35 Reviews of Skylike Chili - Skyline Chili Copycat

From: Vragis357

On Oct 28, 2007

This tastes the closest to Skyline chili I've ever had. I only did a couple things differently. First, I salted to taste. 1/2 a tsp doesn't really cut it. More importantly was how I cooked the meat. The first time I followed the recipe I browned the meat and onion like it said to. This made for a bit chunkier chili than Skyline variety. This time I cooked the onions (which should be closer to minced than chopped) with a wee bit of olive oil, then threw in the beef raw along with the stock and stirred it well to break apart the meat. I let the mixture then come to a boil while I prepped the other ingredients, stirring occasionally. Cooking the meat this way made for a smoother texture this time around. Enjoy!

From: bobo3039

On Aug 14, 2005

This is my favorite chili. The combination of spices makes for a wonderful final result. And even though many might think chocolate is a bizarre addition to chili, it just adds a little mellowness to the chili. I serve this over pasta with lots of cheese, onions but NO beans.

From: Abbey Dubbel

On Dec 24, 2006

When my family lived in Ohio we went to Skyline Chili all the time. I've tried to duplicate the recipe before without much success. This recipe is extremely close to the real thing, with or without the cocoa. I've made it both ways. Now that we live in Oklahoma and can't get Skyline Chili I'm thrilled to be able to make this myself.

From: KyAmy

On Jun 27, 2007

This is as close as you can get to the "original" without Nick Lambrinides coming after you! lol Skyline Chili is definitely an aquired taste and if you're not familiar with or use to eating chocolate in your chili, it can be disliked rather quickly by its unique taste. I had friends visit from northern Ohio (Cleveland area) and even though they use to have a Skyline, my friends never had it before. They, too, didn't care for it. HOWEVER, my DH really liked this recipe. He thought I had actually gotten a can of the "real stuff", not made with my own two hands! I showed him this recipe and he was thrilled to see a recipe for Skyline! We can now have Skyline Chili without actually going out for it — or buying a can of it in the store! I also sent the recipe to my sisters-in-law who both LOVE and miss Skyline. One lives in New Jersey and the other in Tennessee. I'll be sure to let you know what they think of it, but if they're anything like us (Cincinnatians who grew up on Skyline) they will appreciate having the recipe! Thanks, Tornado Ali, for posting this one! YUM YUM!

From: Chef #513819

On Oct 13, 2008

This was pretty close to Skyline. However most recipies you do not Brown the beef prior to starting the chili. Here is how I fixed it to make it more in line with Skyline chili. I pureed the onions and garlic in a food processor. Then suateed the garlic onion mix in a little olive oil until the liquid evaporated. Then I added the Beef stock and brought it to a boil. Then I added the raw gound beef and wisked it in to break up all of the chunks. Then I added the rest of the ingedients and simmered on the stove for a little over an hour. If you are a true Skyline fan I would add a bit more salt and cut out or halve the ground red pepper (Cincinnati Chili is not spicy at all). I also added a tablespoon of dark brown sugar to the spice mix Overall this was great recipe for Skyline chili. Whith a few minor adjustments.

From: bzsoccermom

On Jul 24, 2009

Really close! I was surprised how similar it was. I halved it. Minced the onion in my food processor. Sauteed the onion until soft. Added the meat (extra lean). Quickly used my spatula to finely separate the meat before it started to cook. Added the remaining ingredients and cooked as followed. For those not use to Skyline and have married into it (like me), don't forget to put the Tobasco out on the table like they do in the restaurant. It makes all of the difference for us novices. Thanks for sharing!

From: CaramelPie

On Oct 28, 2005

My family really liked this chili. My extremely picky son loved it. I served it over waffle fries & with grated cheese. The cocoa did add a mellowness to the chili which we really liked. I still like the regular kind of chili, but will still make this, too.

From: jmerph

On Feb 2, 2007

This chili tastes exactly like I remember! I grew up in Ohio and we always ate at Skyline. I'm so thrilled to be able to make this chili now! I highly recommend this recipe to anyone who loves Skyline. I threw it into my food processor at the end to make the texture more like skyline's. I cant wait to share this recipe! It is fantastic!!

From: Chef #253176

On Oct 22, 2005

This is very, very good. I am wondering if the other reviewer used sweetened cocoa? The chocolate adds a smooth rich flavor, similar to mexican mole.

From: Greg: Barrow, Alaska

On Feb 26, 2007

very authentic