This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission if you purchase through those links (at no extra cost to you).
I have a passion for accurately recreating restaurant copycat recipes (such as my wildly popular Chipotle series), so tackling Skyline’s famous Cincinnati Chili was a delight. I worked with my brother-in-law, an Ohio native, to make sure I nailed the exact flavor that comes from unexpected spices and a surprise square of chocolate.
Nearly 800 5-star reviews later, the jury is in, and they LOVE IT! If you’re seeking a Skyline chili copycat recipe or just want to try something new, this is the recipe to try.
What is Cincinnati Chili?
Ever been to the Skyline Chili in Ohio?
If that’s a no, leave everything you thought you knew about traditional chili behind, because this recipe will turn it all upside down, but only in the most delicious way.
The (secret) recipe calls for a combination of spices and ingredients that you might find a bit odd, especially for a savory meat stew. Allspice? Cloves? Unsweetened chocolate?
Stick with me (and our friends from the Buckeye state) because this recipe is perfect for the slow cooker and freezes beautifully, so you can have Cincinnati-style chili any time, any place.
Table of Contents
Skyline Chili Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
- Unsweetened chocolate: Just one ounce is all you need, but the super fans swear it makes all the difference.
- Ground beef: You won’t have a chance to drain the fat from the beef in this recipe. I think 85/15 is ideal for maximum flavor without too much grease, but you can choose something leaner if you want to.
- Toppings: Build your bowl with spaghetti, chili, and cheese, then top it off with onions, kidney beans, or even oyster crackers if you want to. Here’s the official guide to the “ways” Skyline serves their chili:
- 2-Way: Spaghetti, Chili
- 3-Way: Spaghetti, Chili, Cheddar Cheese
- 4-Way: Spaghetti, Chili, Cheddar Cheese, Onions OR Beans
- 5-Way aka “the works”: Spaghetti, Chili, Cheddar Cheese, Onions AND Beans
How to make Skyline Cincinnati Chili
- In a Dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat, heat oil until shimmering. Cook onions until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in chocolate, garlic, chili powder, oregano, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add broth, tomato sauce, vinegar, tomato paste, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce.
- Stir in beef and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened, about 20 to 25 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper (I like 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper).
- Serve over cooked spaghetti with desired toppings such as cheese, beans, onions, and crackers.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes 10 generous servings of Cincinnati Chili.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Cool and portion into freezer-safe containers, label and date. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- Slow cooker: Sauté the onions in olive oil over medium-high heat until softened. Add the unsweetened chocolate, garlic, oregano, chili powder, allspice, cloves, and cinnamon. Add to a slow cooker with the chicken broth, tomato sauce, vinegar, tomato paste, brown sugar, Worcestershire, salt and pepper, and beef. Cover and cook on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours or LOW for 6 to 8 hours.
- Coney Dog: If you’re thinking a hot dog smothered with chili might be just the thing, you’re not alone. Eat it in the bun, or topped with cheese, mustard, onion, beans, you name it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cincinnati Chili is made with several non-traditional ingredients including chocolate, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves. It’s also a thinner chili overall, and it’s served over spaghetti noodles with a mountain of cheese on top.
More Midwestern classics
Appetizer Recipes
Fried Cheese Curds
Grilling and Smoker Recipes
Wisconsin Beer Brats
Salad Recipes
Seven Layer Salad
Cake Recipes
Easy Chocolate Eclair Cake
Join Us
Skyline Cincinnati Chili
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 onions finely chopped (plus more for topping)
- 1 ounce unsweetened chocolate
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 16 ounces tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar packed
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 pounds ground beef (preferably 85/15, see note 1)
- cooked spaghetti for serving
- shredded cheese dark red kidney beans, finely chopped onions, and oyster crackers, for serving (see note 2)
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat, heat oil until shimmering. Cook onions until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in chocolate, garlic, chili powder, oregano, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add broth, tomato sauce, vinegar, tomato paste, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce.
- Stir in beef and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened, about 20 to 25 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper (I like 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper).
- Serve over cooked spaghetti with desired toppings such as cheese, beans, onions, and crackers.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Ground beef: You won’t have a chance to drain the fat from the beef in this recipe. I think 85/15 is ideal for maximum flavor without too much grease, but you can choose something leaner if you want to.
- Toppings: Build your bowl with spaghetti, chili, and cheese, then top it off with onions, kidney beans, or even oyster crackers if you want to. Here’s the official guide to the “ways” Skyline serves their chili:
- 2-Way: Spaghetti, Chili
- 3-Way: Spaghetti, Chili, Cheddar Cheese
- 4-Way: Spaghetti, Chili, Cheddar Cheese, Onions OR Beans
- 5-Way aka “the works”: Spaghetti, Chili, Cheddar Cheese, Onions AND Beans
- Yield: This recipe makes 10 generous servings of Cincinnati Chili.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Excellent! Thank you for your service.
You’re welcome, Norm! – Meggan
OK. DISCLAIMER. If you are not from Ohio and have never tried Skyline chili, I gratefully request that you don’t mess with the “special sauce” and start adding ingredients that do not, nor ever have, belonged in a Skyline Chili. If you start adding red peppers, green peppers, and some other randoms, you need to find another chili recipe on the world wide web. As sweet as Meggan seems to be, I can only imagine her torture when she has to politely say something kind in reply. She is not trying to create a “new ” recipe. She is trying to get as close to a copycat Skyline chili recipe that she possibly can in order to make thousands of Ohioans (and surrounding locales) HAPPY and “thrown back.” And in my opinion, she has done ad DAMNED GOOD JOB!!! [If only you could recreate the mini dogs and buns!!! ] I made this (AS INSTRUCTED) tonight, and my house smells like a Skyline restaurant. But the true taste test will be when my husband and his brother try it out. In my mind, it tastes spot-on, but I am not a coney girl, but a 4-way, so I have no need to judge buns and dogs. Recommendation: When it is time to “salt to taste,” actually salt a little……taste……then salt a little more and taste again. The flavors really do blossom with every little bit of salt. They come alive. I do like the idea of one of the commenters saying to blend the mixture a little to make the meat pieces smaller. I might try that. Sorry Meggan. I just HAD to comment!
Your disclaimer at the beginning had me cracking up, K! Thank you so much for defending me and this recipe! I hope it passed the true test with your husband and his brother. I love that your house smelled like the restaurant and you get it! It’s as close to the original as I could get. I appreciate you, please don’t apologize. I’m glad you’re as passionate about it as I am. Thanks so much! – Meggan
This is incredible. I made it as directed & I will print out this recipe for future use. It’s just perfect!
So glad you enjoyed it, Theresa! – Meggan
Great recipe. Never been to Skyline but tried to make another Skyline recipe years ago, not so great. My Family absolutely loves this recipe and my teens ate All the leftovers. Made it today again and gonna serve it with Coneys for the boys tonight. Thanks for posting.
You’re welcome, Douglas! I’m so glad it was a hit with the family! – Meggan
Loved it! Perfect, thank you!
You’re welcome, Ls! – Meggan
Finally a taste of home. This is my new go to recipe for the cold days and the homesick moments. Thank you so much for publishing the recipe
You’re so welcome, Kristina! 😊 I’m glad it brings back nice warm memories! – Meggan
I don’t remember ever making a stovetop recipe with ground beef that didn’t brown the meat first. But I looked at several other Cincinnati Chili recipes and they all said the same thing. So I guess that is how one does it. I liked this recipe the best because it sounded better with the chicken broth instead of water and a couple other things that led me to believe it was a better recipe. Also it’s quicker, as it uses way less liquid, hence you don’t have to cook it for three hours.
Anyway, it came out great. I cooked it a little longer than the recipe said; it seemed a bit thin after 25 minutes. But that maybe just me. I never had the original.
I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Jeffrey! Thanks for taking the time to write and trusting my recipe! – Meggan
Being from Southwest Ohio originally and now living in Denver, Colorado, this recipe “took me home “last night! You can’t compare head to head to a physical location, but we did grab a can of skyline chili from our local King Soopers grocery store, and this version had similar flavor and taste, but was a bit beefier, which everyone preferred! Thank you for sharing this recipe with us!
You’re welcome, Mike! I’m glad you all loved it! – Meggan
Made a half batech, and the Oregano seemed high. Overall it is also very sweet. Any hints on getting it a little more not sweet.
Hi BJ, sorry it came out sweet. You could add a little more chicken broth and maybe some Worcestershire to balance it out? Sorry again! – Meggan
Douce the top of your chili with Louisiana hot sauce or tabasco sauce! (Make sure the chocolate you use is unsweetened bakers chocolate) 🤗
Finally found a recipe that tastes like the real deal! I recently moved to Kansas and let me tell you- Kansas does not do chili!!! Thank you for posting this!!!!!
You’re so welcome, A.! 😊 – Meggan