All-American Chili

I liked the premise of the recipe and enjoyed it when my daughter-in-law made it. But when I made it there was an unwelcome sweetness to it that just didn't fit in a savory chili. I found out she didn't add the brown sugar to hers and it was very, very good and she even won a chili making contest. I will leave out the sugar next time absolutely. I may add a little more jalapeno or roasted poblano to give it a bit more kick.

Thank you for your post. We like it hot too.

Extra jalapeños all around! !!!

Just made this chili and yum!  I bought the wrong tomatoes so ended up using a 28 oz can of kitchen ready tomatoes and 2 14 oz cans of roasted crushed tomatoes.  I didn't get the hot turkey sausage but extra ground beef (almost two pounds) and we like it hot so added 4 jalapeños instead of 1. Next time I'll use 3.  This will need sour cream to tone it down.  The wine adds an excellent sweetness especially to offset the added hot I added.  Will make it again!!  

This is a great recipe! My family does not like a very spicy chili so I omit the jalapeños. You can add pepper for heat, or not. This is such a nice easy recipe. I've amended it from time to time, by adding steak cut in cubes, making my family think it's a new dish. It's perfect as is and we all loved it. It's best the next day, like all chili and stews, but excellent the same day. Very healthy and hearty. Thanks cooking light!!

Cooked as per recipe with the exception of brown sugar as I used honey and one can of red beans and one can of kidney beans. It turned out with great flavor but was a little more soupier than we like. Will make it again to see what I may have done wrong.

Very good. The wine was an interesting, but positive, addition. I accidentally left out the tomato paste and black pepper, and used a can of no-salt-added black beans and one of cannellini beans, as I already had them on hand. I also had to substitute hot Italian pork sausage for the turkey sausage, as I wasn't able to (easily and quickly) find hot Italian turkey sausage. I'm adding this to my "Keepers" file.

I used to make this regularly before we got hooked on white chili made with chicken and decided to try it again - the snowstorm was coming and my store was out of ground chicken! It's a good as I remember; I used 3/4 lb. ground sirloin and a hot Italian sausage (pork, not turkey, it was what I had on hand). I had about a cup left of an Italian dry red wine and added an extra 1/2 T of brown sugar to make up for sweetness - it ended up a little too sweet so I won't bother next time! I used 4 14-oz cans of fire-roasted diced tomatoes, two regular 14-oz cans, one with chipotle peppers, and one with green chiles, which made for nice spicy heat. I also used black beans, but otherwise I followed the recipe as is - yum!

I have made this recipe for more than 10 years. EVERYONE absolutely loves it! Yes, there are other recipes out there but this might be perfection. Don't skimp on the wine. It's a must. If you like more heat, you can always add more. If you prefer more mild, use less jalapeño. You can always get fancy but remember, this is chili.

One of our favorite recipes. It is my go to chili recipe. I don't find a need to make any modifications as it is a quite satisfying dish. I serve with cornbread on the side.

This is one of my favorite chili recipes - everybody I’ve made this for has loved it. I sub ground turkey, add more jalapeno and use half wine/half vegetable broth. I think the wine adds a nice flavor but can be overpowering if you use that much. Also try a spicy red zinfandel to make it less sweet. I've tweaked it a few times and finally found my perfect spice/wine balance. Serve over quinoa for a warm, healthy dinner on a cold night!

Chili recipes are like fish stories: Everybody has one. Most of the time all of the various chili recipes are all pretty good, just slightly different. Most ingredients listed with this recipe are par-for-the-course as far as chili recipes go. However, I have never added wine of any kind to my chili and I don't know anyone who does. This is especially true if you are going on the Chili Circuit to have your chili judged by people used to great chili. Chili like they serve and judge every year at the great Terlingua International Chili Championship in Terlingua, TX. http://www.chili.org/terlingua.html I have used beer, and that is quite common to use in chili. I usually put one bottle of Honey Brown Beer in my recipe and it is awesome. The longer you let it simmer and cook the better it is. But, as one reviewer stated, make this recipe your own and add or take away whatever suites you and your family's taste buds. After all, you're the ones who are going to eat it!

This chili was awesome! Of course I tweaked it a little but it was still delicious! My husband ate 3 bowls. I used Hillshire Farm sausage that I cut into small pieces, hamburger, and Bass Farm sausage. I cooked all of the meats separate and then added them into the pot together with the other ingredients that the recipe called for. I also used canned diced tomatoes that were seasoned with basil, oregano, and etc, and I did not use the wine. I would definitely make this again.

Good, solid chili recipe. Used wine the first time...but I don't drink, so the rest of the bottle was wasted, so I used beef broth the second time. The wine definitely gives it a distinct taste, but still really good with the broth instead.

I made it last night and it was sooooo good! Just had a bowl for lunch..delicious! I followed the recipe with a few changes..I didnt use sausage, just ground beef. I used red cooking wine. I used ALOT of chili powder and added mexican chili powder, chipotle pepper powder and onion powder...I also used jalapeños out of the jar..I waited till everything was boiling and then transferred to my crockpot where I cooked for 4 hours on High...I served it over white rice with shredded chedder and monteray jack cheese...It was very spicy but thats how we enjoy chili..I would definately recommend and I plan on using this recepi again in the near future

Best chili I've ever made! People in my office couldn't get enough!! I did make some substitutions, which is okay- make it your own! (it's not a boxed cake mix!)... I used hot Italian sausage instead of turkey sausage (1 Lb of each sausage & lean ground beef), I like cooking my own dried pinto beans instead of using canned kidney (whatever you like). I cooked dried beans first (in a large pot) after soaking over night, then added rest of cooked ingredients. I let it all hang out together & cook for a couple hours. I also prefer diced tomatoes, so used those instead. I added additional red pepper flakes & Tabasco and used Vidalia onion. Don't be stingy with the garlic! I had Cupcake merlot, so that's what I used. Really yummy!!!

This chili, as is, is kind of blah. But if you double the spices, it is excellent! I make it all the time and freeze it so I have some on hand. I even substitute ground turkey for the ground sirloin sometimes. We love eating this for lunch on the weekends.

I have made this many times, and it is just delicious, especially if you make it the day before and let the flavors meld. I use anaheim peppers instead of bells for more punch but otherwise follow the recipe. Everything else is essential. Without the sausage or the merlot, it's the not same recipe. Canned diced-T's are fine, by the way--no need to chop up a can of whole tomatoes.

Day one: just okay. Day two: excellent. Day four: flat. ...Only make if all of the chili will be eaten on day two!

I didn't love this chili. I've made better from other recipes on this site. The best part is how portable the dish is. Taking it to work was simple and satisfying. My only alteration was excluding the sausage. The stuff I had in the fridge was past its prime so I didn't use it. The chili was a bit thin at serving time so I added croutons while my wife added cornbread. I think what I didn't like about the chili was the whole tomatoes and the kidney beans. Next time I will used diced or simply cut the whole tomatoes up more before adding them to the pot. I'm not a bean specialist so I don't know if I generally don't like kidney beans or if I just didn't like them here. The last thing I'll add is some raw onions upon serving. I think that would have made the chili punchier.

This chili has such potential. All of the flavors were excellent except the chili turned out sweet! Yuck. I am not a fan of sweet chili. I will give this recipe another go, next time omitting the brown sugar. B.t.w. I only used 1 tbls brown sugar, not the recommended 2 tbls.

Very good. I would definitely make this again it had just the right amount of spice.

This is the best chili you'll ever eat. Usually, I prepare it up to the addition of the tomatoes, beans, etc., then put it in the crockpot on low for 8 hours. It's so nice to come home to this at the end of a cold day. For condiments I put grated cheese, onion, sliced olives, and sour cream out to top it off. Sometimes I'll also make white rice and spoon the chili on top. This is one of my go to recipes; I always know it will turn out perfectly.

Sooooo good!!! I didn't use sausage and I added some corn and it was extremely tasty!!!!

Excellent!! The only thing I deviated from was that I used a habanero pepper instead of a jalapeno and a poblano pepper instead of a green bell; I had these available fresh from my garden. For those who thought this needed a little more kick the habanero should do the trick (put on gloves and remove seeds/membranes though).

Great flavor. I always make extra and freeze the leftovers for a complete grab-and-go lunch!

WINNER!!! I cook meals for the week for my boyfriend and I since I commute 3 hours round trip daily. I made this on Sunday and had my first serving today, Tuesday...I almost licked my tupperware container!!! I'm already planning the repeat of this meal VERY soon! The only thing I did different was had a heavy pouring hand when it came to the merlot. Yummy, so much flavor.

This is a nice, basic chili recipe. I'd definitely omit the brown sugar. It doesn't need it and makes it too sweet. I also mix up the beans - maybe a can of black beans and a can of pinto. The wine is a nice addition though.

This was an AMAZING chili. My children even ate it and I couldn't get them to eat a different chili I use to make. The only thing I changed was I used Johnsville hot sausage. Entire family loved it,even my husband!

This chili is bland. It's not terrible but not great. I definitely do not recommend it.

This is a great basic recipe but mine needed much more liquid. I like thick chili but you couldn't even stir it! I added about 2 cups of beef stock and about 2 cups of water. Because of the added liquid I needed to add more spice so I added another 2 T of chili powder and 1 T of cumin. I also added about a t of cayenne pepper and about a t of red pepper flakes. I also left the seeds in the jalepeno. What can I say, I like it spicy! I also added a whole chopped red pepper and I only put about 2/3 cup of the wine in. It just didn't seem like a chili ingredient. I added some more salt too. Oh and I substituted one can of black beans for the kidney beans which made it nice with the two different beans. With my additions it was 5 star all the way!

Making this again tonight. I love it! The red wine adds a great taste, although I did reduce the amount to 1 cup and used a Cabernet instead of Merlot. I also didn't have tomato paste, so used 3 tablespoons of tomato sauce instead and drained out some of the liquid from the tomatoes (to counteract the tomato sauce liquid). I added pickled jalapeno slices since I hate cutting jalapenos up. I have made this at least 3 or 4 times...always very good-lots of flavor, maybe add a little more salt but delicious none the less!

For a real chilihead this was way too tame. Easy basic recipe for a cook-out, great to satisfy a variety of tastes. Guess that's why it is called All American Chili.

This recipe is great! I use fire-roasted tomatoes and sometimes substitute one can of the tomatoes for an equal size can of crushed. Sometimes I use only one can of kidney beans. The whole family loves it!

I only did 1 can of white beans and 1 can of kidney beans and 1 can of tomatoes as my pan would only hold that much. And 1/2 cup wine as I didnt want to give up my very yummy solitary bottle of merlot... AMAZING!!!

We loved this!

I have made this at least 15 times and it is ALWAYS outstanding. The first time I accidentally added a 1/2 cup more wine than it calls for and it was so good that I do it every time now. Along the way I also used a Spice Hunter chili powder blend that had some cinnamon in it and it was fantastic so now I always add a little cinnamon. It's my go to chili recipe.

A big hit with everyone at our football party!!!

This is an excellent chili recipe! I have made it twice, both times excellent. I did add 2 extra garlic cloves and used 2 jalapeno peppers (1 with seeds) and about a teaspoon of cayenne pepper. Easy to make and is awesome!

My family loved this. Actually, I think the red wine made the recipe. I made it in the slow cooker and it came out wonderful!

I didn't like this chili. It could be the wine that ruined it for me.

Great! Everyone in the family loved this one. It's not a spicy chili so add more jalapeno or chili powder if you want that. We loved the way it was though. Yum!

I made this chili last night and I can't wait to get home and try it again today! I followed it exactly as written (except I accidentally only bought one can of beans but it seems to be fine, just a bit meatier). It was DELISH, I loved the addition of brown sugar which added a hint of sweetness to the spiciness of the dish. This will absolutely be my go-to chili recipe going forward.

I just made this recipe tonight. It has really good flavor! I don't follow exact mearsurements in recipes but do add all the suggested ingrediants. I will definitely be making this again!

I live in Austria and have to tweek this a bit. Although we are very close to Italy, I have never seen anything that even closely resembles what we Americans call Italian Sausage. Believe it or not...I ground up some bratwurst and used that instead. I have been using this chili recipe for years and it never disappoints! Other than the sausage tweek I make it pretty much as written. Wunderbar!

Can the All-American Chile Recipe be made in the crockpot?

This was a very tasty, very easy chili! I am a chronic over-adder when it comes to soups and such, so I added a red bell, some celery, and carrot, then compensated for this by adding more onion, garlic, jalapeno, tomato, spices, and an extra can of beans. I also used a combo of regular tomatoes and fire roasted. For the beans, I added light and dark kidney beans (honestly I'm not aware of the difference) and pinto beans. I also added a little extra garlic powder along with the spices, just because I love garlic. I forgot to add the cheese when serving, and think it was delicious regardless (but plan to incorporate some cheese when I eat these tasty leftovers). I paired it with some homeade garlic bread, which I think fit it perfectly. Yum!!

LOVE this recipe! Great rich flavor and texture.

This was an excellent recipe! Made as written pretty much to the 't' but I used navy beans as I had them already. I was a little worried that it was a little soupy so I simmered it uncovered for 45 min instead of 30 but even had I stopped at 30 the flavor would have made up for any soupy-ness. I am freezing the leftovers minus a little for my lunch tomorrow. Many reviews suggest that it is even better the next day so I look forward to my next serving. Will be great with a salad.

Great recipe! I slice chicken sausage and use it in place of the turkey sausage. I also use ground turkey instead of ground sirloin. My boyfriend and I like it spicy so I usually add an extra jalapeno pepper and some crushed Thai dragon peppers from my father's garden. The spicy and sweet flavors are great together. Wonderful meal for winter!!

Solid Chili Recipe - you can make it more spicy with additional peppers, or keep it mild as written but using ground sirloin in lieu of the spicy turkey sausage. 2 cans of beans is a little much for this, but some folks like more in their chili and if you do too, keep it as written. The green bell pepper tastes a little odd in this according to my husband (self-proclaimed "chili kind of guy"), and we use cabernet sav. (as we don't drink / have on hand merlot).

So yummy! I substituted ground bison and added a chipotle chile (no seeds) instead of the jalapeno, but otherwise left the recipe alone. Will definitely be making this again!

This Chile is Fresh! It's good today, tomorrow and much later out of the freezer. I also use lean ground turkey. The flavors are that good1

This is now my staple chili recipe - it's delicious and the best I've had yet. I do add en extra can of beans and let it sit in a crock pot for a while though!

This is by far the best chili recipe...ever! I have used this recipe for a few years now and it is a family favorite. You dont need to change a thing...you can play with it to reduce or intensify the heat...it always turns out exceptionally good. TRY THIS RECIPE...you will not be disappointed!

LOVE this chili, my family, my friends and neighbors LOVE this chili! I add a packet of taco bell taco seasoning as my "secret ingredient" and I also use a red chili pepper and serrano chili pepper as well as the jalapeno, but we like ours spicy.

This chili was delicious - my whole family loved it. The only change I made was to cut back the chili powder to one tablespoon since I had used a large jalapeno pepper. It was so good the day I made it, I couldn't wait to eat it the second day once the spices had really blended. Fantastic!

This is my go-to chili. We love it. I sometimes substitute beer for the wine. It is excellent either way.

Too sweet for my liking, but has a great base of ingredients so it can be altered for your personal liking.

Decent chili, the wine made it a bit different but overall I wouldn't make it again. The only thing I did was add an extra jalapeno since prior reviews advised the chili didn't have much spice.

Excellent mild chili! I did make a few changes. Red pepper instead of green (just a personal pref), sweet turkey sausage (ditto), one seeded chipotle pepper and a teaspoon of adobe sauce in place of the jalepeno-next time I'll add an extra pepper and more sauce--four small cans of diced fire roasted tomatoes and light red kidney beans. I didn't add the wine. We don't drink and while I don't mind using wine in recipes, I never know what to do with the rest of the bottle! The juice from the tomatoes more than made up the fluid anyway. Served over crackers (for me) and straight (for the hubby) with extra sharp cheddar cheese and a dab of light sour cream. YUM!

This has been my go-to chili recipe since it first appeared in CL in 2003. Wouldn't even think of trying anything else. I've made it countless times (mostly exactly as written) and I can't even tell you how many requests I've had for the recipe. I love that it's a very flavorful chili, not a one-dimensional spicy chili like others. Perfect recipe!

There was not enough salt, I had to add more and my kids did not like it. It tastes strongly of wine and is sweet.

Fall is in the air so it was time for chili. Bored with our old stand-by recipe so tried this. We now have a NEW stand-by recipe...this one! Prepared according to directions with the exception of deleting the jalapeno pepper and adding 1 tsp Kosher salt and one can of drained Mexi-Corn. DELISH! Served with homemade Maple Corn Bread and sliced apples...a hit with hubby and me, too! Always a bonus when the cook likes the end result!

Delicious. Try adding some ketchup for an even richer, sweeter taste!

I made this on a rainy day in June. It's very good chili, I'd recommend adding a bit more salt (or using canned tomatoes with salt added), but other than that it's pretty spot-on!

BEST CHILI! I love this and make it 5-6 times each winter. Sometimes I substitute or add Bush's Baked Beans for kidney beans and put in beer instead of wine. I also add a bag of frozen corn. I will cook the meat almost all the way through to get rid of fat, then put it in the slow cooker for 2-3 hours. Easy to freeze, too.

This was the best chili I've ever had. The only thing I changed was using Trader Joe's fully cooked Italian chicken sausage in place of the sausage called for in the recipe, and it was still great. The wine really makes this recipe, and Trader Joe's Merlot works great (and is very affordable). I will definitely be making this for guests.

Definitely not my mom's chili (which has like four ingredients -- ChiliQuik being one of them). But, all in all, this was an interesting, good chili. I would make it again, but I'm also interested to try out some of the other chili recipes on here first. Not used to beans in my chili, but it turned out well.

Hands down this os one of my favorite meals. We have been cooking this since January 2003. It's nice features are the wonderful flavor, it's not to spicy for our parents, and great leftovers (if there any!).I normally double this recipe if we are feeding 6 people so I can have leftovers. I usually serve with cornbread and the same wine I cooked with.

None better!

Awful! Should have known from the get go....there is nothing American about red wine in chili! I tried it based on the great reviews and the unique inclusion of the wine, but the flavor doesn't scream game time to me. My cats wouldn't even eat it.

Very tasty and great for camping! You may want to cut out the beans, though, if you have to share a tent!

This is an outstanding chili recipe...I make it all of the time. I am going to try adding corn...someone gave me this suggestion. Other than that...it is a classic recipe in my home!!

Pretty good. Lowered calories by replacing wine with turkey broth, eliminating the brown sugar and I didn't opt to use cheese. Did not have tomato paste and forgot jalepeno and it was still delicious. Used 2 tablespoons cornmeal to thicken. Calories were still lower. Gonna keep this and work on the spices a bit more but it is delicious.

Best chili recipe! The flavor is rich and sweet and spicy! I sometimes tweak the amount of spice depending on who is eating it.

Best chili recipe I've ever made and so easy. My picky, picky hubby loves it. This will be our chili recipe going forward. I made it the night before and let it sit in the fridge until dinner since chili is always better the next day.

My family and I (little kids included!) absolutely love this chili recipe and have been making it for many years now! Also, I make big batches because it freezes well.

The best- I have made it at least one or two dozen times since it was published. I never deviate from the recipe and the result is always the most delicious bowl of chili. Serve with a green salad and some crusty fresh bread.

Look no further -this is the only chili recipe you need! It is delicious and adaptable. I have made this with red wine, and with beef broth, and we prefer the broth (also more family-friendly). I omit green pepper; in Texas, we do not want green pepper in chili! One can of kidney beans is enough to our tastes. Overall, this recipe can't be beat. The combination of hot sausage and beef makes it unique. Penzey's Medium Hot Chili Powder is our choice.

I made this exactly as written and cut the salt. It wasn't bad but I was disappointed based on all the good reviews. Just didn't think it was anything special and I have made other chili recipes that are much better.

Yum! I halved the recipe and followed it exactly just omitting the salt. It is perfect comfort food and hard to believe it is light. Will be making this one again and again. Hubby loved it too.

Have made this time and time again, I always add more jalepeno b/c I like it hot, but it is always excellent and a crowd pleaser, and everyone says the red wine addition just makes it that much better!

My husband and I absolutely loved this chili. We didn't have the turkey sausage on hand so I instead used more ground sirloin. This turned out nice and spicy since the seeds were added with the jalapeno. Such an easy recipe to make!

I've been making this for about 2 years now and absolutely love it. The best part is you can play around with the recipe and it still comes out good. I think the wine really makes it. It adds a great flavor to the chili and I would never have thought to add wine to chili. I usually like to add some stew meat in additions to the ground beef and sausage. I also like a thick chili so I usually drain one of the cans of tomatoes. Great recipe and don't be afraid to make changes, I always try something different each time and it always comes out great!

It was really good, I used turkey burger and regular italian sausage.. I rinse off the canned beans to reduce sodium. I think next time I would add a tsp of red pepper or an extra jalapeno to increase the heat. I might add mushrooms and some more beans. My beans did get a little mushy so I might add them but I am not sure if it will make a difference.

ALL TIME FAVORITE! Super easy! Tastes better the 2nd and 3rd days!

Great Chili. I followed the recipe exactly and loved it. I seeded the pepper. It had some kick, but wasn't super spicy, which is how I like Chili. If you want more kick I'd use the seeds. If you want it super spicy- use another 1/2 of a pepper.

Excellent, satisfying chili. When I first read the recipe, red wine seemed out of place, but it blended very well with the flavors and was a subtle enhancement. Next time I would add more chili powder. As written, the dish has a fairly mild, but pleasant chili powder flavor. We like ours with a little more spice.

Great recipe! I did change some minor things...I used chili beans instead of kidney, 2 cans of regular diced tomatoes and 2 cans of fire roasted, pinot noir instead of merlot, diced jalapeno with seeds and all, and I half way drained the tomatoes. I may not do that next time and instead, add one can of kidney beans, along with the 2 cans of chili beans. I also think it needs one more jalapeno pepper with the seeds for some xtra kick or at least a 1/2 another one.

This recipe is really fantastic. We were cooking for only two of us, so we did make some changes. 10oz ground turkey breast, 1 link hot Italian turkey sausage, 3/4c red cooking wine, omitted the salt because the cooking wine is salted, added about 2 Tbsp of chicken broth, kept most of the other spices the same except cut back slightly on the cumin. I browned the meat with the onions and peppers, then tossed everything into a crock pot on high for 5 hours. Served with Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread Muffins. Super delicious and quick/easy!

I've been making this recipe for years, and it always turns out great! Best, most reliable chili recipe I've ever found.

This was really good. I simplified it a little to accomodate what I had in my fridge and it still turned out really well. I used groud turkey rather than beef, no sausage, and used one can of kidney beans and one can of garbonzo beans. I added a little more spice than the recipe called for since I didn't have the sausage and it was very good. I like recipes where you can play around with the ingredients and it still turns out well! And it was even better the next day!

I have been making this recipe for several years and my friends and family love it. I even won a chili cook-off with it. It is even better if you make it the day before you are going to eat it!

This was really good. I made some changes too, based on preferences and past reviews. I halved the recipe because I was only cooking for me and my husband and didn't want too many leftovers. I used chili beans instead of kidney beans. I used about 6 ounces of pork sausage (not in casings, just the jimmy dean type). I used about 1 1/2 tbsp chili powder. And I used a 35 oz can of tomatoes because that's what I had on hand and considering the extra meat I figured it would work out. I also browned the ingredients as specified, added the wine and brought to a boil and then put it in the crock pot for 4 hours (the last hour uncovered). It was really excellent chili. Served it with FF sour cream and cheddar and some bread on the side. My husband also grabbed a few baked tostidos scoops and scooped it out of the slow cooker! Very delicious, and I will make it again. Don't skip the wine! I will probably add a little more chili powder next time.

This is the chili recipe I keep going back to after experimenting with others. It's consistently GOOD. When I've made it for groups, there are always requests for the recipe. I didn't have a jalapeno this last time and so substituted a 1/2 teaspoon of the regular chili powder with chipotle powder and it worked well.

The perfect amount of spice for me, perfect consistency. Will definitely make it again and again.

I made this for dinner. My hubby was really impressed bcoz it was my first time making chilli and he loves it. I left out the jalopeno and wine, instead I substitute it with beef broth. And it turned out really good.