When i was young, it seemed like everyone just added crackers to their chili. Just plain saltines, no flavor, no alterations.
I know now that it was just my parent’s tastes and not that common in the rest of the “world”. In fact, I hated chili night at my house when I was a preteen. I thought chili was a watery, tasteless soup with huge chunks of tomatoes and bland ground beef (Sorry, Mom!) The first Super Bowl party I can remember, attending with my parents when I was just about 10 years old, I tried the host’s large pot of chili. My parents saw that I had a bowl of their chili in my hand. Before I tasted it, they warned me that it was “really hot” and I wouldn’t like it. They were right, I freaking LOVED it. I had 3 bowls at least. One more lesson from that day was that they something else to add to chili that I hadn’t seen: Cheese.
Personally, shredded Cheddar is my go-to cheese, but avoid the ones with anti-caking agent because it stops it from melting well. If you like a really melty cheese, consider adding colby or jack cheese add a create creaminess.
One thing that is a given (at least for any chili that you can find in a restaurant or on a shelf) is HOT SAUCE. I’m a huge believer of making my homemade chili taste fresh and spicy, but not too hot. That way I can customize the final product with the hot sauce heat level and flavor of my choice. There are so many different great hot sauces out there, I’ll have to discuss those in another post.
While I’m ok with just cheese and hot sauce, adding a carb in your chili can really take it to the next level.
I remember the first time I ditched the spoon and dipped a tortilla chip into the chili, now you have a chili & cheese covered nacho. Other crunchy toppings that really up your chili bar are corn chips like Fritos, “Scoop” tortilla chips (multigrain Tostitos are amazing), and traditional crackers such as saltines or oyster crackers.
Raw onion, jalapenos, sour cream and cilantro are great on top. At first, I was worried it would ruin my chili, but now I choose my chili add-ins depending on my mood, taste, or whatever is in my pantry!
What do you add to your chili (other that hot sauce)? Here of some toppings I’ve seen across the country over the years:
- Cheese
- Saltines
- Oyster Crackers
- Raw Onion (usually Red)
- Sour Cream (helps tame down the heat level if you added too much hot sauce)
- Bread (thick loaves, like sourdough or Italian)
- Tortilla Chips (If you use Scoops, you don’t even need a spoon)
- Corn Chips (like Fritos)
- Cilantro
- Avocado
Here are some great sides to add to if you want to create your own chili bar: - Tater Tots
- Pasta (I enjoy elbows or rotini mixed in.. or you could do it like Skyline or Steak’n’Shake, and make a Chili 3/4/5 way)
- Cornbread (not really a topping, but a great side)
- Sliced Jalapenos (or other diced peppers)
When you create your perfect bowl of chili, what toppings do you use? Don’t forget to use our recipe for amazing chili using the Eat Good Chili Seasoning mix!
