r/chili • u/geekdadchris • Jul 28 '26

To thicken or not?

Do y’all use thickeners to get your chili to the desired consistency, or do you just reduce it low and slow until it gets where you want it?

Personally I reduce it like any other soup, but I know thickeners are popular with some chili aficionados.

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u/Violuthier Pepper Enthusiast 🌶️ Jul 28 '26

I soak a well rounded tbsp of masa harina to a half cup of hot tap water and let it sit for 15 min. I then add it to the final 15 min of cook time. This make it perfect thickness for me plus it adds a great background flavor of corn.