Food Soups & Stews Warm-You-Up Chili Recipes By Midwest Living editors Midwest Living editors Midwest Living's experienced editors create best-in-class travel, lifestyle, food, home and garden content you won't find anywhere else. We're loudly, proudly Midwestern, and we're passionate about helping our audience explore and create through award-winning storytelling. Midwest Living's Editorial Guidelines Updated on November 30, 2022 Trending Videos Photo: Blaine Moats A simmering pot of chili is sure to warm up your kitchen—and your family—on a cold day. Try vegetarian chili, chicken chili, meat chili, slow-cooker chili and more. 01 of 24 Smoky Beef, Black Bean and Corn Chili Blaine Moats This hands-off, slow-cooker recipe has just a pound of ground beef and a can of stock. All the rest of the heft and taste comes from black beans, fire-roasted tomatoes, smoked paprika, chipotle peppers and corn tortillas. Hearty Slow-Cooker Soups, Stews and Chilies View Recipe 02 of 24 Colossal Chili Long, slow simmering melds flavors in this recipe from The Spice House in Evanston, Illinois. Simmering Soups and Stews View Recipe 03 of 24 Chicken Chili Short on time? Move the slow-cooker setting for this mild white chili recipe to high. If you like, serve in store-bought bread bowls. Slow-Cooker Chicken Recipes View Recipe 04 of 24 Chipotle Black-Bean Chili This chili is great for tucking into your slow cooker in the morning, so you can come home to a warm winter dinner. Omit the meat if you'd prefer a hearty meatless main dish. If you like, add chopped avocado or shredded cheese as toppers before serving. View Recipe 05 of 24 Apple Harvest Chili Fresh apple, dried fruit and cashews add color, sweetness and crunch to a ready-in-45 vegetarian chili. For a twist on the traditional toppers (and to hint what's inside), garnish with apple slivers. Top Vegetarian Recipes View Recipe 06 of 24 Warm-Me-Up Chicken Chili Combine chicken, chopped vegetables and canned beans for a warm and comforting chili. This recipe gives variations for Slow Cooker Chicken Chili as well as a spicier Chipotle Chicken Chili. View Recipe 07 of 24 Cincinnati-Style Chili Locals spar over whether Skyline or Gold Star makes the better version (and whether the secret ingredients should be cinnamon, cocoa or allspice). Whichever, chili in the Queen City translates as a mild, meaty sauce served over spaghetti noodles and topped with shredded cheese. Favorite Midwest Hometown Recipes View Recipe 08 of 24 Harvest Chipotle Chili Sweet potatoes and apples hold their own with spicy chipotle chilies in this perfect sweet-heat balance. Does it take a lot of peeling and chopping? Yes. Is it worth it? Oh, yeah. View Recipe 09 of 24 Hearty Vegetarian Chili Many vegetarian chilies eat more like soups, but ours is built to satisfy a meat-lover. Bulgur wheat and mushrooms combine to mimic the texture and flavor of ground beef; chili powder, smoked paprika and chocolate stout lend deep, authentic flavor without a long simmer. View Recipe 10 of 24 Mexican Winter Chili Cook pork in a blend of cocoa powder, cumin, cinnamon, pumpkin and poblano pepper for a rich, hearty chili. Our Best Pork Recipes View Recipe 11 of 24 Shredded Pork Posole Hominy is the signature ingredient in this traditional, chili-like Mexican soup. Sizzling Mexican and Tex-Mex Recipes View Recipe 12 of 24 Lansing Fire Chili Chili, a one-pot meal, is a dinner table staple at many Midwest firehouses. Lansing Fire Chili comes from Lansing, Michigan's Fire Station 8. The recipe uses beef roast and pork sausage, plus a surprise ingredient: a chocolate bar. (If you prefer less spicy chili, omit the jalapeno pepper.) View Recipe 13 of 24 Cherry Chili It's everything cherry at Michigan's Cherry Republic stores. Put their tangy fruit salsa to good use in this white bean and chicken chili. View Recipe 14 of 24 White chili White chili typically combines chicken broth, navy beans or Great Northern beans, chicken and flavorings for a stew that tends to be milder than the beefy red chili recipes. You can still adjust the heat up or down, though, by using more or less chilies and red pepper. Our White Surprise Chili (recipe above) has been a favorite with readers for years. Our Southwestern White Chili recipe uses canned beans for a quicker-cooking chili. View Recipe 15 of 24 Pumpkin Chili This recipe, submitted by Melanie Madore of Ashland, Missouri, was a finalist in a Midwest Living recipe contest. Unlike many pumpkin chilis, what sets this one apart is using cubed pumpkin (or butternut squash) rather than canned. Prizewinning Reader Recipes View Recipe 16 of 24 Winter Woods Chili The meat lovers in your family will love this chili, which combines beef and bacon. Mix a classic cheddar topper with fresh oregano for a new twist. View Recipe 17 of 24 Two-Alarm Famous Chili This recipe has been passed down from firefighter to firefighter over the years at Fire Station 1 on Mulberry Street in Des Moines. The recipe we received, based on 8 pounds of ground beef, serves 15 to 20 people— or 10 firefighters. We trimmed it down to 2 pounds of beef, which should make 8 to 10 servings at your house. A firefighter describes this chili as "spicy without being too hot to hurt you." View Recipe 18 of 24 Chicken Salsa Chili This quick and easy chicken chili takes just 15 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook. Serve with assorted toppers such as sour cream, low-fat yogurt, chopped red onions, shredded sharp cheddar cheese and chopped avocado. Fast-Fix Weeknight Meals View Recipe 19 of 24 Chunky Bean and Chicken Chili Crushed tortilla chips, stirred into the chili's base, give this dish a lusciously creamy texture. Put it together in just 20 minutes. View Recipe 20 of 24 Zesty Black Bean Chili Another quick-fix recipe, this chili uses a variety of canned or ready-to-eat ingredients, including salsa, black beans, vegetable juice and turkey kielbasa. Great Recipes for Canned or Dry Beans View Recipe 21 of 24 Three-Bean Beauty Chili When we asked for readers' best chili recipes, Midwest cooks submitted dozens. We found that innovative ingredients—whiskey, red wine, cocoa powder and molasses—work magic on the basics of meat, beans and, of course, chilies. Three-Bean Beauty Chili was one of the winners. View Recipe 22 of 24 New World Chili Pumpkin, dried cranberries, jalapeno peppers, and turkey add an unusual flavor twist to slow-simmering chili. 20 Ideas for Leftover Turkey View Recipe 23 of 24 Pork and Jalapeno Chili This chili comes from the Firehouse Brewing Company in Rapid City, South Dakota. Chocolate takes the edge off the tangy tomato flavor. The chili won first place at the Black Hills Stock Show Chili Cook-Off. View Recipe 24 of 24 Pineapple Pork Chili This five-ingredient dinner, flavored by ground pork or beef and pineapple salsa, goes together in just 20 minutes. 5-Ingredient (or Less) Dinner Recipes View Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit