Easy Authentic Cincinnati Style Chili

When my older brother comes to town, we all know where he is headed first. For some Skyline chili! I grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio and when you talk about chili in Cincinnati, you mean Cincinnati style chili. Cincinnati chili is a spicy chili that is poured over spaghetti and piled high with cheese and running over with oyster crackers. And it is a favorite in our family. You are going to love this easy authentic Cincinnati style chili that will turn ground beef into a dinner experience!

As mentioned, my older brother loves Skyline chili, a restaurant that serves Cincinnati style chili. Family legend even has it that once when my brother was picked up at the airport, by my dad, on THANKSGIVING DAY, they made a pit stop at Skyline chili before coming home. But as I don’t want to throw my brother under the bus and bring up bad memories for my dear mother, who at the time was home slaving over a hot stove, I won’t mention that story;) Due to my brother’s family living out of state, my sister-in-law resorted to finding a copycat Skyline chili recipe which we have all swapped and tweaked for years.

Note: This post contains affiliate links.  If you purchase through a link, Hickory Hollow Farm will receive a small commission, at no additional cost to you, used toward keeping our recipes and country life help coming! I only recommend products I appreciate and trust. Thank you for your support! Full disclosures here.

Since I still live in Ohio, I can certainly run to get the real deal down the road, but as we try to stay on budget by not eating out too much, I love having this easy authentic Cincinnati style chili recipe that I can make at home! And the canned Cincinnati style chili is very pricey so I typically only use it for dips.

So let’s jump into the tricks and secrets into how to make this chili at home! While this Cincinnati style chili comes together quickly, one major trick to making this chili taste like Skyline chili is to make it ahead and then put in the fridge. The time allows the flavors to really come together for that rich spicy Cincinnati style chili experience. I typically either make it the day before. Or I make it in the morning, let it simmer for an hour or so, cool and then put in the fridge till evening.

Authentic Cincinnati style chili recipe is full of spices. I love to use all the spices, but then I ensure that rich Cincinnati chili style flavor by using part of the packet of store bought Cincinnati style seasoning packet. It varies which packet I use, but I tend to use one called Cincinnati Recipe. As you will see the recipe below has lots of seasonings. So I just use the pre-made seasoning packet to up the flavor while still using individual seasonings.

And lastly, I owe my final tip to my sister-in-law. I kept complaining that my chili never turned out as good as hers till she coughed up her secret! After the chili is all made, take 1/3 of the chili and place in a blender! Who knew? Blend for just a few seconds. You just want to make a portion of the meat super fine to create a sauce that covers the noodles better. Then place the blended chili back into your pot of chili and stir to recombine.

Finally, Cincinnati style chili can be made served several different ways. You can have a 3-Way which is spaghetti, chili and cheese. A 4-Way is spaghetti, chili, beans or onions and cheese. And a 5-Way is spaghetti, chili, beans, onions and cheese. Whichever way you choose, you’ll love this rich Cincinnati style chili!

Enjoy! Grab the handy recipe down below!