• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
That Recipe
  • Recipes
  • Members
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Members
  • Subscribe
  • follow the fun

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Members
    • Subscribe
  • follow the fun

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » Our latest posts » Main Courses with Meat

    Hearty Chasen's Chili with Beans was a Celebrity Favorite

    September 25, 2013 Filed Under: Beef and Lamb, Main Courses with Meat

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    This recipe is from the 1970's. I have copied it here almost as it is written on the photo copy I received with a couple of edits to remove obvious name-brand references as well as to correct a few blatant grammatical errors.
    "From the famous Chasen's Restaurant in Hollywood's filmland comes this recipe for what has been regarded as the finest Chili every to simmer in a bubbling pot. It's so highly regarded that many of the restaurant's regular patron from the film colony often have it delivered to their homes. Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton were so fond of it they had gallons dispatched to Rome when they were over there making "Cleopatra"...."

    Chasen's Chili recipe allegedly from the famous Chasen's Restaurant in Hollywood, CA.

    bowl of chili

    Back in the 1970's my mother got a copy of this recipe. The recipe claimed that it was the same one that Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton had flown to them on the set of Cleopatra.

    The restaurant and the chili are part of Hollywood history. Whether this is actually the recipe or not is another matter. My guess is it is probably just an urban legend.

    But the chili is still delicious.

    Through the years Mom and I both made modifications to make it healthier and easier using modern appliances (slow cooker or pressure cooker) without losing any of the taste.

    No matter how we make it, we always serve this with Cast Iron Skillet Cornbread.

    Chili with Beans or without Beans

    The chili at Chasen's, and this recipe, are made with beans. Some people prefer their chili without beans. In Texas, beans in chili are taboo.

    Do you, Boo! Don't like chili with beans? Leave them out and add more meat.

    Ingredients for Chasen's Chili

    Beans - the original recipe called for pinto beans, but you can swap kidney beans or red beans if you prefer.

    Ground beef and pork - the recipe calls for a combination of both beef and pork. You can use all of one or the other. But, the combination of the two adds depth of flavor.

    Bell peppers - any color is fine, or use multiple colors

    Onion - yellow onion would be the choice here, but you could also go with white or sweet onions.

    Salad oil and butter - hey, it was the 1970's liberal use of butter and generic "salad" oil. I use a tablespoon or so of olive oil to sauté the veggies and that's it.

    Spices and herbs - Fresh parsley, garlic cloves, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper.

    The "Original" Chasen’s Chili

    bowl of chili
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe

    Ingredients
     

    • ½ pound pinto beans
    • 5 cups canned tomatoes
    • 1 pound green bell pepper (chopped)
    • 1 ½ tablespoon salad oil
    • 1 ½ pound onions (chopped)
    • 2 cloves garlic (crushed)
    • ½ cup parsley (chopped)
    • ½ cup butter
    • 1 ½ pound beef chuck (course or chili grind)
    • 1 ½ pound lean ground pork
    • ⅓ cup chili powder
    • 2 tablespoons salt
    • 1 ½ teaspoon pepper
    • 1 ½ teaspoon ground cumin seed

    Instructions
     

    • Wash beans and soak covered in water overnight.
    • Simmer beans covered in water until tender. Add tomatoes and simmer 5 minutes. Sauté green pepper in salad oil 5 minutes. Add onion; cook until tender, stirring often.
    • Add garlic, parsley. Melt butter and sauté meat for 15 minutes. Add meat to onion mixture, stir in chili powder and cook 15 minutes. Add this to beans and add spices. Simmer covered for 1 hour. Cook uncovered 30 minutes. Skim fat from top.

    Until next time, happy eating
    ~Audrey

    More Main Courses with Meat

    • calzone on a plate
      Triple Meat Calzones Homemade Pizza Pockets
    • cashew chicken lettuce wraps
      Cashew Chicken Lettuce Wraps an Easy Healthy Meal
    • Spiral sliced ham on a plate with text overlay "orange stuffed spiral sliced ham"
      Orange Stuffed Spiral Sliced Ham Delicious Holiday Twist
    • chicken with onion and cheese and text overlay "French Onion Chicken"
      French Onion Chicken in the Pressure Cooker #OurFamilyTable

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Winnie

      September 27, 2013 at 11:48 am

      Sounds delicious! I love chili and now is the time to start making some. I love heat, so what I like about this is I can share it and just had heat to mine. Thank you.

      Reply
    2. Audrey

      September 27, 2013 at 8:00 pm

      That's what happens at my house too, Winnie. I spice mine up, but the boys like it mild.

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    audrey humaciu in kitchen

    Welcome

    I'm your hostess, Audrey, an avid "maker" that believes home made is better.

    Whether it's cooking, crafting, gardening, home décor, even blog design, I love getting my hands dirty and trying new things... even if I make a mess in the process.

    Discover more about me →

    Fresh Spring Tastes

    • strawberry muffins in a muffin tin with text overlay "sourdough strawberry muffins"
      Sourdough Strawberry Muffins Tangy Sweet Muffins
    • carrot muffins topped with granola on a cooling rack
      Carrot Granola Muffins with No Refined Sugar
    • lemon blueberry jelly roll on a plate
      Lemon Blueberry Jelly Roll Cake Sweet Taste of Spring
    • spinach and strawberry salad with text overlay "strawberry spinach salad with hot bacon dressing"
      Strawberry Spinach Salad with Hot Bacon Dressing is a Delightful Spring Salad

    See more Spring Produce Recipes→

    tablet with ebook on display and text overlay "Seasoned with Love: 60 seasoning mix recipes from around the world"

    Tried and True Recipes

    • piece of bread dipped in cheese fondue with text overlay "alcohol free cheese fondue"
      Alcohol Free Cheese Fondue: Easy Family Dinner in 20 Minutes!
    • close up of popover in a pan with text overlay "Julia Child's Popovers"
      Julia Child's Popovers A Classic Recipe Made Easy
    • fork holidng a piece of lasagna with text overlay "no boil meat lasagna"
      The Original Barilla 4 Layer No Boil Lasagna Recipe
    • jar filled with granola
      Homemade Granola is as Easy as 1-2-3

    See our Top 10 Recipes →

    follow the fun

    • Bloglovin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy/Disclosures
    • Cookie Notice

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Work with me

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2023 ThatRecipe

    Manage Cookie Consent
    We use cookies to optimize our website and our service.
    Functional Always active
    The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
    Preferences
    The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
    Statistics
    The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
    Marketing
    The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
    Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
    Preferences
    {title} {title} {title}