Ina’s Garten’s Chili Recipe Is Balanced, Bright, and Seriously Good (2024)

• Recipes

updated Dec 11, 2019

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When it comes to celebrity chefs, Ina Garten is in a league of her own. She doesn’t need a last name to be recognized — and she has a fandom that seriously loves her. Ina’s recipes are also some of the most noted in the food world. The original flag cake, her famous engagement roast chicken — the list of beloved Ina recipes goes on and on. So when searching the internet for a quality chili recipe, I knew Ina would have something in her repertoire.

When I first came across Ina’s chili recipe, the thing that caught my eye was that it doesn’t call for beans or ground beef. Ina instead uses skin-on, bone-in chicken breasts and swaps the beans out for a slew of vegetables. As someone who considers myself a chili purist, I had my doubts — but with 496 reviews and a five-star rating average, I knew it had to be good.

So how would it compare to other famous chili recipes on the internet? And could a chili made with chicken really be all that great? I whipped up a batch to find out.

How to Make Ina Garten’s Chicken Chili

It’s no surprise that Ina’s chili recipe is a cinch to make. You start by cooking a ton of onions in a pot until translucent, then adding garlic, bell peppers, and several spices — including chili powder, cumin, cayenne, and red pepper flakes.

Next, Ina has you crush canned plum tomatoes with your hands. This process is a bit messy, but it keeps the tomatoes nice and chunky so your chili retains some texture. You’ll add those to your cooked onion mixture along with a handful of chopped fresh basil, and let it simmer for 30 minutes.

While that’s cooking, Ina has you roast skin-on, bone-in chicken breasts in the oven. Once cooked, remove the bones and skin, cut the meat into big chunks, and add that to your chili. Serve with chopped onions, tortilla chips, shredded cheese, and sour cream.

What I Thought of the Results

Ina’s chili was delicious, light, and had a bright flavor that made it taste fresh. The basil (while unexpected) added a wonderful herbaceous note that elevated the entire thing. In fact, I liked the basil addition so much that it made me wonder why everyone doesn’t add basil to their chili. As written, the spices and salt level were also spot on (which wasn’t necessarily true of some of the other famous chili recipes I tested). The chicken was tender, moist, and made it feel substantial. Overall, Ina’s chili is the perfect thing to cook if you want something that’s hearty but won’t weigh you down.

That said, here’s my issue.

If we’re searching for the best chili recipe, I’m not sure this counts. While it’s absolutely delicious, it didn’t really taste, look, or present itself as a traditional chili. It was almost as if Ina wanted to create a chili recipe for people who hate chili — and if that’s the case, she did an amazing job — but it’s more like a chicken and tomato stew than a chili. (To be clear, I loved how this chili tasted. I just don’t think it’s technically a chili.)

If You Make Ina Garten’s Chicken Chili …

1. Don’t skimp on the fresh basil: Adding fresh basil to the chili may sound odd, but it was a serious game-changer. It added a bright, aromatic note that elevated the entire chili. I ended up garnishing my bowl with additional chopped basil when serving and loved the flavor it added.

2. Make sure you buy bone-on chicken breasts with the skin still attached: Another highlight of Ina’s chili was the perfectly cooked chicken. The recipe calls for using bone-in, skin-on split chicken breasts, and it really made a big difference. The chicken was tender, flavorful, and so much better than anything you could achieve using boneless, skinless breasts. (Plus you get to eat the crispy skin after roasting, so it’s well worth it.)

3. Don’t crush the canned tomatoes too much: Ina calls for using whole, canned plum tomatoes and crushing them with your hands. Although it’s easy to smash them until they’re smooth, hold back and keep them chunky. The large pieces of tomato add a great texture to the chili and make it feel hearty.

Overall Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Ina’s chicken chili recipe is seriously delicious — but don’t expect a hearty, stick-to-your-ribs chili loaded with ground beef and beans. It’s light, simple, and more like a stew than a chili. I loved it.

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