Hawaii Chili and Rice Recipe

Now that chili season is among us, I have to share one of my favorite chili recipes with you: Hawaii Chili and Rice. Although there isn’t an official chili season, since the weather is starting to turn a little cooler in some areas, and football season is among us I am unofficially declaring that it’s now chili season!

This is the time that people gather around campgrounds, backyard fire pits, and football tailgate parties to make and share their best chili recipes. However, depending on where you live there might be chili cook off competitions all year long.

Although I have been making all sorts of chili for decades, I have to admit this recipe is one of my favorites. Not only because I first had it in Hawaii, but because the combination of flavors is amazing.

In fact, It may initially sound strange to serve chili over rice, or add a scoop of rice on top of a bowl of chili, but once you taste this amazing combination, you will want to make it this way over and over again. And why didn’t I think of this combination before?

Being from Ohio, we are very familiar with Cincinnati chili that gets served over a bed of pasta. But I never thought about serving chili with rice.

But it isn’t just the addition of rice that makes it so special. It is what they put in the chili that makes this recipe stand out above all the others.

What Is In Hawaii Chili?

Besides the typical ingredients found in most chili, such as ground beef, onion, peppers, chili beans and spices, Hawaii Chili and Rice includes three extra ingredients that you might not expect.

1. Portuguese Sausage

Ground beef is not the only meat included in this recipe. Mild Portuguese sausage is finely diced and added to the mix as well. The flavors of pork sausage that has been infused with salt, wine, garlic, and other spices adds another depth of flavor to the chili.

Unfortunately, depending on where you life, Portuguese sausage can be hard to find. In fact, I had to go to a speciality grocery store to find the sweet Portuguese sausage that is typically included in the chili recipe.

Although, surprisingly enough I was able to find Linguiça sausage at our local Walmart. It has a slight spicy flavor, but we love that in our house.

However, if you don’t feel like going on a massive hunt, and you still want to make Hawaii chili and rice, there are a few alternatives. The best substitutes are kielbasa or andouille sausage.

Although if you were hoping for a spicier kick to your chili use chorizo instead. No matter what substitute sausage that you choose, the taste won’t be exactly the same, but it is the best substitute.

Just be sure to remove the casing before you dice the sausage. Then use a food processor to dice the meat into fine bits that resemble minced meat.

2. Bacon

Yes, there is bacon in Hawaii Chili and Rice. If you know anything about Hawaii, they love to eat pork. So why wouldn’t they include the popular and readily available meat in their chili.

Although you could add pork belly for extra flavor, we will stick to the basics and add bits of thick bacon strips. You can use thin strips of bacon, but you will need to add 5-6 strips instead of 3.

And of course, pick a flavor of bacon that will compliment the other ingredients. Hickory smoked bacon is my favorite because it adds a nice depth of smokiness to the chili.

3. Mayonnaise

You read that right! Mayonnaise is added to the chili right before serving to give it a creamy and a slightly tangy flavor. Although you may be tempted to skip the mayo, do yourself a favor and try it!

My husband is not a fan of mayo at all. In fact, he still hesitates to take a bite of my famous Amish Potato Salad which is more of a mustard based recipe but has some mayo in it as well. However, he devours this chili every time that I make it.

And no, I haven’t told him yet that it is served with mayonnaise. You can use any variety of mayo that you prefer. It just adds an element of flavor and texture that is unique to Hawaii chili.

Hawaii Chili and Rice Recipe

*Specific measurements and complete recipe instructions are located in a printable recipe card at the bottom of this article. However, be sure to continue to read the tips and tricks to making this recipe below.

INGREDIENTS

*Don’t let the long list of ingredients scare you. Most of the ingredients are already in your kitchen.

Meat:

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 – 10 oz. mild Portuguese sausage, casing removed and finely chopped
• 3 slices thick uncooked bacon, finely diced

Vegetables:

• 1 cup onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup celery, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup sweet bell pepper, finely chopped

Spices:

• 2 T. chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp. oregano

Beans:

• 16oz can chili beans, undrained
• 15.5oz can kidney beans, undrained

Other Ingredients:

• 16 oz. tomato sauce
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 tsp. brown sugar, more to taste
• 1 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 Tablespoons ketchup
• 1 bay leaf
• salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 2 1/2 Tablespoons mayonnaise

INSTRUCTIONS FOR HAWAII CHILI AND RICE

Start by placing a large pot over medium high heat. Then add the ground beef and brown it until it is no longer pink, breaking it into fine pieces as it cooks.

Then drain the meat return it back into the pot. Place the pot back over the medium high heat and add diced Portuguese sausage and crumbled raw bacon.

Cook just until both the sausage and bacon are heated through (the bacon doesn’t need to be crispy). Then add the diced onions, celery, and sweet bell peppers to the pot. Cook for 4-5 minutes, or until the onions become translucent.

Now lower the heat to medium and add the chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika and oregano. Stir and cook just until for 1 minute or until fragrant.

Add the undrained chili and kidney beans to the pot and stir. Then add the tomato sauce, chicken broth, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and the ketchup. Stir until well mixed.

Add the bay leaf and season with salt and pepper to taste. Then bring the pot to a boil, stirring frequently.

Let The Chili Simmer

Lower the heat to make sure the Hawaii Chili maintains a low simmer and let it cook for 25 minutes which will give you time to cook the long grain white rice.

Right before serving, stir the mayonnaise into the chili and immediately serve over the cooked rice.

Enjoy! Mary

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Other Delicious Chili Recipes

• Instant Pot Chili
• Crock Pot Chili
• Pumpkin Chili
• White Chicken Chili
• Keto Chili
• Texas Chili