Zippy’s Chili (Copycat) is a homemade version of the chili Hawaii grew up on: ground beef and finely chopped Portuguese sausage simmered with pinto and kidney beans, tomato paste and chili spices, then finished with a spoonful of mayonnaise and ladled over a bowl of hot rice. It serves 8.
How to make it: Pulse the sausage and the vegetables fine, sauté the vegetables, brown the beef and sausage, and toast the spices and tomato paste. Add the broth, beans and bay leaves, simmer covered for 1 hour, then season, stir in the mayonnaise and serve over rice.
Why You’ll Love It
- The Hawaii way: thick, savory chili spooned over a big bowl of rice.
- Two meats: ground beef plus Portuguese sausage chopped to the same fine texture.
- Makes a big pot: 8 servings, with leftovers for another night.
- Stovetop or pressure cooker: an hour on the stove, or much faster in an Instant Pot.
Ingredient Notes
Portuguese sausage: Five ounces, about half a stick, chopped in a food processor until it looks like ground meat. If you can’t find Portuguese sausage, use chorizo.
Onion, celery and green bell pepper: Chopped very finely, to about the size of a fine dice.
Chili powder: Two to three tablespoons, depending on how much heat you like, with cumin, paprika and dried oregano.
Tomato paste and chicken broth: One 6-ounce can of paste and 2 cups of chicken broth make the base.
Beans: One can each of pinto and kidney beans, drained.
Mayonnaise: The “secret” ingredient, stirred in at the very end. Japanese-style mayonnaise is traditional; regular mayonnaise works too.
Ingredients
- 5 ounces Portuguese sausage (half a stick), or chorizo
- 1 large onion
- 5 stalks celery
- 1 large green bell pepper
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil, such as vegetable or avocado oil
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 to 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 8 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 ounces tomato paste (1 can)
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 15 ounces pinto beans (1 can), drained
- 15 ounces kidney beans (1 can), drained
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 to 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, Japanese-style or regular
- Cooked short grain white rice, for serving
How to Make Zippy’s Chili
1. Chop the sausage. Chop the Portuguese sausage in a small food processor until it has a texture similar to ground meat, or chop it by hand into very small pieces. Set aside.
2. Chop the vegetables. Chop the onion, celery and green bell pepper very finely; the food processor works well here too.
3. Sauté. Heat the oil in a big pot over medium-high heat. Add the chopped vegetables and sauté for 3 minutes.
4. Brown the meat. Add the ground beef and the chopped Portuguese sausage and cook until the beef is browned and reaches 160°F, about 3 minutes.
5. Add spices and paste. Add the chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano and garlic and sauté for 1 more minute. Add the tomato paste, mix well and sauté for 2 minutes.
6. Simmer. Add the chicken broth, drained beans, Worcestershire sauce and bay leaves and stir gently. Cover and simmer for 1 hour.
7. Finish. Uncover, remove the bay leaves and taste. Add salt, starting with 1 teaspoon. Stir in the mayonnaise, taste once more, and serve over hot rice.
What Makes It Taste Like Zippy’s
Plenty of chili has beef and beans. A few specific moves give this one its Hawaii plate-lunch character.
Sausage ground as fine as the beef. Pulse the Portuguese sausage in a food processor until it looks like ground meat, the same texture as the beef.
Vegetables chopped very fine. The onion, celery and bell pepper are pulsed to a fine dice.
A long, covered simmer. One hour with the lid on, then taste and adjust the seasonings.
Mayonnaise at the end. After salting, stir in the mayonnaise off the simmer. It is the “secret” ingredient in copycat recipes; use 2 tablespoons, or up to 3 for a creamier pot.
Rice underneath. Chili in Hawaii is served over a big bowl of hot, fresh short grain rice, with the chili ladled generously on top and eaten with a spoon.
| Method | Cook | Then |
|---|---|---|
| Stovetop | Covered simmer, 1 hour | Salt, then mayonnaise |
| Instant Pot | Chili setting, or 10 minutes at high pressure | Natural release at least 10 minutes, then mayonnaise |
Tips for Success
How do I control the heat?
Start with 2 tablespoons of chili powder and add more a little at a time, tasting as you go. You can always add, but you can’t take it out.
When do I add the salt?
After the simmer. Taste the chili first, then add salt starting with 1 teaspoon and more only if it needs it.
Variations
- Instant Pot: sauté the vegetables and meat on the sauté setting, add everything else, then cook on the chili setting or for 10 minutes at high pressure. Let the pressure release naturally for at least 10 minutes, remove the bay leaves, and stir in the mayonnaise.
- Beef only: leave out the Portuguese sausage and make it with ground beef alone.
- Toppings: shredded cheese or a spoonful of sour cream on top.
- Chili on everything: spoon it over a hamburger patty and rice for a chili moco.
Storage & Reheating
USDA FSIS says to refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow, covered containers and eat them within 3 to 4 days, or freeze them for 3 to 4 months. Mayonnaise doesn’t freeze well, so the chili may look a little different after thawing. Thaw frozen chili in the refrigerator overnight, then reheat it on the stove to a rolling boil or in the microwave to 165°F. Don’t reheat it in a slow cooker.
What to Serve With It
Serve it the island way, over hot rice, with a scoop of macaroni or pasta salad on the side for a plate lunch. For more Hawaiian flavors, make Hawaiian style teriyaki chicken, and finish with Hawaiian pineapple coconut fluff. For another restaurant chili, try our Wendy’s chili, or warm up with quick and easy taco soup or Instant Pot beef stew.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this Zippy’s chili have pork in it?
Yes. This copycat uses Portuguese sausage alongside the ground beef. For a beef-only pot, leave the sausage out; chorizo is the swap if you can’t find Portuguese sausage.
What is the secret ingredient in Zippy’s chili?
Mayonnaise, stirred in at the very end. Copycat recipes use 2 to 3 tablespoons, Japanese-style or regular.
How do you eat Zippy’s chili?
Over a big bowl of hot short grain white rice, with the chili ladled on top and eaten with a spoon. It also goes over a hamburger patty and rice as a chili moco.
Can I make it in an Instant Pot?
Yes. Use the sauté setting first, then the chili setting or 10 minutes at high pressure, and let the pressure release naturally for at least 10 minutes.
Final Notes
Make the rice while the chili simmers so both are hot at the same time. If you make this, tell me in the comments how it turned out.
Zippy's Chili (Copycat)
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Ingredients
- 5 ounces Portuguese sausage half a stick; or chorizo
- 1 large onion
- 5 stalks celery
- 1 large green bell pepper
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil such as vegetable or avocado oil
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 to 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 8 cloves garlic minced
- 6 ounces tomato paste 1 can
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 15 ounces pinto beans 1 can, drained
- 15 ounces kidney beans 1 can, drained
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 to 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise Japanese-style or regular
- cooked short grain white rice for serving
Instructions
- Chop the Portuguese sausage in a small food processor until it has a texture similar to ground meat, or chop it by hand into very small pieces. Set aside.
- Chop the onion, celery and green bell pepper very finely; the food processor works well here too.
- Heat the oil in a big pot over medium-high heat. Add the chopped vegetables and sauté for 3 minutes.
- Add the ground beef and the chopped Portuguese sausage and cook until the beef is browned and reaches 160°F, about 3 minutes.
- Add the chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano and garlic and sauté for 1 more minute. Add the tomato paste, mix well and sauté for 2 minutes.
- Add the chicken broth, drained beans, Worcestershire sauce and bay leaves and stir gently. Cover and simmer for 1 hour.
- Uncover, remove the bay leaves and taste. Add salt, starting with 1 teaspoon. Stir in the mayonnaise, taste once more, and serve over hot rice.
