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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.
Such a great and easy recipe!!! Big flavor. I’ve made it multiple times and it’s perfect every time. The only thing I tweaked was that instead of putting the raw meat directly in, I cook it separately in a pan until its about 3/4ths of the way cooked (plus added more chili powder and garlic powder to the meat while its in the pan), drain the excess fat and then I add it into the mix with everything else. I think this gives it additional flavor and a little bit less fat. Delicious!
I’m so glad you loved it, Judy! Thanks for writing. Take care! – Meggan
I’ve never had Cincinnati chili but I’ve been dying to try it. I followed this recipe exactly and according to my boyfriend who loves Skyline Chili it was spot on.
I subbed impossible ground for the ground beef and added a can of kidney beans at the end and it was perfect.
Thank you for this recipe!
You’re so welcome, Roz! Thank you for trusting my recipe, I’m glad it was adaptable and you both loved it! – Meggan
Please ignore Dodie’s cut about Skyline Chili; that’s just westside talking. Those other places are good too, but Skyline is best known for a reason.
I made this tonight for dinner and loved it! I added 2 tsp of Better Than Boullion beef flavor. I didn’t have allspice so omitted that. Will definitely make again!!!
Thank you for the comment, Regina! I’m glad you loved it! – Meggan
Not one chili parlor in cincinnati uses chocolate in their recipe.
Hi Frank, thank you for sharing. – Meggan
Cincinnati is my hometown, and though I now live in Atlanta, I would never eat chili in Atlanta. These people don’t know what they are doing. This is a great recipe, but something is missing, I’ll have to ask my mother. It may be cumin? Anyway, nice job. I will say that every hill of Cincy has their own flavor and Skyline chili is despised by locals. That’s for people who are passing through town. My parents went to Delhi Chili on Delhi Road until the owner died, right behind the counter. His wife retired and moved away. I hope she’s enjoying a beach! 🙂 Best chili, and not easily replaced. Gold Star chili is another chain, and they, like Skyline, make a canned retail product that is at best, meh, and more like yuck. Your recipe is better. I will say that some people grind onions and brown those, then add the meat. it adds a distinct flavor and since you see no onions, it’s hidden. 🙂 Price Hill Chili is one of the best, But my mom and I swear by Empress Chili, now that Delhi is no more with Camp Washington being a close second. One thing I think is import, you have to shred the cheese right. It needs to be super finely shredded and should be mounded about four inches high – I’m not lying. I wish I had a way of sending you images of these old joints, they are still there, right in the heart off Cincy. 🙂
Hi Dodie, I’m thrilled to hear that you enjoyed my recipe. I would love to know your mother’s thoughts on what may be missing! And thank you for letting me in on the secret with grinding the onions, this is a fantastic idea and I will definitely be trying this tip when I make my next batch. Take care and thank you for sharing your tips and memories with me! If you ever have more tips or memories to share, please write!- Meggan
do I cook the hamburger first?
Hi Lois, sorry for the confusion. No, the ground beef doesn’t need to be cooked first. You can add it to the tomato-onion mixture after step 2 then bring to a boil. Take care! – Meggan
Why chicken stock? Does beef stock not work?
Hi Rick! If you know Kenji from Serious Eats or have ever heard of his book The Food Lab, he talks about this sometimes. So the reason why I use chicken broth instead of beef broth is “because Kenji says so.” However, the reason HE says so is that, and I’m paraphrasing his book The Food Lab: “There is very little beef in canned beef broth. Food manufacturers are lazy and concerned about their bottom line… instead of simmering veal and beef bones, they use natural and artificial flavorings. According to the USDA’s guidelines, beef or pork broth only has to have 0.007 ounces beef protein present for every ounce of water. So beef broth doesn’t taste much like beef. Their flavor, if any, is enhanced with yeast and vegetable extracts. Chicken broth will have more/better flavor overall because it is cheaper to make.” I hope this is helpful! Here’s another article I found online which discusses this and also references Kenji’s info on the subject. https://lifehacker.com/use-store-bought-chicken-broth-instead-of-beef-broth-fo-1755022375. I hope this helps! – Meggan
Love it!
Hi Meggan,
Great base of operations. As a native Cincinnatian and Greek chili nut I appreciate your recipe. The cinnamon and chocolate are an absolute must. As a cook im weary of the sweetness depending on the tomato sauce (which could be packed with sugar), I went with the cinnamon and chocolate first, a little less brown sugar, and just a dash of the cloves and all spice. A bit sweet, so I doubled the cumin. Here’s the thing I think it’s missing…TIME! I made it in the morning after breakfast, left the Dutch oven on the warming spot and by dinner, BAM! All those intricate flavors got mushed together (that’s a technical term…) and it was great. A dash of ground cayenne pepper, just enough to hit the edge of your tongue, not to linger. People think Gold Star chili has “more” pepper, the hot dogs they use have crushed red pepper in them. Fun!