I lived most of my life in Southwestern Ohio. I now live in New Jersey. Who would have thunk it? Here I have access to many more ethnic foods but I miss a few treats from my homeland. Mikesell’s potato chips. Barq’s cream soda. Cincinnati Chili.
Cincinnati Chili, you say? Isn’t chili mostly the same everywhere (except for those pesky Texans insisting chili can’t have beans)? Nope. Cincinnati Chili is a dish all to itself. It is served around the southwest Ohio area at several restaurant chains devoted to it.
Skyline and Gold Star vie for the hearts and stomachs of the folks of Southern Ohio and Northern Kentucky. They have not yet even thought about wrestling with the digestive systems of New Jersey. While I have made homemade Cincinnati Chili for years, it was time to lighten up the recipe to fall into line with our new healthier way of eating. (Have I mentioned that it is going well? I have to wear a belt to keep my jeans up but am holding out on buying new ones for another 5 pounds.)
Cincinnati Chili from Skyline or Gold Star looks like this. A huge mound of deliciousness! (image from Gold Star Chili.com
One more thing before we go on to the recipe itself. It is important to understand the “ways” you can have Cincinnati Chili.
A Three Way: The chili on top of spaghetti topped with finely shredded cheddar cheese.
A Four Way: Chili on spaghetti topped with cheese and either kidney beans or finely chopped onion.
A Five Way: Chili on spaghetti topped with cheese AND kidney beans AND chopped onion. (My personal favorite.)
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 8 servings | 20 minutes |
| Cook Time | Passive Time |
| 90 minutes | 60 minutes |
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This recipe uses ground turkey with enough seasonings that it replicates the flavor of the original beefy Cincinnati Chili. I adapted this version from The Skylike Chili - Skyline Chili Copycat recipe by Tornado Ali on Food.com
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- 1 3/4 lb ground turkey
- 2 c chopped onions
- 4 c chicken broth
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes
- 3 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tbsp Cider Vinegar
- 2 tsp Worchestershire Sauce
- 2 3/4 tbsp cocoa
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper
- 1/4 tsp ground allspice
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1 bay leaf
- finely chopped onion
- finely shredded cheddar cheese (we used fat free cheddar...much better than it used to be!)
- canned kidney beans rinsed and drained
- Brown the turkey and chopped onion, breaking the turkey up into smallish bits as it cooks. Drain.
- Add chicken broth to the turkey/onion mixture and simmer 10 minutes.
- Add remain ingredients. Simmer uncovered 1 hour.
- Remove bay leaf before serving over pasta or spaghetti squash.
- Top with as desired with kidney beans, onions and cheddar cheese.
