This post may contain affiliate links.
Award Winning Chili Recipe is the rich, hearty, slow cooker chili that has won over my whole family, and I first made a giant batch one chilly football Sunday when the girls had friends over and the pot was scraped clean by halftime. It simmers low and slow until the flavor is deep and unbeatable, and if you love cozy comfort food you have to try our Frito chili pie casserole too.
Browning the beef with the aromatics and spices first is the secret to that deep, cook off worthy flavor.
Award Winning Chili Recipe Quick Look
- 🕐 Prep Time: 15 minutes
- 🍴 Cook Time: 8 hours
- ⏳ Total Time: 8 hours 15 minutes
- 🍽 Serving: 12 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 320kcal
- 🌶 Flavor Profile: Rich, hearty, and savory with a mild smoky chili warmth
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, on par with our easy meatloaf
Quick Answer
Brown two pounds of ground beef and cook it with diced onion and green pepper, then stir in chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Transfer everything to an 8 quart slow cooker and add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, rotel, salsa, chili beans, and black beans. Stir well and cook 6 to 8 hours on low or 5 to 6 hours on high, then serve with your favorite toppings.
Jump to:
- Award Winning Chili Recipe Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to Make Award Winning Chili Recipe
- Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Serving Ideas and Suggestions
- Award Winning Chili Recipe FAQs
- Other Recommended Comfort Food Recipes
- Slow Cooker Award Winning Chili Recipe
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Browning the beef builds flavor. A good sear creates savory browned bits that give the whole pot a deeper, meatier taste.
- Blooming the spices wakes them up. Cooking the chili powder and seasonings with the beef before slow cooking releases their full aroma.
- Three kinds of beans add texture. Chili beans in sauce plus black beans give body, creaminess, and heartiness.
- Salsa and rotel layer the tomato flavor. They stack tomato, onion, pepper, and spice for complexity you cannot get from plain tomatoes.
- Low and slow melds everything. Hours in the slow cooker let the flavors marry into one rich, cohesive chili.
- Uncovering thickens it perfectly. Removing the lid at the end cooks off extra liquid for a thick, scoopable bowl.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It is mostly hands off. Brown the beef, dump everything in the slow cooker, and let it do the work.
- It feeds a crowd. This big batch is perfect for game day, potlucks, and chilly weeknights, like our spaghetti and meatballs.
- It tastes even better the next day. The flavor deepens overnight, so leftovers are a treat.
Key Ingredients
- Lean Ground Beef: The hearty base. Brown it well and drain so the chili is rich, not greasy.
- Onion and Green Bell Pepper: The aromatic foundation that adds sweetness and depth.
- Chili Powder and Spices: Garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper round out the signature chili flavor.
- Tomatoes, Rotel, and Salsa: A trio of tomato products that build complex, layered flavor.
- Chili Beans and Black Beans: Three cans of beans give this chili its hearty, satisfying body, perfect over our hobo hamburger foil packets too.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
- Make it spicy. Add diced jalapenos, cayenne, or a chopped chipotle in adobo for real heat.
- Switch the protein. Ground turkey, chicken, or a mix of beef and sausage all work well.
- Add more veggies. Stir in corn, diced carrots, or extra peppers.
- Go low and slow on the stove. Simmer in a Dutch oven if you do not have a slow cooker.
- Serve it loaded. Spoon it over fries or chips like our Frito chili pie for a fun twist.
How to Make Award Winning Chili Recipe
- Cook the ground beef in a large skillet over medium high heat until almost no pink remains, then drain. Add the onion and green pepper and cook until they soften.
- Stir in the chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper.
- Cook for another 5 minutes until fragrant and the beef is well coated in the spices.
- Transfer the seasoned meat mixture to an 8 quart slow cooker.
- Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, rotel, salsa, chili beans, and black beans, and stir well to combine.
- Cover and cook 6 to 8 hours on low or 5 to 6 hours on high. Serve hot with your favorite toppings.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Drain the beef well. Removing the grease keeps the chili rich instead of oily.
- Do not skip browning the spices. Toasting them with the beef is what builds that award winning depth.
- Stir occasionally if you can. A stir every hour or so keeps anything from sticking to the bottom.
- Uncover to thicken. Take the lid off for the last 30 to 60 minutes for a thicker chili.
- Taste before serving. Adjust salt and chili powder at the end to suit your crowd.
- Make it ahead. The flavor only gets better, so this is a great do ahead dish.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
This Award Winning Chili Recipe is a meal on its own, but it really shines with the right toppings and sides. I love setting out bowls of shredded cheddar, sour cream, sliced scallions, and crushed tortilla chips so everyone can build their perfect bowl.
For a full spread, serve it with cornbread or pair it with our cheeseburger sliders for a game day feast. Leftover chili is also amazing spooned over our Frito chili pie casserole or piled onto baked potatoes and hot dogs.
However you serve it, make the full pot, because this chili disappears fast and tastes even better the next day.
Award Winning Chili Recipe FAQs
This chili layers deeply browned beef, sauteed aromatics, and a blend of tomatoes, salsa, and three kinds of beans, then slow cooks for hours so the flavors meld into something rich and complex. That depth of flavor is exactly what wins chili cook offs, and it is easy to make at home.
Salsa is the secret weapon. It adds a layer of tomato, onion, pepper, and spice all at once, building flavor faster than any single ingredient could. Combined with the rotel and chili beans in chili sauce, it gives this chili its signature taste.
Yes. After browning and seasoning the beef, add everything to a large pot, bring to a simmer, then cover and cook on low for at least an hour, stirring often. The slow cooker just makes it hands off and deepens the flavor even more.
Remove the slow cooker lid for the last 30 minutes to an hour so some liquid evaporates. You can also mash a few of the beans against the side of the pot or stir in a little tomato paste to thicken it up.
Shredded cheddar, sour cream, and sliced scallions are classic, but diced onion, jalapenos, crushed tortilla chips, or a handful of corn chips are all delicious. Set out a toppings bar and let everyone build their own bowl.
Store cooled chili in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, and it actually tastes even better the next day. It also freezes beautifully for up to 3 months, so make a big batch and stash some away.
Other Recommended Comfort Food Recipes
If you make this Award Winning Chili Recipe, I would love to hear how it turned out! Leave a star rating and a comment below, and tag us in your photos. Happy cooking!
Love hands off dinners? Make these hamburger foil packets next.
Have leftover chili to use up? Try our a baked Frito pie casserole, a bubbling bake of crunchy Fritos, rich chili, and melty cheddar the whole family devours.
Looking for more? Try this slow cooker cube steak recipe for another easy family favorite.
Add our broccoli cheddar soup to your cold weather rotation for a rich, cheesy, comforting dinner.
For another set-it-and-forget-it meal, make our slow cooker chicken and dumplings with tender chicken and fluffy dumplings.
Ladle up this chili and snack on our boiled peanuts while the big game is on.
Round out the comfort food spread with our steak fingers.
Game day calls for a big batch of firecracker chex mix on the side.
Need a crowd-pleasing dinner? Our chicken alfredo bake feeds twelve and reheats like a dream.
Slow cooker fan? Our shredded beef tacos are a set-it-and-forget-it taco night winner.
For another cozy slow cooker meal, try our Ritz cracker chicken, creamy chicken with a buttery cracker topping.
For another hands-off crockpot dinner, make our tender slow cooker steak bites.
Slow Cooker Award Winning Chili Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 pounds lean ground beef 80/20
- 1 cup chopped white onion
- 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 – 28 ounce cans petite diced tomatoes
- 8 ounce can tomato sauce
- 10 ounce can rotel
- 1 cup salsa
- 27 ounce can chili beans in chili sauce undrained
- 16 ounce can chili beans in chili sauce undrained
- 15 ounce can black beans drained and rinsed
Instructions
- Add the ground beef to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Break it up into crumbles and cook until there is almost no pink left, 8-10 minutes. Drain well.
- Add the onion and pepper and cook until they start to soften about 5 minutes.1 cup chopped white onion, 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
- Add the chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper, and stir well to combine. Cook for an additional 5 minutes until fragrant, stirring often.2 tablespoons chili powder, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 2 teaspoons onion powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- Place the meat mixture into an 8-quart slow cooker.
- Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, rotel, salsa, chili beans, and black beans. Stir well to combine.2 – 28 ounce cans petite diced tomatoes, 8 ounce can tomato sauce, 10 ounce can rotel, 1 cup salsa, 27 ounce can chili beans in chili sauce, 16 ounce can chili beans in chili sauce, 15 ounce can black beans
- Cook for 6-8 hours on low or 5-6 hours on high, stirring every hour or so if you can to make sure nothing sticks. To thicken slightly, remove the top for the last 30 minutes to an hour.
- Serve immediately with your favorite toppings.
Notes
- Brown the Meat Well: Browning the ground beef before adding it to the slow cooker adds a lot of flavor and gets rid of excess grease. Don’t skip this step!
- Stir Occasionally: If you can, give the chili a stir every hour or so while it cooks. This helps prevent sticking and ensures even cooking.
- Let It Simmer: The longer you let the chili simmer, the better the flavors will meld together. If you have the time, let it cook on low for the full 8 hours.
- Customize the Heat: Adjust the amount of chili powder and rotel to your taste. If you like it spicier, add more; if you prefer it milder, use less.
- Use Quality Ingredients: Using high-quality ground beef and fresh vegetables can make a big difference in the flavor of your chili.
- Serve with Toppings: Offer a variety of toppings like cheese, sour cream, and green onions so everyone can customize their bowl.
Nutrition
Love This Recipe?
Follow @ThisSillyGirlsKitchen on Instagram and @danadevolk on Pinterest for more!
For another saucy, scoopable family dinner, try our easy smothered burritos.
Very good! Just enough heat. I don’t like real spicy food and this was perfect. Just had to add a little more salt. Thank you for my go to chili recipe.