8 Regional American Chilis to Try

Chili may have its roots in Mexican cuisine, but this humble stew, always made with some sort of chile pepper, is uniquely North American — and it’s as diverse as the places in which it’s made. From beefy, beanless Texas red to the creamy white chicken chili found in the Southwest, there’s a chili to suit every taste. 

“Chile was more than a favorite flavoring for Mesoamericans,” says Robb Walsh, author of The Chili Cookbook: A History of the One-Pot Classic. “Along with the vitamins and minerals contained in chile peppers, the peppers also acted as a preservative.” 

Modern chili’s story began around the 1880s, with the Chili Queens of San Antonio, a group of women who started selling chili from roadside stands over mesquite fires in San Antonio’s public plazas like Military Plaza and Market Square. 

“The chili stands of San Antonio’s Laredito barrio were located on the edge of the red light district,” explains Walsh. The city was a popular tourist destination, and the district was a place where people from all walks of life, both high and low, tended to gather. “The idea that spicy foods incite illicit passions was part of the dish’s early allure.” 

Increased regulation eventually shut the chili stands down in the 1930s, but helped to solidify chili as a dish of its own. In 1896, Texas-based German immigrant William “Wille” Gebhardt trademarked Eagle Brand Chili Powder, a proprietary blend that was likely made with common chili spices like ground chiles, cumin, oregano, and black pepper. Chili powders with ingredients like garlic powder and paprika took off. 

So what is modern chili? The International Chili Society has categories for traditional red (red chile peppers and no beans); homestyle (beans required); and chili verde (made with green chile peppers). Beyond those unofficial definitions, curious and tasty regional variations abound that are worth tracking down. Here are eight of the most interesting and flavorful regional chilis from around the country — and where to try them.

Texas: chili con carne (aka Texas red)

Chili con carne is one of the earliest versions of the modern dish we call chili. The name hearkens back to early Mexican dishes that called for spicing cooked game meat, such as venison, with the fruit from the native chile pepper plant — where all modern peppers come from. It’s often (but not always) made without tomatoes, and is more focused on larger chunks of stew meat cooked in a spicy sauce.

Most Texans consider “true” chili con carne to be made without beans — and it even became the state dish of the Lone Star State in 1977. One of the great popularizers of this dish was midcentury journalist and author Frank X. Tolbert, who wrote numerous stories and a book about it. You can find his version at Tolbert’s Restaurant in Grapevine, Texas. 

Illinois: tavern-style chili

The most historic spot to enjoy a bowl of tavern chili is The Dew Chilli Parlor, which introduced the dish when it opened its doors in 1909 in Springfield, Illinois. The restaurant has been serving bowls of tavern chili to state politicians, locals, and visitors ever since.

Today, the dish can also be found across the state at restaurants like Lawson’s and Smitty’s. Also called “Springfield Chilli” (yes, with two L’s) by locals, it’s often made with ground beef, beans, and tomatoes. It uses dried chili powder and plenty of cumin. One distinguishing ingredient is beef suet, an unprocessed fat that is often rendered into tallow. 

Indiana: Hoosier chili 

Indiana’s contributions to the lexicon of peppery meat-and-bean stews might not be as well-known as others, but the Hoosier state is one of the earliest proponents of an untraditional chili ingredient: pasta. 

Though southern Ohio may be better known for chili over spaghetti (more on that below), Indianapolis residents were suggesting noodles both long and short as a budget-minded way to stretch a pot of stew as early as 1908. Today, Hoosiers have happily added tomato soup, cans of vegetable juice, potatoes, and more add-ins to the mix. 

You can get a bowl of Indiana chili (minus the pasta) in a bowl or served over a burger or fries at our favorite fast-food restaurant in the state: Schoop’s Hamburgers. 

Ohio: Cincinnati chili 

In 1922, brothers Tom and John Kiradjieff began serving a Greek-style spiced meat sauce over hot dogs, and then eventually over spaghetti, to residents in the Queen City. Over 100 years later, Skyline Chili and its competitor, Gold Star Chili, both dominate the fast-food scene in Southern Ohio, each with its own distinct version of the chili. It has also been adopted by numerous local restaurants. 

Cincinnati chili is more of a sauce or topping than a standalone stew, but it has more in common with Texas red than other chilis. It’s made exclusively with ground beef and typically uses chili powder rather than fresh chiles. Its real distinction is the combination of other spices, which can include clove, allspice, nutmeg, and particularly cinnamon (though apparently not chocolate, despite rumors).

While beans aren’t in the chili, they’re sometimes a topping. Order Cincinnati chili three-way for chili with spaghetti and cheese, four-way for the addition of either onions or beans, or five-way for both. 

Hawaii: Zippy’s chili 

Francis and Charles Higa opened the first Zippy’s restaurant in Honolulu in 1966, serving a particularly Hawaiian brand of fast food that blends American, Japanese, Korean, Native Hawaiian, and Chinese dishes.

The chain grew quickly and now has 22 locations across the islands and one (since 2023) in Las Vegas. Zippy’s signature dish is chili served with rice — customers buy more than 100 tons of it per month, according to the restaurant’s website.

Zippy’s keeps its chili recipe closely guarded, but that hasn’t stopped numerous fans from trying to recreate the slightly tangy concoction at home with ground beef, Portuguese sausage, and pinto beans. Many people claim it must include mayonnaise. Others have sworn it has a touch of ginger. All agree that it’s a uniquely creamy, not too spicy, and flavorful concoction.

Midwest/Southwest: white chicken chili 

While there are many variations of white chili across the country, it does have some generally agreed-upon elements. Instead of beef or pork, it is made with chicken or another type of poultry. In lieu of red beans, this chili uses white beans such as chickpeas or Great Northern. White chili tends to omit tomatoes, though it may include tomatillos. It is mostly made with fresh or canned green chile peppers, and it often includes cream and plenty of cheese.

According to Walsh, the first print mention of white chili came in a 1984 cookbook by the Junior League of Kansas City. The recipe caught on quickly, both with home cooks looking to make a “lighter” dish without the red meat and with white-tablecloth restaurants wanting to offer a more refined version. 

By the early 1990s, health-focused magazines such as Cooking Light and Weight Watchers were featuring low-calorie, low-fat versions, while Bon Appétit featured a version from now-closed Louisville, Kentucky, restaurant Timothy’s. Others touted the white chicken chili from Washington D.C.’s Bistro Bistro, another departed restaurant.

Today the flavorful combination of cream, chicken, green chile peppers, and white beans mostly shows up on recipe websites. Because of the fresh green chile peppers and tomatillo, white chicken chili is now most often associated with the Southwest.

New Mexico: Hatch chili verde

Hatch green chile peppers are closely associated with New Mexico (especially the town of Hatch, where they’re grown), where the distinctively tangy and spicy peppers are involved in dozens of regional dishes, including salsas, burgers, enchiladas, queso dips, and more. 

Like white chili, Hatch chili verde tends to eschew beef. The main protein is most often pork, and you’ll also almost never find tomatoes or beans. Typically, the dish begins with a sauce made of Hatch green chiles and tomatillos as well as cumin and garlic; the pork is stewed in the sauce until tender.

Try it at The Shed in Santa Fe or Duran Central Pharmacy in Albuquerque. 

Colorado: green chili 

New Mexico’s northern neighbor has not been content to sit idly by while the state claims all the chile pepper fame. The town of Pueblo, Colorado, has been growing its own green pepper, aptly named the Pueblo chile, for generations, since at least the early 1900s.

The state’s restaurants mainly use the chiles for a chili-like sauce to smother dishes like burritos or burgers. Versions abound with proteins like pork and chicken at restaurants such as Savina’s Mexican Kitchen (formerly known as La Loma) in Denver and Castle Rock and El Taco de Mexico in Denver.