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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.
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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.
I haven’t thrown it out! I normally eat things that most people find repulsive like Kim Chi. Curry both middle easten and Thai. Well people in this area that is. This is growing on me though the cinnamon, cloves and allspice on beef is interesting just not expecting it I guess. I’ll have to make it for my wife though. I’ve pampered her to much with the food I know she will like. I believe it’s time for her to branch out.
Ah yes, nothing like a stinky vat of Kim Chi on your counter to start the day off right! But seriously we made it in culinary school, that was my first exposure to it but I loved it. And all the curries, at least all I’ve had so far. I’m taking an International Cuisine class starting in February so I hope after that I have a clear understanding of all the curries. I’m basically stuck on Tikka and Vindaloo at this point! The Cincinnati Chili is weird for sure, “on the tails of the distribution” as my husband would say, but after a few bites I realized that I really liked it. I have to give those Ohio people credit for their madness! I can’t wait for your wife to try it – I’m just imagining her scowl now. 🙂 Take care and have a great weekend, thanks for playing nice!
I don’t know if it’s good but it’s not bad just different, I’m from the PNW. It’s edible which is good.
Edible is good, yes! Ha ha ha! I can’t tell if you’re giving a wry smile or rolling your eyes while you were writing your comment. But thanks for not firing me!
Cincinnati Chili is one of my favorites so I was glad to try out your recipe. It was wonderful! Delicious AND easy to make, using staples I already had in the house. I will halve the amount of chili powder next time because I like my chili on the mild side. Perfect meal on a cold winter day! Thank you!
I see posts about boiling the meat but instructions don’f mention it
Hi Bob, Step #3 says “Stir in beef and bring to boil.” You’re not boiling it in water, but I think this is what everyone in the comments is referring to. If you have other questions just let me know. Thank you!
My family ate at Skyline while passing thru the Cincinnati area a couple of years ago. This recipe brought back all the delicious memories! It was just so good! I buy beef in bulk and thus used 80/20. A lot of grease floated to the top as it boiled, but I was able to skim off almost all of it while it simmered. I thought about boiling the beef in water first next time, as some other posters have done, but I think I’ll just do it the way it calls for. I’m sure the whole dish benefits from the meat cooking in the seasoned broth, and again, it skimmed easily. Thank you for a keeper!
I live in Cincinnati and love Skyline, and also make my own Cincinnati chili often. I feel I should mention that it seems very unlikely two pounds of raw ground beef will be cooked all the way through in 15 or 20 minutes, even at boiling. My recipe call for boiling an hour to an hour and a half, and that’s only using one pound of ground beef. Just be careful, make sure it’s fully cooked.
Hi Mimi, thanks for your comment. It has never taken longer than 20 minutes for me to cook that much meat – maybe it’s because I use a gas stove?? But then again boiling is boiling. I will read up on the subject and ask some of my chef instructors at culinary school and see what they think. Thank you!!!
I feel very wierd about boiling the ground beef. Could it be fried and then added? Or is this specific to Cincinnati chili
Hi Katie, I think this is specific to Cincinnati Chili. But I understand completely, and you’ll still get the overall gist of the recipe if you fry and then add the beef. I feel weird about boiling ground beef, too (but I tried it, I liked it). Feel free to do whatever you want! Consider this recipe a blank canvas for your own ideas. Thanks for the question! 🙂
A little late to the party I know, but I just wanted to say the reason for billing the beef vs. browning it first is for the unique texture, as well as soon the beefy flavor to the water. It creates a finer texture characteristic to Cincinnati chili (I also use an immersion blender after it’s cooked to break up any chunks).
It’s best to boil the beef the day before, refrigerate it, skim the solid fat, then proceed with the recipe.
This is so crazy because I just sitting here calculating amounts for a 3x recipe for Cincy chili for my husband’s birthday party this weekend and this recipe pops up on my feed! My husband is not even from Ohio (I am) but Cincy chili is his favorite! My mom’s recipe has the same suspect ingredients: allspice, cinnamon, cloves and she puts in unsweetened bakers chocolate. We live in NC now and I know our guests are going to wonder what the heck is going on with chili over spaghetti! Anyways, it is really the best though and I always try to make a point to stop at a Skyline whenever I’m back home.
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I was looking at several different recipies of Cincinnati Chilli and when i came across yours, it was a definite yes! My husband and i both loved it!
Thanks for the awesome recipie!