The original Chili’s Grill & Bar was founded in 1975 outside of Dallas, Texas. The first location was a converted postal station and they were well known for their famous burgers. In 1984, Chili’s added fajitas to their menu and popularized the, now, well known entrée. Only 2 years later, they introduced their signature baby back ribs to the menu and the commercial jingle that became America’s earworm. Voted by AdAge as the jingle most likely to get stuck in your head. You know the one…”I want my baby back, baby back, baby back”. You’ll probably be singing that for the rest of the day, now. I’m sorry. Still going strong, Chili’s has over 1,600 locations and are still known for the menu items that put them on the map. Burgers, Fajitas and Ribs. They make a pretty mean margarita, too.
Chili’s restaurant chain claims that chili is “their thing”. So much so that they boldly named their chili, the Original Chili. Now, we all know that Chili’s chili isn’t the “original” chili. As in, the World’s first chili ever. But it is pretty darned good.
This simple and delicious recipe is a Texas con carne-style chili, meaning there are no beans or large chunks of tomato. I did add some tomato paste, however, to give it a richer flavor. If you happen to like beans in your chili, as I do, feel free to add a can. I recommend draining and rinsing the canned beans and add them near the very end of the simmering. This will keep the beans from becoming mushy. Nobody likes mushy.
If you’re crazy about Chili’s (kinda, who isn’t. Right?) then check out their Chicken Enchilada Soup or Southwest Eggrolls. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 2 LBS. 80/20 ground beef
- 1 large yellow onion (about ¾ LB)
- 4 cups beef broth
- 6 oz. can of tomato paste
- 8 oz. can of Hatch Chilies
- 1/3 cup chili powder
- 2 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 ½ tsp. paprika
- ½ tsp. garlic powder
- 1 TBL apple cider vinegar
- 1 TBL EVOO
- 2 tsp. kosher salt
- 6-8 crank of cracked black pepper
- 3 TBL corn starch
- 1 ½ cups water
- Topping: finely shredded Cheddar cheese & Tortilla Strips
Instructions
In a small food processor, finely chop onion.
In a large stockpot and your heat on high, add the EVOO. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the ground beef, and brown. Once the beef is browned, remove the beef using a slotted spoon and set aside. Drain all but 1 TBL of the beef fat and discard. In the reserved 1 TBL of fat, add the onions and sauté until translucent and have a golden color.
Once the onions have a nice color on them, add the tomato paste and stir until the tomato paste and onions are well incorporated. Next, add the beef both and canned chilies, including juices.
Add the chili powder, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, apple cider vinegar, salt, & pepper and stir well.
Turn the heat to low and whisk in the corn starch. Finally, add the water and stir well.
Cover the chili and simmer, on low, for 1 hour. Stir frequently. Once finished simmering, the chili should be reduced by 20%.
Serve and top with shredded Cheddar and tortilla strips.
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