Chili “Charcuterie” Board + My Favorite Chili Recipe!
Just like classic charcuterie, you can customize this chili board with all of your favorite toppings! First, we’ll start off with my mom’s classic chili recipe. (Trust me, it’s the best.) Then, you’ll serve it with a bunch of toppings like shredded cheese, cornbread muffins, jalapeños, and everything in-between. This is by far one of my go-to ways to feed a crowd for a party!
As an absolute soup/stew fiend, I can’t believe I never thought to make it for parties. But this last Christmas, Marc’s aunt served a veggie soup at the family holiday party and it got me absolutely pumped.
So now that the Bad Bunny concert Super Bowl is almost here, I thought I’d try out a little chili station! What I love about this bar is that it works for pretty much everyone. You can make my mom’s classic chili or try a vegan/vegetarian version if that’s your thing. If you have a bunch of people, make multiple kinds of chili. The world is your oyster (cracker), ya know?
Like I said, I’m sharing my all-time favorite chili below just in case you don’t have a version you love. It’s based on my mom’s original recipe that she’s been making my whole life, but I add extra ingredients I learned when I was in culinary school for a little more flavor. It’s seriously the best in my not-so-humble opinion!
Serve the chili alongside a few crowd-pleasing appetizers like sausage jalapeño poppers or even these little smokies in a blanket for chili dog vibes. It’s so easy, we love to see it!
Topping ideas
When it comes to toppings for a chili bar, you can get as crazy or as simple as you want. Usually, I just pick the amount of toppings based on the amount of people I’m inviting over. No need to go crazy if you have 8 or less people.
Try some of these ideas, and let me know if you have others!
- Chips & breads – tortilla chips, corn scoops (like Frito’s), mini cornbread muffins, crackers (like saltines, club, or oyster), mini soft pretzels
- Cheese – shredded cheddar, shredded pepper Jack, Cotija, queso fresco, or beer cheese
- Veggies & herbs – cubed avocado, jalapeños, pickled or finely chopped onion, tomatoes, fresh chives/green onions, cilantro, parsley, black olives, corn
- Sauces – sour cream, salsa, guacamole, hot sauce
Make the chili the night before
If you have time, I recommend making the chili the night before and heating it before the party starts. Not only does it save some time day-of, but the chili gets more flavorful as it melds in the fridge!
Assemble the board
Start by placing bowls of ingredients in a curved shape around the board. Then, you can fill in gaps with corn muffins, chips, mini hot sauces, or other dry items you have!
For certain ingredients like shredded cheeses and sour cream, you can cover the bowls and leave them in the fridge for a while. But for avocado, jalapeños, or other ingredients that brown or dry out, chop them up right before your guests arrive!
If you make this recipe, I would love it if you left a star rating and review! I read every single comment and love hearing what you think about my recipes. Thank you for supporting Sunday Table!
Easy Chili Board + The Best Chili Recipe!
Ingredients
Three Bean Chili
- 2 Tablespoons avocado oil, divided (30 milliliters)
- 2 pounds lean ground beef or turkey (900 grams)
- Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 large onion, finely diced (2 cups/250 grams)
- 1 large jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped (2 Tablespoons/20 grams)
- 1 Tablespoon tomato paste (15 grams)
- 4 large garlic cloves, minced (1 1/2 Tablespoons/15 grams)
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons chili powder (12 grams)
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 15 ounces kidney beans, drained and rinsed (1 can/425 grams)
- 15 ounces chickpeas, drained and rinsed (1 can/425 grams)
- 15 ounces black beans, drained and rinsed (1 can/425 grams)
- 28 ounces canned crushed tomatoes (800 grams)
- 4 cups low-sodium beef broth (960 milliliters)
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar, packed (12 grams)
- Hot sauce, to taste
Toppings (more ideas in blog post)
- Shredded cheddar, pepper Jack, or Monterey Jack
- Sliced jalapeños, fresh or pickled
- Pickled or finely diced onion
- Chopped chives, green onions, cilantro, and/or parsley
- Sour cream, salsa, guacamole, hot sauce
- Tortilla chips or corn scoops like Frito's
- Cubed cornbread or mini corn muffins
- Saltines, Club Crackers, or oyster crackers
- Diced tomatoes, avocado, black olives, corn
Equipment
- Dutch oven or large pot
Instructions
Three Bean Chili
- Heat 1 Tablespoon (15 milliliters) of avocado oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the ground beef or turkey with a big pinch of salt. Cook the meat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until there's no pink left and the meat is bite-sized. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the ground meat to a bowl, and then drain off any leftover fat.
- Return the Dutch oven to the heat and add the remaining 1 Tablespoon (15 milliliters) of avocado oil. Pour the onion and jalapeño into the pot and add a big pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, until the veggies are softened and starting to caramelize on the edges, 4-5 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste, minced garlic, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, and salt and pepper, to taste. Cook for 30 seconds, until the spices are fragrant and the tomato paste is dark red.
- Add the reserved ground beef or turkey, drained and rinsed beans, crushed tomatoes, beef broth, brown sugar, and hot sauce, to taste. Stir until the chili is well-combined. Bring the chili to a boil, cover, and reduce to a gentle simmer. Simmer the chili, stirring often, for 1 hour. Taste and adjust the seasonings, as needed.
Chili Topping Board
- Pour all of the "wet" toppings (like cheese, veggies, herbs, and sauces) into small bowls. Place the bowls in a curved shape around a large charcuterie board.
- Fill in the gaps of the board with dry toppings like chips, corn scoops, cornbread/corn muffins, crackers. etc. Set up a chili bar with the pot of hot chili, the toppings board, bowls, spoons, and serving utensils, and let your guests serve themselves. Enjoy!
