How to Host a Chili Cook-off Contest | 3-Ingredient Easy Chili Recipe

Learn how to host a chili cook-off with a printable contest kit, plus my 3-ingredient easy chili recipe! 

Chili cook-offs are all the rage for fall and winter office parties, neighborhood block parties and community group pitch-ins. They allow folks to show off their culinary skills, encourage one another to taste something new, and allow for a friendly competition, certificates and prizes.

Chili Cook-off Contest Kit

What supplies do you need for a chili cook-off? Here are some ideas:

• Signs or graphics to promote the contest, both printed and sharable through email, text or social media
• A sign-up sheet with categories, such as type of meat/vegetarian, white chicken chili, etc.
• Allergen cards to alert anyone with sensitivities/aversions
• Ballots for voting
• Certificates for winners

I have all of these pulled together in a printable Best Chili Contest Kit through my Etsy shop! Everything is contained in a couple of PDF downloads after purchase – 17 pages in fact! Print from your home or office, or send to a copy shop (frugal tip: I recently learned my local library offers color copies for just 25¢ each – much cheaper than a copy shop!).

I’ve been having fun making printables such as food competition kits ever since learning about the process through an e-printables course from Gold City Ventures. The coaches are down-to-earth, incredibly knowledgeable and fun to learn from. It’s allowed me to learn a deep level of Canva for design, as well as how to build an Etsy shop from scratch! Here are some additional student testimonials if it strikes an interest for you!

Easy Chili Recipe

I’m going to let you in on a secret … this 3-ingredient easy chili recipe amazingly tastes like it’s been simmering all day with ten times the number of ingredients, but it’s been a family-favorite of ours for decades! Be the star of your chili cook-off and no one will ever know it only has three ingredients:

1. 1 lb. ground beef (/chuck/sirloin/turkey, your choice), cooked and drained
2. 1 can Chili Magic, undrained
3. 1 can diced tomatoes, undrained

… that’s it!

Directions:

1. Brown and drain meat.
2. Add meat, undrained Chili Magic and undrained canned tomatoes to a pot.
3. Heat on medium-low for 20 minutes.

Alternatively, this is a great fix-it-and-forget-it slow cooker meal! 

Chili Cook-off Award Prizes

In addition to printing the certificates in my contest kit (plus bragging rights!), you can also give awards such as an engraved trophy, personalized wooden spoon or a custom apron.

I created a design for a high-quality, heavyweight denim apron that makes a unique award for a chili cook-off!

You can select the award title such as Champion, Runner-Up, 1st Place, 2nd Place or 3rd Place. The year is optional, but nice to include as a keepsake!

Have you ever hosted a chili cook-off at your workplace or in your neighborhood? Tell me about it in a comment!

Here are a couple of recipes that pair nicely with a chili cook-off menu: