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!
I love hometown things, and growing up in the suburbs of Cincinnati, that means Cincinnati-style chili!
It’s definitely NOT like any chili you’ve had before. To most people, chili is something like this. For us Cincinnati-ans… 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), 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.
I know… the term chili is confusing, because this dish is completely different… but wonderful (as most Cincinnati-ans are as well!).
I urge you to try it, at least once. Most people who try it, love it!
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!
This chili is also fantastic over crispy french fries or even a baked potato!! You can also use it in an amazing Skyline Chili Dip for your next party.
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 water to 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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Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Linda Bell says
Made this most interesting chili today. Never heard of it here in the South. Followed recipe, smelled wonderful, and thickened nicely. Served over spaghetti, with cheese & onions. Very distinct flavor. Lots of onions helped. Not what I’m used to; but not awful. Unsure if I’ll make it again. The recipe was easy to follow. Enjoyed the experience.
Gail Naftzger says
Just put together the Cincinnati Chili. The spices smell so good. I did only use 3 cups of water as we like our chili to be thicker and I upped the amount of ground beef. So far so good. The kitchen smells so yummy!
Darrin says
So, I’m from Louisiana and have always been hesitant to try Cincinnati chili. It always just seemed weird to me, and not something I thought I’d like. Well, a couple weeks ago I came across a frozen box of Skyline chili spaghetti and figured I might as well give it a shot. So I did. And then again the next week. And then again. Gotta say, I’ve developed a taste for it. So I went searching for a recipe, and now I’m fully hooked!
I doubled the recipe and followed it “exactly” (though I’ll confess I’m not at all careful about exact measurements) and I’ve gotta say, this recipe is actually better than Skyline, in my humble opinion. That might have something to do with the fact that my only experience with Skyline is frozen. I’ve never actually been to a parlor. But I really do think this recipe is actually better, and I’m about to make another pot this evening. Thanks, from Cincinnati chili’s newest devotee!
Robert says
I know this will be sacrilege to some but I replace the beef with Gardein Crumbles (I’m vegan) and I followed the recipe all the way. It was delicious. I saw it Diners Dives and Drive ins and I had to try. Maybe some enterprising Ohian will open a restaurant in Florida.
Chris says
We have one in Clearwater
Deb says
There is one in Ft. Lauderdale also
Veronica says
And in Bradenton
LSimpson says
I too am a Cincinnati native away from home and this is the closest copycat version I’ve ever had. I’ve made this three times now and it gets better every time. I leave out the red pepper flakes and use about 2-3 tsp’s of salt.
Carol says
This was delicious – however quite a bit spicier than Skyline’s – and I cut back the chili powder to a scant 3 Tbsp (instead of the 4 called for). Next time I will use only 2 Tbsp and omit the red pepper flakes. I cut back on the broth as others suggested (3c instead of 5) plus used a can of tomato sauce instead of paste, since I didn’t have it on hand. Also, a different recipe called for oregano, so I added about 1/2 tsp of that and used fresh minced garlic (1 clove) instead of garlic powder. Took about an hour to simmer down to the right consistency. Well worth the wait!
Theresa says
Great recipe! I used beef stock instead of water. I think there was probably some sodium in the broth, so I could have cut back on the salt. I made this is in my dutch oven and, because I was sooo impatient to eat this chili, I couldn’t leave the kitchen and basically stirred/whisked/mashed the beef pretty constantly. The result was perfect in texture and the taste was excellent. I’m excited to try leftovers today to see if it is even better leftover as others suggest!
Meg says
Awesome recipe!!! I grew up in the St. Louis area, and this reminded me a lot of Steak ‘n Shake’s chili. Though I am surprised by all the respondents who took the spices down a notch. I kicked them UP! But I did make almost 2 pounds of ground beef instead of 1.25. Used 3.5 cups of water because 5 seemed like too much. And I added a tsp of sugar, based on another poster’s response. My family loved it!
RWB says
It took me awhile to find a taste for Cincy chili, but I’ve really come to like it. So much that I was ordering Gold Star chili online and having cans shipped to me. Anyway, I got tired of the expense, so I decided to make it myself. The last few years have been a lot of trial and error, and wasted time and money….until I found this recipe. This stuff is awesome!! I did tweak it a tad, such as swapping a can of beef broth in place of 2 of the cups of water, and i added a tablespoon of worcestershire sauce. I also cut the chocolate in half. I just prefer a beefier flavor. To get the consistency I like, I took a slotted spoon, scooped out all the meat, and pulsed it in my Ninja a few times. Thanks for this recipe!!
Deboria Henson says
I love your recipes and will subscribe for more! My
family thinks I’m such a great cook thanks for that!
Mosparx says
Outstanding!!! I have tried for 30 years to make a good copycat version- This one NAILED it!
I made the following alterations:
Only 3 cups of water. Crumble your burger into cold water and break it up before turning on the heat. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and skim the grease fat.
Add the tomato paste and stir in well and simmer.
Then add the spices, but use 1.5 tsp salt, and 2 tsp sugar.
Add 1/4 cup minced onion.
THANK YOU for posting your excellent recipe, Chunky Chef!!!
Georgia says
In this recipe for sky line chili, you call for 1/4 CUP of chili powder…is that correct? I’m making this for a bunch of family members who grew up in Cincinnati!!
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Georgia, yes, we like it with 1/4 cup of chili powder (which is 4 Tbsp). Others have commented that they prefer it with 2-3 Tbsp, so it’s all a personal preference.
Isabel says
How do u make it with beans?
The Chunky Chef says
Just drain and rinse some kidney beans, and layer in pasta, chili, beans, then cheese. The beans aren’t cooked with the chili, they’re just an optional topping.
Eric says
What do you consider a serving size?
The Chunky Chef says
I don’t precisely measure… just 1/6 to 1/8th of the entire pot of chili.
Aaron Cubbage says
Sorry if these are repeat questions. I’ve never had this before so I have nothing to compare it to…
1-chopped RAW onions or cooked a specific way?
2–do you do anything special to the kidney beans or just throw some rinsed uncooked canned beans on top?
3-will any boxed spaghetti (San Georgia, etc) work or is there a specific type of pasta?
The Chunky Chef says
1 – chopped raw onions, although there’s chopped pretty finely.
2 – I’d probably heat up the kidney beans first.
3 – Any spaghetti works 🙂
Hope you enjoy it!
Elizabeth says
Wow..really interesting flavor. It seems like an acquired taste but I’m happy I made it (I love Mexican mole sauce!) so I can say I tried it. We have Steak n Shake here in MO and so I was expecting that a little, just since they serve it 3, 4 or 5 way with your described toppings. But this is definitely much more spices-forward. A note on the red pepper flakes: we like spicy but for others who are used to mild (I’d call this a medium), you might start less than 1/4 tsp and add a little heat with hot sauce or something later if it’s not enough.
Vincent says
Looks delicious. I’ve had it numerous times, mostly from canned or frozen Skyline (or Gold Star or Empress) since I’m from out of town — but in November 2000 I flew to Cincinnati for a day for a tryout as copy editor at the now-defunct Cincinnati Post, and of course had lunch at a downtown Skyline (then bought a few cans at a nearby “Taste of Cincy” shop at a local department store. Alas, I didn’t get the job, but have purchased the stuff at Kroger. (I understand Walmart makes it via a house brand, but have never tried it.) Will try to make this sometime soon here in SoCal, where I’ve lived since moving from central Virginia in 2014.
Shon says
Once someone has Cincinnati chili there is no other chilli I love this stuff and yes I’m from Ohio but you can’t go wrong
Becca says
What’s the party dip recipe using this that you mentioned? I looked but didn’t see it!
The Chunky Chef says
I got so busy last year that I kept forgetting to make it, but it’ll be posted in a week or so!
Jen Fernandez says
If I don’t have bakers chocolate, how much, maybe cocoa powder?, should I use?
The Chunky Chef says
I’ve never tried it, so I can’t say for certain, but I think a tablespoon or so. Just make sure it’s unsweetened cocoa powder.
Jason Kingery says
About a tablespoon is correct, i use slightly less, and i cant tell any difference, but as she said, make sure it’s unsweetened
Okamifan1 says
Thanks a million, I live in Richmond, Virginia, and with relatives in Columbus, Ohio. I discovered a love for this stuff when I went to the Skylind parlor in Kings Island whilst on the way to visit them.
Skyline Chili was sold at my local Kroger in cans, and frozen until earlier this year, it was pricey but it was good, and now I don’t have any way to get my chili fix. Thank you so much kind sir.