If you aren’t familiar with Cincinnati Chili, you should be! I must admit, this is an unusual chili. I grew up in Texas where chili meant meat, beans and spicy, so I was a bit taken aback by this chili.
Cincinnati chili throws this idea on its head with the addition of cinnamon (yep, really), dark chocolate, and a hint of cloves for a unique (and delicious) chili. In Cincinnati, there is a (somewhat fierce) division when it comes to this style of chili as people typically like one of the two main restaurants that serve it: Skyline or Gold Star.
After a while, the taste of Cincinnati chili grew on me so I worked on figuring out a healthier copycat recipe. My husband, who was already a life-long fan, didn’t object at all. The flavors in Cincinnati style chili are healthy to begin with, as cinnamon, chili powder, and cloves all have health promoting properties. Of all the recipes I’ve tried to make a healthy version of, this has been one of the easiest!
Cincinnati Chili Recipe
In Cincinnati, this chili is served over spaghetti noodles (never understood that) and topped with a mountain of cheese, onions, and oyster crackers. We skip those additions and just top with chopped onions or a little raw cheese. Cincinnati chili is not naturally spicy and it has become a kid favorite in our house. It is also delicious as leftovers or as a topping for eggs for breakfast. If you’re brave enough to add cinnamon to to your chili, give this recipe a try!
Cincinnati Chili Recipe
Servings
Ingredients
- 4 cups bone broth
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 2 medium onions (diced)
- 2 cups tomato sauce
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- ½ tsp allspice
- ½ tsp cloves
- 1 TBSP cumin
- ¼ cup chili powder (mild)
- 2 oz unsweetened chocolate
- 2 TBSP apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Pour the broth in to large stock pot.
- Add the ground beef and bring to boil.
- Reduce to a simmer and continue cooking for about 30 minutes.
- Add all the remaining ingredients and reduce to medium low heat.
- Simmer for at least two hours until chili has thickened. Add water if needed during this time.
Nutrition
Notes
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Ever been to Cincinnati? Had the chili? Ready to try this recipe? Share below!
I’m from Cincinnati and the battle between Gold Star and Skyline is real…just watch the UCincinnati vs XavierU Shootout (basketball). I’m going to try using bone broth in my next making of chili. I do add a couple of smidges of cayenne pepper powder above the dark, smoke chili powder I add (red pepper flakes works too). If you don’t have tomato sauce, 6oz of tomato paste works too. The unsweet chocolate and cinnamon are key ingredients in our chili…if you don’t add those, it’s not Cincinnati Chili. Thanks for sharing your recipe, I’ll need to look up your Texas Chili recipe.
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This recipe looks delicious and I can’t wait to give it a spin! Also, keeping with tradition, I must say that Skyline beats Goldstar every time.