Homemade copycat Skyline Cincinnati chili… unique and flavorful, this regional delicacy is easy to make at home for way less than the restaurant charges!
Have you ever had Cincinnati chili? It’s totally unique, and NOT like a traditional chili, but it’s an absolutely delicacy here in the Midwest. It’s also really easy to make at home, freezes wonderfully, and can be served in so many ways!
It’s no secret that I adore hometown things… no matter where I live in this life, I will always be a Cincinnati Reds, Cincinnati Bengals, and University of Cincinnati fan. I will always prefer the auto-mechanic in the small town I grew up in, Graeter’s Ice Cream is the BEST, Montgomery Inn has the BEST ribs, Larosas Pizza is divine, and Skyline Chili is the one chili that will truly always have a place in my heart.
In case you couldn’t tell… I grew up in the suburbs of Cincinnati! For those of you who haven’t been here, or don’t have a clue what I mean when I say Cincinnati chili… let me tell you, it is NOTHING like any chili you’ve had before. To most people, chili is something like this. For us Cincinnatians… this is our chili:
A meat sauce full of unique seasonings that is served on top of spaghetti and topped with cheese (which we call a 3 way… no, not THAT 3 way, you dirty one you!), and sometimes onions and/or beans will be added with the cheese (4 or 5 way). Another classic way we enjoy this chili is on top of a hot dog, with some mustard and onions and a mound of cheese.
That delicious looking dog is called a coney. And they are heavenly… seriously.
Some of you are probably looking at your screen thinking, “woman, you are crazy. Chili doesn’t go on noodles or a hot dog!”
I know, I know… the term chili is confusing, because this dish is completely different… but wonderful (as most Cincinnatians are as well!). I urge you to try it, at least once. Most people who try it, love it 🙂 If you don’t like it, then call me a crazy woman and go back to your usual chili.
Around here, you can buy Skyline (and Gold Star) chili in cans, packets, and frozen trays. Which is convenient, but p-r-i-c-e-y! So I wanted to find a recipe that starts from scratch… for a few reasons.
- The price. I’m a cheap you know what, and refuse to pay that much for one can of chili.
- I don’t want the preservatives and whatever is in those packets.
- The most important reason… unless you live here, you probably won’t be able to find those cans, trays or packets in your grocery store. Bummer huh? Everyone should be able to enjoy this fabulous chili, no matter where you live!
It’s really simple to make too, just add water, tomato paste and chocolate to a large pot and cook over medium heat for a few minutes. That’s right, you read that correctly… chocolate. Not the milk chocolate we all love to snack on mind you, but unsweetened 100% cacao bakers chocolate. My turkey chili uses this chocolate as well!
Add your spices, vinegar, and your beef. Crumble it using your fingers, then use a potato masher, whisk, or mash the beef against the side of the pan. Basically you want the meat all broken up into fine pieces. I mainly used the fork and went to town with my whisk. Get mad at it, break up that meat! 🙂
Now just bring it to a boil, reduce heat to medium low and let it cook, uncovered for 1 – 1 1/2 hours (you want a low boil). It will thicken up and become a wonderful meat sauce. And the smell that fills your house…. incredible!!
It’s up to you how you would like to serve up your chili… do you want coneys? A “way”? Or just chili in a bowl with cheese and oyster crackers? It’s your house, your rules! I typically go for “ways” and coneys. Remember, here’s the breakdown.
CINCINNATI CHILI “WAYS”:
- 2-way = spaghetti and chili
- 3-way = spaghetti, chili, cheese
- 4-way = spaghetti, chili, onions OR beans, cheese (my fav is with onions!)
- 5-way = spaghetti, chili, onion AND beans, cheese
CINCINNATI CHILI CONEYS:
- Bun, hot dog, chili
- Bun, hot dog, chili, cheese
- Bun, hot dog, chili, mustard OR onion, cheese
- Bun, hot dog, chili, mustard AND onion, cheese (my fav!!)
Traditionally, people top their “ways” with oyster crackers and hot sauce. They’re great additions, I use them both 🙂 For your coneys, the traditional way is a hot dog with mustard, diced onion, chili and cheese… but you can omit either or both of the mustard and onions if you prefer. Psssst… this chili is also fantastic over crispy french fries or even a baked potato!! I’ve also got a great party dip recipe coming up that uses this chili… people go crazy over it!!
This chili season, I hope you give this non-traditional Cincinnati chili a try! Let me share this piece of my hometown with you all… I think you’ll LOVE it 🙂
Here are some other versions of chili to try too!
- Slow Cooker Beef and Bean Chili
- Slow Cooker Creamy White Chicken Chili
- Beef and Poblano Chili
- Healthier Turkey Chili
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
- 5 cups water
- 6 oz can of Tomato paste
- 1/2 oz baking chocolate (unsweetened - I use Baker's brand)
- 1/4 cup chili powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, or less, depending on your desired heat level
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 1/4 lb lean ground beef
Instructions
- Add the 5 cups of water in a large pot. I like to use my dutch oven for this.
- Add the tomato paste and chocolate and heat over medium heat stirring to combine for about 3 minutes. (I stir with a whisk to really break up the tomato paste)
- Add chili powder, cinnamon, garlic powder, cumin, allspice, cloves, red pepper flakes, black pepper, salt, sugar and vinegar.
- Next, crumble the raw ground beef into the pot with your fingers, then use a potato masher, whisk or fork to break up the meat into very fine pieces.
- Turn heat to high to bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, turn the heat down to med-low.
- Cook, uncovered, for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, at a low boil.. stirring occasionally until sauce has thickened quite a bit.
- Serve over thin spaghetti or a hot dog.
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Kimberly S. says
So, so delicious!! Thank you for the post!!
Shireen says
I’m a Cincinnatian living in Italy and had a craving for Skyline. So happy I came across your recipe 🙂
Ross says
Thanks for posting this. My fiancé loves skyline chili, but recently found she is allergic to tomatoes. I modified it by blending up a jar of rotated red peppers and added a tsp of sugar, and came out great
David harms says
Is 1/4 cup of chili powder correct
Amanda says
Yes, keeping in mind this is US chili powder, so it doesn’t add a lot of spice, just flavor 🙂
Pat says
Can you cook this in a slow cooker? What temperature and how long?
Amanda says
I’ve only tested this recipe as written. So without testing and retesting it myself, I can’t say for certain if that would work. If you try it, I’d love to know how it turns out!
KC says
Wow! What a flavorful recipe! I personally liked it coney style with kidney beans, cheese and white onions but was also very tasty smothered on pasta. My teenagers initially were skeptical but after the first bite loved it! I’ll definitely make this again and might even try grated garlic instead of garlic powder.
Bruce Munck says
I rated the recipe five stars based solely on my hopes that it is as good as I expect it to be. I lived in southern Indiana, not far from Louisville, for 21 years and found a Skyline Chili restaurant in Louisville. The first time I tried it I thought it was an odd taste combination, but by the time I finished my meal I knew it was odd in a really good way! I love chili of just about any type and Skyline chili is one of the best. For a year I had to drive to Cincinnati for Monday and Tuesday work assignments and I made sure to have chili almost every week. Since then I have been much farther away and without Skyline chili. I will try your recipe and I fully expect it to be as good as the original, even if I am not on the banks of the Ohio watching the Belle of Louisville and Delta Queen racing while enjoying the chili. By the way: Cincinnati had a great rock and roll band back in the sixties by the name of Soul, Inc. If you’re not familiar with them find a copy of “I Belong To Nobody”…you’ll be glad you did.
Cherie Engalnd says
Really took me back to my college days at Skyline in Clifton! I used a plant-based meat and it was just as good! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe and I will def make it again! You know its a keeper when even the kids like it!
Cherie
Natasha says
I grew up in Cincinnati and was raised on Skyline! I made this recipe exact but vegan style – switching out the ground beef for Impossible ground “beef”. It turned out incredible! It’s good to have a taste of home while living on the other side of the country.
Joe says
Thanks for the recipe, Amanda. This was simple, quick and easy to make, and very good. I just removed one cup of water as I feared it would be too watery.
I can’t comment about how close it is to the Skyline recipe as I tried Cincinnati chili only one time a long time ago and I think it was at Gold star, but your recipe sure has that unique taste that I remember Cincinnati chili has.
I love it with strong cheddar and white or red onions thinly sliced on top.
Michele says
My husband I thought this recipe was incredible. And we’re from Texas!
Dharlee says
Hi Amanda! I have all the ingredients to make this delicious sounding recipe this week. I wondered, if I only have one pound of ground beef, should I adjust all the other ingredients down a bit or just go with what I have and simmer long enough to get the right consistency?
Thank you! I’m so glad I found you!
Amanda says
Hi Dharlee 🙂 I think you would be good either way. If it were me, I’d just simmer it a bit longer 🙂
Mike says
Hey Amanda, thanks for this recipe! I grew up in Cincinnati but now live in Colorado and sometimes I just crave some Skyline! I was going to try this recipe this week and I have a couple questions. The chili powder says “1/4 cup”. That seems like a lot, especially if the chili powder is the really spicy kind. Is that correct? Also, have you ever tried this with the plant-based ground beef that’s available now? Sacriledge to many, I know, but I don’t eat much red meat these days. Thanks again!
Amanda says
Hi Mike, thanks for reaching out! This recipe was tested using an American chili powder, which is a blend of spices, instead of dried chiles like other types of chili powder can be. McCormick is the brand I normally use. I haven’t tested using the plant-based beef products, but I have a feeling it would work well 🙂
Shawn says
I made this recipe once with Impossible meat and it was great!
Tom says
If you add 2 cups water to your beef before browning, you don’t have to struggle breaking it up
Mandi says
Perfect and I grew up on this and continue to cook this….yummy.
Douglas Glanz says
We live in Cincinnati and our kids love Skyline chili but it is expensive. I made this exactly to the recipe, except for an additional 1/2 tsp of salt. It is fantastic and I feel has more flavor than the Skyline chili from the parlor 5 minutes from our house. Our 8 year old daugher loves Skyline and always wants 3 ways. I asked her how it was…her response was “It’s Skyline, I love it!”. Great job with the recipe.