make it again.

This one of the BEST !!!

I made this and it was so flavorless. I mean it was hot but there was no taste to it. I managed to add some brown sugar and made it just barely edible.

Nice and spicy! I cut the water in half and thickened with corn meal instead of flour. Used 8 adobo chilis because I had a larger can than called for. It packed plenty of heat.

Loved it! and my husband loved it more! I did not include the adobe pepper ingredient and it was perfect! Very very good. I used pinto beans and black beans in mine. This recipe is a keeper!

I used some sliced jalapenos from the jar instead of fresh, but next time I will leave these out completely. I was hesitant to use the measurements for the chili powder and cumin so used 2 Tbsp chili powder and 1 1/2 Tsp cumin. I only added 1 1/2 cup water but to me this was too much because I do not like soupy chili. I also did not add the flower to thicken because I used less water! After all of these changes I give MY chili a solid 4.5. It is hot, hot, hot, but you can remedy this by adding a spoonful of sour cream. Takes some of the heat out but it will still have a kick.

Very good, I do half the amount for a normal amount. If too spicy I add a bit of water and sugar to cool it down.

I love the dish. its great. the chipotle puree is great idea. after makong it a few times i did make some alterations. 1 i removed the jalapeno and doubled up on chipotle. i also add in a little more spices such as curry and cajun powder. other than that i love it.

Made per recipe but made my own chili powder with anchos, Pasillas, and Arbol chiles. I'm living with a vegetarian so subbed Impossible Burger for beef. - worked out well. Heat was about right, excellent flavor, hesitated with putting in rice vinegar but finally relented - good addition(!) Probably my new 'go-to' recipe

I will make this again! I left out thr jalapeños and used half the chili powder and half the cumin. Also I used cornstarch to make it gluten free. It was STILL very spicy- but I absolutely love the Chipotle flavour. Good recipe!!!

This was good but spicy. I left out the jalapenos and was still barely able to eat it. The flavor was great but it was more of a soup or a stew then chili. I would recommend cutting the water in half if you prefer a thicker consistency.