Chili Charcuterie Board
Serve an Epic Chili Dinner Board; a tasty Chili Charcuterie Board served with a favorite chili recipe, toppings, cornbread, chips, and more.
What I love about a Chili Charcuterie Board is that it’s great for football and fall-time hosting! This board pairs well with chili potluck ideas!
We love a good charcuterie board, don’t you?! This Chili Charcuterie Board is a very easy dinner idea during the colder months. You can even get a head start by adding this to your weekend meal prep, having the chili cooked and ready to go for a party. Chili is hearty and filling, and great for company! Grab your BIG BOARD and this Easy Homemade Chili recipe plus a great chili dinner party menu (below) and get started.
Epic Chili Dinner Board Recipe
And a great tip is this: Did you know that you can put this board together in minutes, if it’s a last-minute idea? You can buy store-bought chili and enhance the chili by adding a very small amount of cumin, cinnamon, nutmeg, maple syrup or even peanut butter to your chili! You can even add cocoa. Another option, if you are looking for a great Baked Potato recipe in air fryer, is to add baked potatoes to the board.
Why we love a chili charcuterie board
- Creates a fun vibe, great conversation, and they are casual and tasty!
- Optional to make ahead the chili recipe (tastes better the 2nd day), and easy assembly.
- Make the board gluten-free (see tips below).
- A real crowd-pleaser–everything served on The Big Board (26-inch).
My encouragement today: Invite someone new, share your life, open up, and give of yourself.
Simple ingredients for an epic chili dinner board:
- Favorite chili recipe: read tips above if you are enhancing store-bought)
- Grated cheese: Mexican combo is best
- Cilantro
- Red onion + green onion
- Sour cream
- Cornbread: serve hot if you can so the butter melts for your guests
- Butter: optioinal to make honey butter
- Corn chips: or favorite tortilla chips
How do you assemble a chili dinner board?
- Use a board with a lip. This is important so the food does not fall off.
- Make the chili ahead. The longer it simmers and sits overnight, the better the flavors. If you’re buying store-bought, use my types above to enhance the flavor.
- Bake the cornbread. Cut into large chunks.
- Create the board with a space in the center to add the hot pot of chili (lay down a hot pad). When ready, reheat the chili in a shallow pan to add to the board when hot. You can even keep the lid on the chili until right before serving.
- Around the outside add small bowls filled with the chili condiments.
- Fill in the open areas with cornbread, butter, and your favorite chips. We buy Trader Joe’s corn chips (so good).
- Add your favorite tongs and small spoons!
- Right before serving, add the big pot of chili to the center of the board, and let everyone make their own bowls.
How do you serve a chili board?
Everyone customizes their bowl of chili with their favorite toppings. This board is a great idea for a kid party, for Super Bowl Sunday, or any game day party. You can even serve this board for a tailgate party. And for fall, we love to serve this board for Sunday Supper on a warm fall day in our backyard. It’s so easy to put together!
Set it out … they will come!
What cheese do you eat with chili?
There are several types of cheese which go best with chili! There is no right or wrong, just as there is no right or wrong in how you put the board together. It’s truly up to what you have in the fridge, or what your family favorite is. Here are a few toppings that we love on chili:
- Mexican cheese: a blend of Monterey Jack, Cheddar, Queso Quesadilla and Asadero cheeses
- Pepper Jack: this cheese has a “kick” to it
- Cotija: crumbled and melted, it’s delicious on chili
- Queso Fresco: crumbled, also melts nicely on the chili
- Cheddar cheese: we love Tillamook’s white Sharp cheddar cheese, but you can use a medium or a mild cheese
Tips and substitutions:
- Make the night before: We think chili is better made ahead. It’s also better the longer it cooks! Let the chili simmer on the stove or in the slow cooker for hours, that way the flavors will meld together.
- Make the chili board gluten-free: Most chili is naturally gluten-free. Add gluten-free toppings!
- Bake your own cornbread: You can use this Buttermilk Cornbread Recipe, or your favorite recipe. If you’re putting a board together quickly, feel free to use Jiffy cornbread–it’s also delish hot out of the oven.
- Mix butter and honey: Take a cube of softened butter and add honey, to make your own “honey butter.”
- Use a 4-quart Braiser to heat the chiili in. The pot sits nicely on the board (don’t forget to sit the HOT PAD down first).
- The gray board in the photos in this post is no longer available (it is 24-inches), but we now carry The Big Board (largest size is 26-inches).
LeCreuset 4-quart braiser with glass lid
Guys, I’m using my favorite 4-quart Braiser that is lightweight and fits beautifully on these big boards. It’s shallow enough to not overpower the board. It comes with a lid, so you can serve the food hot (place a pothoolder down first). You can buy this LeCreuset 4-quart Braiser with glass lid [affiliate link] and I think you’ll love it!
Always place a trivet or hot pad on your board first, before you place anything down hot!
Appetizers for a chili dinner party:
Here are some great appetizers to serve separately for a chili dinner party. You can also serve these on a separate board, or set off to the side (or set out a board in the area where guests are watching football?)
- Jalapeño Cornbread Squares with Festive Toppings
- Jalapeño Popper Stuffed Mushrooms
- Cake Pan Jalapeno Popper Dip
- Cheesy Baked Jalapeño Poppers
- Best Frito Corn Salad (Dip)
- Pesto White Bean Dip
Green salads with a chili board
I’m of the belief that there’s a place for salad with any bowl of chili. Right?
Salads are so fresh and delish, and seem to round out the meal; plus they’re a great alternative if your guests don’t like chili. They can have salad and cornbread instead!
Serve this chili board with a side salad–the perfect Fall dinner! Better yet, serve a Fall Cobb Salad Board.
I can’t think of a more cozy and comforting way to make chili complete, than a big pot in the middle of a board. Mix in corn bread and chips and any other toppings you’d put on chili, to create a beautiful dinner board.
Enjoy!
More chili recipes to try:
Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Chili recipe
Best Pumpkin Turkey Chili Recipe
No Bean Sweet Potato & Turkey Chili
Instant Pot Mango Chicken Chili
The Big Board®
Friends, The Big Board® is here! Yes, I’ve partnered with JK Adams, the premier woodmaking company in Vermont, with my own line of RE boards!
- 20-inch round, maple
- 26-inch round, maple
- 12 x 36-inch maple
- NEW 12 x 24-inch maple
- 23-inch Lazy Susan
- 26-inch ebonized BLACK, cherry
- 12 x 36-inch ebonized BLACK, cherry
- A board with a lip (or raised edged) so the food doesn’t fall off
- FOOD SAFE
- Made in the USA
- Undercut handles (a unique design)
Thank you for your support, as we’ve sold out so many times already!
Order The Big Board® today!
And friends, have you bought my new cookbook? Buy Big Boards for Families today! It’s “editor’s pick” on Amazon!
Happy hosting!
Get the Recipe:
Chili Charcuterie Board
Ingredients
- Your favorite chili recipe
- Cheese, Mexican combo is best
- Cilantro, finely chopped
- Red onion, finely chopped
- Sour cream
- Green onion, finely chopped
- Cornbread, baked, and cut into squares
- Butter, optional to mix honey in, to make "honey butter"
- Corn chips, or favorite tortilla chips
Instructions
- Prepare a board with a "lip" by either laying down parchment paper, or make sure it's food safe. This is important so the food does not fall off.
- Cook the chili ahead. The longer it simmers and sits overnight, the better the flavors.
- Bake the cornbread. Cut into large chunks.
- Create the board with a space in the center to add the hot pot of chili (lay down a hot pad). When ready, reheat the chili in a shallow pan to add to the board when hot. You can even keep the lid on the chili until right before serving.
- Around the outside add small bowls filled with the chili condiments.
- Fill in the open areas with cornbread, butter, and your favorite chips.
- Add your favorite tongs and small spoons and SERVE!
- Optional to serve with a side of game day appetizers and a large, epic green salad.
Notes
Always living in Florida I was never much of a chili fan, but with this being my first Holiday season living in Michigan I was looking for something fun and hot for our friends holiday party. I make your chili charcuterie board and it was a huge hit! It might have to become and Annual thing.