Ask A Philadelphia Chef: Your Top Chili Recipe

Chili is a cold weather favorite. Hearty and filling, this no-fuss stew will warm bellies on the nastiest of winter days. CBS Philly brought you a list of the best chili dishes in Philadelphia last winter. This year, Philadelphia chefs are offering their own chili recipes, so you can serve hot bowls of delicious chili at home.

Chef Al Paris
Green Soul
8229 Germantown Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19118
(215) 242-2300
www.greensoulliving.com

Chef Al Paris has over 30 years of experience in the restaurant business, and over the past few years, he has been at the helm of a sort of Chestnut Hill takeover, with three restaurants to his name. Green Soul was his second spot. The counter-service casual spot features health-conscious items such as soups, wraps, sandwiches, salads, juices and smoothies. This turkey chili is a lunch favorite on chilly days.

Down Home Turkey Chili

• 1/2 pound hand-shredded roasted turkey breast leftovers
• 1 pound ground turkey meat
• 1 ounce olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 2 tablespoons ancho chili powder
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 chipotle pepper, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup tomato paste
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 3 cans full-red marinara
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 2 ounces brewed decaf coffee
• 1 ounce dark molasses
• 1 can kidney beans

Directions:

1. Sauté ground turkey meat in olive oil just until it is cooked throughout.
2. Mix with hand-shredded turkey breast and add onion, jalapeno, garlic and red pepper.
3. Cook for 2 minutes.
4. Stir in the chili powder, salt, oregano, brown sugar, chipotle, cocoa powder, tomato paste and cayenne pepper.
5. Stir in marinara, water, vinegar, coffee, molasses and beans.
6. Simmer for 20 minutes on low heat to allow flavors to develop.

Related: Top Hearty Soups In Philadelphia

Chef Laura Viegas
Cook and Shaker
2301 E. Albert St.
Philadelphia, PA 19125
(215) 426-2665
www.cookandshaker.com

Laura Viegas trained at the Natural Gourmet Institute in New York City. She has worked in the restaurant business for over 15 years, including in Australia. While she's a bit of an industry veteran, Cook and Shaker (opened in fall of 2012) is her first restaurant. Here, she brings many cooking views to each of her recipes, focusing on high-quality local ingredients whenever possible. Cook and Shaker is a cozy neighborhood bar and restaurant embedded in the Fishtown neighborhood. Viegas has lived in Fishtown for over 10 years, so it's truly a spot for the locals, by the locals.

Chili

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 red bell pepper, small dice
• 1 green bell pepper, small dice
• 1 jalapeño, minced
• 2 Fresno peppers, small dice
• 1 white onion, small dice
• 1 large carrot, small dice
• 1 can (15.5 oz.) black beans
• 1 can (15.5 oz.) red beans
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can (28 oz.) whole plum tomatoes
• 1 can (8 oz.) tomato paste
• Splash hot sauce
• 1 bunch of parsley, finely chopped

Directions:

1. Brown the ground meat. Discard excess oil and place meat in a bowl.
2. Sauté the peppers, onion and carrot.
3. Put the meat back in the pot, adding the beans, paprika, cayenne and garlic.
4. Cook for 5-10 minutes.
5. Add the tomatoes, tomato pasta and hot sauce.
6. Simmer for 45-60 minutes.
7. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Chef JC Pina
Jet Wine Bar
1525 South St.
Philadelphia, PA 19146
(215) 735-1116
www.jetwinebar.com

Café Ynez
2025 Washington Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19146
(215) 278-7579
www.cafeynez.com

Chef JC Pina lives in South Philly and has been working in Philadelphia for 11 years. Formerly at Tinto and Morimoto, he is now the executive chef at Café Ynez and Jet Wine Bar. After growing up in Mexico City, Chef Pina is excited to bring a new wave of Mexican food to Philadelphia at Café Ynez. His recipes at the casual diner-style BYOB use traditional Mexican spices and fresh ingredients in unexpected ways. His goal is to create new flavor combinations, while staying true to his roots.

Quick & Easy Chili for Two

• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 pound ground beef
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 red bell peppers, chopped
• 2 green bell peppers, chopped
• 2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons ground paprika
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 can (12 oz.) red kidney beans
• 1 can (12 oz.) diced tomatoes

Directions:

1. Sauté garlic and beef in a large sauce pan with olive oil over medium heat for 15 minutes, or until browned.
2. Add all other ingredients and cook over medium heat for additional 15 minutes.

Chef Jason Cichonski
The Gaslight
120 Market St.
Philadelphia, PA 19106
(215) 925-7691
www.thegaslightphilly.com

Ela
627 S. 3rd St.
Philadelphia, PA 19147
(267) 687-8512
www.elaphilly.com

Chef Jason Cichonski grew up in Bucks County and graduated from The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College. He worked at several restaurants in Pennsylvania and New Jersey and served as executive chef at Lacroix in the Rittenhouse Hotel. Recently, he had the chance to show off his culinary skills as a contestant on Bravo's popular series "Top Chef." And today, he can just about always be found in the kitchens of his own Philadelphia restaurants - Ela and The Gaslight. Chef Cichonski developed the venison chili recipe below because he has a good friend who hunts locally and provides him with an abundance of fresh venison. He has scaled this recipe back to serve 4 to 6 people.

Pennsylvania Venison Chili

• 3 pounds venison butt (hind leg), diced
• 1/2 pound pork fat back (not salted), diced
• 8 cloves garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground cinnamon
• 4 dried Guajillo chile peppers, stems removed and ground as finely as possible
• 2 dried chipotle chiles, stems removed and ground as finely as possible
• 1 onion
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1 large Spanish onion, diced
• 3 red bell peppers, seeds and ribs removed and diced
• 32 ounces whole peeled tomatoes
• 6 ounces canned black beans
• 2 ounces tomato paste
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup cider vinegar
• 2 cups small diced butternut squash or other sweet dense vegetables such as carrot or celery root

Directions:

1. Mix the venison, pork fat back, garlic and spices in a large very cold bowl.
2. Using a meat grinder with the medium grind die, grind the meat and spices.
3. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
4. Coat the bottom of a large pot with soy bean oil and heat until it smokes.
5. Add the meat mixture to the pot and cook until browned evenly.
6. Remove the meat from the pan, leaving any residual fat.
7. Add onion, peppers, beans and squash to the pot and sweat until tender.
8. Add the sugar, vinegar and tomato products and bring to a boil.
9. Lower the heat, cover and simmer gently for 30 minutes.
10. Add the meat back to the pot and cook for an additional 15 minutes, or until the ingredients are tender and you have a thick stew-like consistency.
11. Season with salt to taste.

Related: Top Spots For Comfort Food In Philadelphia

Michelle Hein is the social media editor for a women's fashion company in Bucks County by day and a self-proclaimed food and drink fanatic by night and weekend. She enjoys attending wine classes, trying new recipes in the kitchen and going to old favorites and new restaurants alike in the Bucks County and Philadelphia area. If the writing gig doesn't pan out, she constantly dreams of owning her own bakery…perhaps connected to the restaurant/bar that her lawyer husband would love to open.
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