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Chasen’s Chili – adapted from the famous Chasen’s Hollywood restaurant recipe which was a favorite with actors including Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton
Recently I was digging through my old files of hand written and photocopied recipes and came across one for the famous Chasen’s Chili.  You may not know this, but “back in the day” we didn’t have the internet and had to keep actual paper copies of recipes and photos – haha.  I still have recipes and cookbooks collected more than 30 years ago and every now and then, I do a little digging.  It’s always interesting to peruse the archives, and this time a recipe for Chasen’s Chili caught my eye.  I don’t remember where I got it but it looks like a note on the front is in my mother’s handwriting. Anyway, my curiosity was peaked so I jumped on the ‘world wide web’ to investigate this legendary recipe.
My copy of the Chasen’s Chili recipe claims to be from a famous Hollywood restaurant named Chasen’s.
Back in the days of glamour, glitz and the ‘Rat Pack’ many of the rich and famous were regular patrons of the restaurant.  My search found this to be true with photos and articles to support this claim, and similar recipes to the one included below.
Of course I had to make the chili, especially if it’s so good that Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton had “gallons dispatched to Rome when they were over there making CLEOPATRA.”
Also, I didn’t follow the recipe exactly but adapted it to an easier method, with a little less fat and added a bit more heat. I’ve included a scanned copy of the original recipe below if you want to make it like they did in the old days.
So … are you wondering if we loved it?
Absolutely!  We’re big fans of chili anyway but found this to be a little different … in a good way.  I love that it’s packed with meat and made with dried pinto beans instead of canned.  The sauce is not as tomatoey as some you may find today, but that’s not a bad thing either.
I’ve never been to Hollywood but understand the restaurant stayed open until the mid 1990’s.  I bet some of my LA friends will remember the restaurant or maybe heard stories about famous actors driving around back to pick up Chasen’s Famous Chili to go.  Whether or not you love Hollywood, or even a good recipe story, if you love chili I think you will love this recipe as much as we do! It freezes beautifully and even tastes better the next day.  It’s great for football parties, tailgating extravaganzas or camping in the mountains which is where I will be enjoying it next!
Thanks for PINNING!
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PRINT THE RECIPE!
Chasen's Chili
Ingredients
- ½ pound pinto beans
- 4 14.5 ounce cans fire roasted diced tomatoes (NOT drained)
- 2 large green bell peppers, ribs and seeds removed, chopped
- 2 large Hatch Chili peppers, ribs and seeds removed, chopped (substitute jalapeños if desired)
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 large white onions, chopped
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 2 ½ pounds ground beef, 80-85% lean
- 1 pound ground pork
- â…“ cup chili powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 - 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 ½ teaspoons seasoned salt, such as Adobe, Accent or Lowry's
- 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
Instructions
- Rinse and sort dried pinto beans removing any debris. Place the beans in a 7-8 quart soup pot and cover with cold water by at least one inch. Cover with a lid and soak overnight.
- When ready to cook, drain and lightly rinse the beans and place back in the pan. Cover with fresh water by at least two inches. Heat on medium and bring to a boil. Lower heat to maintain a simmer and cook until the beans are tender, but not soft; about 45 minutes. Add water if needed during cooking to keep most beans covered.
- Add the canned diced tomatoes and cover the pot with a tight fitting lid, and reduce the heat to low.
- In a large skillet, warm the vegetable oil over medium heat. Once shimmering, add the green peppers and sauté for five minutes. Add the onion and cook until tender, stirring often. Push the peppers and onions aside making a hole in the center of the pan. Add the minced garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Pour the pepper mixture into the beans and add the parsley.
- Return the skillet to the heat and add the butter. Once melted add the ground beef and pork and cook, breaking the meat into large chunks until cooked through.
- Quickly drain the meat in a colander (don't leave it to dry out) and return it to the skillet. Add the chili powder and sauté for about five minutes or until all the meat is coated in the spice.
- Add the cooked meat to the pot with the beans along with the salt, pepper, cumin, seasoned salt, cayenne and tomato paste. At this point you can add a little water if you think it needs it to ensure all ingredients are wet.
- Cover and simmer (do not boil) chili for 1 hour, stir occasionally taking care not to smash the beans.
- Remove the lid and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Serve garnished with sliced green onions and shredded cheese if desired.
Recipe Notes
- Chili freezes beautifully and is wonderful the next day
Nutrition
Here are a few more chili and soup recipes you might enjoy!
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Oh how we love cornbread!  I whipped up a batch to go with our chili and was so happy with it, I posted it! Click HERE for the recipe for SKILLET BUTTERMILK CORNBREAD!  I hope you had a nice weekend with wonderful weather.  The weather in Virginia is so beautiful this time of year.  The sky is deep blue, with light breezes and cool nights.  Perfect weather to get outdoors and take a hike, go camping or enjoy a football game.
Thanks so much for stopping by! Â Tricia
stephanie
Hi Tricia,
Can’t wait to make this! I used to frequent Chasen’s and their chili was delicious. Now the restaurant is a Bristol Farms Grocery Store. C’est La Vie! The only odd thing is, I can’t figure out how to print the recipe. When I select print, only the first page image comes up. I guess I can take screenshots and print those.
Cheers,
Stephanie
Tricia Buice
Hi Stephanie – I think you might be trying to print the scanned copy of the old recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe toward the end of the post. Hope that helps! So glad you’re going to try it. I doubled checked and it seems to be working for me. Thanks again.
Karen (Back Road Journal)
Sounds like a tasty chili recipe…and if it was good enough for Liz and Richard, I’m sure I would like it. 😀
Tricia Buice
Hi Karen! This is delicious. We ate it for days and days and even froze a big container to take camping. It’s a keeper 🙂
Liz
This looks like the sort of recipe I would find in my mom’s recipe box—I treasure them, too! What a gorgeous chili—and paired with cornbread is just the way I like it!!!
Tricia Buice
Thanks Liz – it is a match made in heaven 🙂
Mimi
What fun! I think I’ve actually heard of Chasen’s, but have never gone there. The chili looks really good.
Tricia Buice
How cool! Unfortunately the restaurant closed in the 1990’s so I guess that’s why their recipe is readily available. If it’s good enough for Liz, I figured it would be good enough for me. Excellent flavor and very meaty. Have a lovely weekend and thanks for stopping by.
cheri
What a great find Tricia, it’s like winning the lottery, okay maybe not exactly. Anyway, my husband would go crazy for this. Looks like a keeper!
Tricia Buice
It’s a very meaty chili Cheri – hope he likes it!
John/Kitchen Riffs
Yup, I’ve got a bunch of those yellowed clippings of recipes. Fun to look through, aren’t they? Although sometimes I wonder why on earth on saved a few of them! Anyway, good story, good recipe — thanks.
Tricia Buice
Thanks John! It is fun to look through the old ones from time to time. Funny how the old ones are so similar to the new ones 🙂
Larry
Both versions sound very good and I’ll save this as chili season isn’t too far off – even though it’s still in the 90’s at home.
Tricia Buice
The weather is changing quickly Larry – and we’re heading to the mountains where it’s down in the 50’s at night – yeah!!! (taking this chili with me too!) I’ve been enjoying all your posts – happy travels!
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers
A beautiful bowl of chili and love the back-story 🙂 So fun to see old recipes and bring them in to today!
Tricia Buice
Thanks Jennifer – I thought it was a fun and interesting history behind the chili. And the chili is really good too!
Rosalee
Liz Taylor sent for this stuff from wherever she was shooting..including Egypt.
NOT a joke
I will always remember Chasen’s with fondness…..
It was during an era that will never return……including one evening when
a friend and I, we were both Navy officers at the time, had dinner there
When we walked out to the curb to wait for our car, a gentleman walked up
who turned out to be Leslie Nielsen who I had had a crush on when he did the
Swamp Fox.
The car arrived, valet came around the back and at that time Mr Nielsen
rushed to open the passenger door for my friend…
and then went around to the driver’s side and saw me inside..
Apparently he had seen the blue sticker when the car arrived and
smiling said: “Only thing I could do for a couple of ladies who serve our country”
It was during the 70s…
‘A gentleman and a scholar’ as dad used to say
Tricia Buice
Thanks for the wonderful story Rosalee! I’ve never seen many famous people in person – and I guess I wouldn’t know what to say! Thank you for your service!!
Monique
I love chili and the season is right around the corner!
Tricia Buice
I see your leaves are already starting to show some color – I bet it will be beautiful soon! Thanks for stopping by Monique!
Monica
What a great recipe find from within your archives! I love the internet and being able to enjoy all the blogs and easy access to so much info. but you can’t beat an actual book, magazine – something physical – in your hands. Glad you found this and shared it…I am starting to crave things like chili and soup already. And that cornbread looks like a perfect accompaniment!
Tricia Buice
Thanks Monica – I really love this chili and I was surprised how much. I made some changes to the original so I’m not sure if it would be much different. Hope school is going well this week and that your son is happy to see his friends again. Enjoy your time!
Gerlinde @Sunnycovechef
Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor probably needed it when they were making Cleopatra! It’s looks delicious Tricia, thanks for posting. It’s cool and foggy here in sunny California.
Tricia Buice
Cool and foggy sounds pretty great right now! Have a lovely week Gerlinde 🙂
Chris Scheuer
Sounds perfect for a cool fall day – if they ever come! I’m so ready for chili weather and can’t wait to try this! It looks amazing!
Tricia Buice
We have our fingers crossed for a cooler weekend. It is a terrific chili – perfect for a crowd. Thanks Chris!
Angie@Angie's Recipes
2½ pounds ground beef …. that’s a HUGE batch of chili…good it freezes well. It surely looks very flavoursome and delicious.
Tricia Buice
It makes a ton of chili – and it’s very meaty! I love making a big batch of something that can frozen for later. Total comfort food!
sue | theviewfromgreatisland
I’ve been to Chasen’s many times, we always sit in the back booth ~ but never had their chili! Thanks for posting this Tricia, it looks perfect for tonight, we finally got a little break in the summery temperatures, and today is cloudy & cool ~ hooray 🙂
Tricia Buice
That is so cool Sue – I was wondering if you had ever been to the restaurant before it closed. Yeah for cool weather and hot chili!
Rosalee
Chasen’s was part of an era which is gone now……there were many
more during that time in that area and up in San Fran also gone
SIGHS
Elias Laurent
I’d just like to add a note to the mythology that this recipe was released in the Arizona Republic in 1995, after the restaurant closed… That may be… But there was a “Chasen’s Chili,” recipe that was going around, photocopied or typed in the 1970’s.
I know because my parents used to make it, and I saw the recipe, held it in my hands. Hear the story from my father, about Liz Taylor etc., and I suspect we received the recipe from an Aunt and Uncle in Phoenix. It became a family regular once a winter.
A lot of the recipes on the web claiming to be Chasen’s Chili, are not, they’ve been tweaked so poorly they miss ingredient amounts by a lot.
If I still had access to the old recipe, I’d post it.
Tricia Buice
Hi Elias – I’m not sure if this recipe is completely authentic, but it is very good. I’ve made it several times, froze some and reheated, and shared it with friends and family. Everybody loves it! That’s good enough for me. Thanks for commenting.