HOLY MOTHER OF ALL CHILI RECIPES. This chili recipe is officially my favorite chili recipe of all time. This is not an exaggeration. I repeat, this is not an exaggeration.
I’ve made chili a gazillion times in the past, and I’ve never been blown away. My previous chili efforts have either lacked flavor or texture (too soupy, too dry, etc, etc). Not this chili. This chili blew my mind. Hence the name.
First of all, it’s not just chili. It’s drunken noodle chili. Let me break that down for you.
You’ve got a chili base with drunken noodle flavoring – soy sauce, fish sauce, oyster sauce, sriracha, the whole shebang. Then, you’ve got the Thai brown rice noodles.
And, then, the piece de la resistance: the fried egg which oozes delectable runny yolk all over the meat and noodles. Mix all the different components together and prepare to scarf.
It’s kind of like Cincinnati chili but with a spicy, uber-flavorful Thai twist. Are you drooling yet? I am.
Here’s the one tiny little thing I hate about chili. Really good chili often needs to sit and simmer for HOURS in order for all the flavors to mix and mingle. And who wants to wait hours to eat chili?
Drunken noodle chili will not make you wait. It understand your needs. One of the reasons we (I’m using the collective “we” here) order Thai takeout is because we’re feeling lazy and want some food stat. I can’t promise this chili will be hot and ready in under 30 minutes but you can crank it out in just under an hour which is pretty good in chili time.
Unlike Thai takeout, we’re watching our sodium intake here with low-sodium soy sauce and no salt-added tomato sauce and steering clear of refined sugars. So, as indulgent as this chili looks, it’s actually pretty guilt free.
Is there anything better than guilt-free comfort food on a cool Fall night? Not in my world. 🙂
Mind-Blowing Drunken Noodle Chili
This dish is pretty spicy and that’s coming from my habanero-loving husband. If you’re a fan of more mild flavors, start with 1 serrano chili and 1 tablespoon chili powder. You can always taste test along the way and add more heat. Same thing goes for the Thai basil leaves. If you’re not a fan of their strong flavor, start with 1/4 cup. If you’re using regular basil, you can start with 1/2 cup because it’s not as strong.
- 1 pound lean ground beef (I used 85/15)
- 1 pound ground pork
- 2 teaspoons garlic (minced)
- 1-2 serrano chilis (thinly sliced (only use 2 if you like things extra hot!))
- One 8-ounce can tomato sauce (no salt added)
- 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1.5 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon sriracha sauce
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup loosely-packed Thai basil leaves (torn, plus more for garnish (if you can’t find Thai basil leaves, you can use regular basil))
- 8 ounces brown rice noodles
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Chopped red onions (for garnish)
- Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add the ground beef, ground pork, garlic and chilis to the pot. Cook over medium heat until the meat is browned, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon as it cooks, 5-7 minutes.
- Drain off most of the excess fat, keeping 2-3 tablespoons worth of fat in the pot. Then, pour in the tomato sauce plus the next 9 ingredients (through the salt). Stir together well, cover, and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 1/4 cup of water halfway through if the chili starts to look dry.
- Add the basil leaves to the pot and cook for another 5 minutes.
- While the chili is simmering, cook the rice noodles according to the package.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Crack the eggs in the skillet and fry until the whites are set. Remove from the heat. The eggs will continue to cook in the skillet.
- Divide the rice noodles among 4 plates or bowls. Top the noodles with the chili, red onions, fried eggs and more basil leaves.
I cannot wait to try this!
Thanks Julia! Let me know what you think!
Good LORD this looks fantastic!! I could only read half the post before I had to stop…otherwise I’ll be heading to the store for ingredients when I need to be working. This WILL be made soon though…and that runny egg is delicious genius!!
Hahaha thanks Kristy!! I’m usually at work by the time I check all the new blogger posts and then I’m immediately dying to go back home so I can make cookies or a casserole at 9 am. 🙂 🙂
Mind totally blown, this looks incredible. Especially with that egg on top!!
Thanks Matt! I think we feel the same way about fried eggs. 🙂
Yes, you have blown my mind. There is not a single element in this dish that I don’t love. The egg just makes it extra sexy!
Ha! The egg DOES make it extra sexy. Thanks! 🙂
Oh man, only a true chili lover could come up with such a great recipe! This has got everything I love and I seriously could eat it every day! And I agree, guilt-free comfort food = nirvana! Fabulous dish, truly beautiful photos, Michelle.
Thanks so much Robyn!
Super delicious noodles! The sauce looks really special, I like the sriracha flavor in it! Of course, running egg yolk is the best 🙂
Thanks Maggie! Running egg yolk is definitely the best. 🙂
Um, I think I know what I’m making for dinner tonight! This looks SOOO good Michelle! I just wanna tear through my screen and steal a bite (or nine). 🙂
Thanks Margaret!! Let me know what you think if you make it!
Hardly a guilt-free meal. After all is said and done this meal is 803 calories per serving. Low-sodium soy sauce and no salt added tomato sauce are also ineffective as each serving contains a whopping 1600 mg of sodium. That’s more than a full day’s amount of salt in one meal! It is without a doubt delicious, but healthy might be a bit of a stretch.
Hi Matthew – thanks for the comments. My dishes are varying degrees of healthy and, often, dependent on subjective views of health. For example, if you have gluten issues, you might see a gluten-free dish as “healthy” for your body. This dish is something I consider guilt-free in comparison to Thai takeout which would likely have double to triple the amount of sodium and unnecessary added sugars. Regardless, you are correct, that it is delicious. 🙂
I just made these for dinner and they are indeed MIND-BLOWING!!! Thank you for sharing this masterpiece of deliciousness!
Thanks so much Angela!! What a great comment to wake up to. 🙂 🙂 I’m so glad you enjoyed this dish as much as I did!
This was good. I toned down the heat a bit; if I had made the recipe as is, I wouldn’t have been able to stand it. I used 1 seeded chile,1 TB chili powder, and 2 TB maple syrup, Nor did I put 1/2 cup of Thai basil in the chili because the owner of the Asian market where I bought it recommended I use half that because fresh Thai basil is such a strong herb. So I put 1/4 cup of Thai basil in the chili. My finished product had a pleasant burn. It is a well-seasoned chili. In addition to the brown rice noodles, I also enjoyed it over roasted potatoes and in warmed pita pockets. And I was delighted to find that the brown rice noodles were so easy to prepare: pour hot water over and let them soak for about 10 minutes, then drain and pour boiling water over for a bout 5. As Ina Garten would say, how easy is that?
Hi Marsha! I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe! It is quite hot – my husband is a heat/flavor fanatic so when I make Asian-style recipes they tend to be pretty hot or else he complains and ends up throwing diced hananeros on top of whatever I made. 🙂 I think I’ll add a note to the recipe about how to cut back on the heat. Thanks for the suggestions! And, yes, brown rice noodles are so easy!!