Add This Flavorful Ingredient To Your Chili And You'll Win Over Any Crowd

Everyone should have one or two secret ingredients up their sleeve, even if they're just common pantry items. For example, celebrity chef Bobby Flay's go-to secret ingredient is umami-packed anchovies, which can bring depth to all manner of dishes. Cinnamon is a similarly versatile item, which can be used in various recipes ranging from breakfast to dessert. It's as terrific on French toast as it is in apple pie. And, around dinner time, a dash of cinnamon is just the thing to make your chili even cozier.

This might already sound familiar to Cincinnati-style chili lovers (and haters). Some will even go so far as to dip cinnamon rolls in chili in lieu of the more common corn bread. But one needn't commit to the divisive regional style nor begin tinkering with pastry pairings to enjoy the flavor. A dash of cinnamon in all manner of chili preparations will perform similarly to add warmth and a touch of near-sweetness to the bowl. It's also complementary to the cocoa that folks like Martha Stewart add to their chili recipes. So, if that chocolate powder already serves as your secret, cinnamon makes for an excellent clandestine affair.

If you're a five-alarm kind of chili maker who derives heat from hot peppers alone, you'll notice that the cinnamon's own contribution is a much more subtle addition to the mix. Its warmth is a dynamic companion to all the fire from those smoky chipotles in adobo that also make a chili great.

Like with a lot of things, the key to jazzing up your chili with cinnamon is discretion. It might not seem like a few shakes into a big pot will really move the dial, but it will. You want to start with about a teaspoon at a time and let it fully incorporate before you taste to decide if you want to add more, which is unlikely. What is more likely, however, is that you'll begin considering cinnamon for even more savory preparations where you might not have otherwise eyed the spice. Baked ham is an obvious contender, for example, so you may want to tinker with other protein opportunities and add a bit of cinnamon to something like pork chops. Even just a small addition to your preferred marinade will make for a very fine swine.