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Breakfast Chili is comforting, tasty and will fill you up for hours! A combination of sausage, bacon, tomato sauce, beans, and plenty of tasty seasonings come together for a unique morning meal you will love! Top it off with fried eggs and fresh cilantro for major flavor!
Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe
- Packed with Flavor: This breakfast chili is exploding with savory flavors that will have your tastebuds dancing in delight! Get a bite of the drippy yolk mixed with the boldly-flavored chili, and you’ll be obsessed.
- Total Comfort Food: If you’re in the mood for a warm and cozy breakfast, this will totally hit the spot!
- Unique Breakfast Option: I love trying new things! Chili for breakfast, salad for breakfast, or breakfast fried rice are some of my favorite ways to keep breakfast exciting!
What is Breakfast Chili?
There’s almost nothing better than a piping hot bowl of chili when it’s cold outside, so why not make a breakfast version and enjoy it no matter the time of day! This chili recipe is pretty traditional with ground meat, veggies, broth, beans, and bold spices, but to give it a breakfast spin, the recipe uses breakfast sausage for the meat, bacon is added in, and fried eggs are cracked over the top before serving. If you’ve never tried eggs over your chili, now’s the time. It’s incredibly flavorful!
Ingredients You’ll Need
This breakfast chili recipe joins your favorite classic chili ingredients with some of the classic breakfast ingredients. Including sausage, bacon, and eggs for a tasty kick that’s perfect to enjoy during the cooler months. You can find the exact measurements in the recipe card below.
- Breakfast Sausage: Adds savory flavor and protein to the chili.
- Bacon: I love adding bacon to any chili recipe because it adds deep, rich, savory flavor.
- Onion: Sautéed for a touch of sweetness and texture.
- Beef Broth: A savory base that gives the chili the perfect consistency.
- Tomato Sauce: Adds extra thickness and depth of flavor.
- Tomatoes & Green Chiles: Spiced tomatoes for a kick of flavor. I like to use Rotel brand. Be sure to grab ‘mild’, if you’re sensitive to spice.
- Beans: Chili beans and kidney beans are a great duo to add extra protein, fiber and creaminess.
- Spices: A blend of chili powder, dried oregano, ground cumin, ground coriander, salt, and ground black pepper makes this breakfast chili taste amazing!
- Eggs: Cracked over the top of the cooked chili for a fun breakfast twist!
How to Make Breakfast Chili
Chili for breakfast might sound strange, but one bite of this thick, rich, and flavorful meal, and you’ll be hooked! Everyone who tries this absolutely loves it! You guys have to trust me, give it a try, you won’t regret it!
- Cook the Sausage and Bacon: Heat a large pot over medium-high heat and add the sausage. Cook for 3-4 minutes, until no pink remains. Stir the sausage and break it into small pieces as it cooks. Remove the sausage and cook the bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon and most of the grease, leaving a couple of tablespoons in the pot.
- Sauté the Onion: Reduce the heat to medium and add the onion. Cook for 3-4 minutes while stirring occasionally, until the onions are cooked and translucent.
- Combine and Simmer: Add the sausage, bacon, beef broth, tomato sauce, Rotel, canned beans, chili powder, oregano, cumin, coriander, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat before reducing the heat to medium-low and simmering for about 30 minutes.
- Add Eggs and Serve: Once the flavors have developed and you are ready to serve the chili, crack 4 eggs into the pot and cover for 3-4 minutes. Once the egg whites are cooked through and the yolks are cooked to your preference, serve with your desired toppings and enjoy.
Breakfast Chili Tips and Variations
Here are some simple tips and ways to change things up! This breakfast chili is super versatile, and you can easily add in new flavors and/or ingredients depending on your taste preference and what you have on hand. Here are some suggestions:
- Use Leftover Chili: Any chili can be made into breakfast chili by adding eggs and serving it for breakfast. If you have leftover chili you would like to use to save time, reheat it as instructed and add eggs and toppings!
- Cooking the Eggs: Instead of cooking the eggs directly in the chili, you can fry them in a pan instead and then lay them on top of the hot chili. Add the eggs to a hot, greased skillet and cook over medium heat for a few minutes until the egg is cooked to your preferences. Slide the cooked egg either into the pot of chili or onto individual servings.
- For the Bacon and Sausage: You can add more bacon or swap out the breakfast sausage for Italian sausage.
- Add More Veggies: If you want more vegetables, add 1/2-1 cup of chopped bell peppers or mushrooms to the pot and the onions.
- Add a Cinnamon Roll: For a Midwest take on breakfast chili, drop a cinnamon roll right on top of this chili!
Topping Ideas
Toppings are arguably the best part! So, feel free to pile on whatever sounds good. In fact, you can add any toppings you’d typically use in other chili recipes. Here are a few ideas:
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese: Sprinkle this over the top to melt into the chili.
- Hash Browns: Adds wonderful texture!
- Pico de Gallo: For fresh flavor!
- Avocados: Diced or mashed, an avocado will provide some creaminess.
- Tortilla Strips: Try my homemade tortilla strips for a delicious crunch.
- Lime Wedges: Squeeze over the top for freshness.
- Sour Cream: A dollop over the top to add creaminess.
- Fresh Cilantro: To finish the dish with flavor and a pop of color.
Storing Leftover Chili
- In the Refrigerator: The chili can be prepared in advance and kept refrigerated for up to 7 days after cooking. Heat the chili on the stovetop over medium heat until heated through. Add the eggs just before serving.
- In the Freezer: To freeze the chili, cool it to room temperature before placing it in a freezer ziplock bag. Close it tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. Allow it to thaw completely in the refrigerator before heating and adding the eggs.
More Delicious Chili Recipes
If your family loves chili as much as mine does, you MUST check out some of our other favorites! There are so many delicious varieties!
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Heat a large pot over medium-high heat and add the sausage. Cook for 3-4 minutes until no pink remains. Stir the sausage and break it into small pieces as it cooks.
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Remove the sausage from the pan and add the bacon. Cook until the bacon is crisp before removing it from the pan with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined bowl. Drain all the bacon and sausage except a tablespoon from the pan.
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Reduce the heat to medium and add the onion. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are cooked and translucent.
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Add the sausage, bacon, beef broth, tomato sauce, Rotel, canned beans, chili powder, oregano, cumin, coriander, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine
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Bring to a boil over medium-high heat before reducing the heat to medium-low and simmering for about 30 minutes.
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Once the flavors have developed and you are ready to serve the chili, crack four eggs into the pot and cover for 3-4 minutes. Once the egg whites are cooked through and the yolks are cooked to your preference, serve with your desired toppings and enjoy.
Calories: 484kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 24gFat: 41gSaturated Fat: 14gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 18gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 178mgSodium: 1297mgPotassium: 462mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 818IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 50mgIron: 3mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
