Easy Chili Board + The Best Chili Recipe!
This chili topping board is kind of like charcuterie but for game days or holidays! All you need is a batch of my go-to chili, all of your favorite toppings, and some small bowls for serving. Then, set up a chili topping bar and let your guests serve themselves! This is an easy (and super popular!) way to cook for a big crowd.
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!
Notes
This chili recipe will serve 8 as a meal or 12-16 people if you're making other snacks (or serving the chili as an appetizer).
If you prefer a thicker chili, you can use 3 cups (720 milliliters) of beef broth. For a soupier consistency, add more as needed.
Feel free to swap the beans with any of your favorites. Sometimes I use pinto!
If you don't like spice, feel free to skip the hot sauce.
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!
The nutrition information is just for the chili and does not include any toppings, etc.
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 431kcal, Carbohydrates: 40g, Protein: 36g, Fat: 15.7g, Saturated Fat: 5.3g, Cholesterol: 70mg, Sodium: 1048mg, Potassium: 780mg, Fiber: 11g, Sugar: 12g, Calcium: 76mg, Iron: 2.6mg
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