These Stuffed Chili Baked Potatoes are the perfect weeknight meal for the busiest days. They are super easy, filling, comforting, packed with flavor, and you can prep everything ahead of time or use leftover chili or store bought to make it extra quick!
Baked Potatoes with Chili – The EASY Way!
A chili baked potato dinner is so easy and so tasty! Baked potatoes in general are a household favorite. It is one of those meals that you love so you serve it all the time to your kids and before you know it, it is their favorite too!
This meal is great because you can use any type of chili you like – I have used my classic slow cooker beef chili, chicken chili, white chicken chili, store bought chili, and even Wendy’s chili on baked potatoes in a pinch. All are great and will make an excellent meal based on what you have on hand.
Why I LOVE this recipe!
- Quick – I use leftover chili and baked potatoes to simplify dinner. With these ingredients, dinner is literally prepped and on the table in 10 minutes!
- Make Ahead Friendly – Chili and potatoes can be made on the weekend before the week ahead. And all toppings can be chopped and prepped beforehand as well. When it’s dinner time, all you have to do is assemble.
- Use Up Leftovers – Did you go to a football party and bring a crockpot of chili and now have gallons left over? Use it on baked potatoes!
- Packed With Flavor – Sharp cheddar, bacon, and your favorite chili and fill these potatoes with delicious and comforting flavors!
- Easy To Scale – Make as many or as few potatoes as you want to serve. Do you need more chili or only a little? Use a can of chili or add a few cans to homemade chili.
- Customizable – Is your family vegetarian? Simply use vegetarian or vegan chili and leave off the cheese and bacon. Or add more toppings your family likes, like crispy onion straws or jalapenos!
What to Serve with Chili Baked Potato
Since this dish has all the comforting flavors, it will pair well with many of your favorite cozy side dishes. I love to pair baked potatoes with a salad, sandwich, or cup of soup, but these really are hearty enough to stand on their own if you are short on time.
Side Dish Ideas
- Salads:
- Kale Salad – For some reason I always start eating kale in the fall, probably because it is a hearty winter vegetable. Either way, this salad is great any time of year but is awesome alongside a baked potato with chili!
- Chicken Cobb Salad– This is a hearty salad to make a filling meal when paired with these chili baked potatoes
- Broccoli Salad with Bacon– This easy salad can be prepped ahead.
- Bread:
- Homemade Cornbread – this is my all-time favorite side dish! I mean, cornbread and chili, it’s a match made in heaven!
- Sandwich:
- Chicken Caesar Sandwiches– These are made on garlic bread and SO GOOD!
- Brisket Grilled Cheese– Super hearty and comforting
- Steak and Mushroom Sandwiches– These are super quick and made with an affordable cut of meat.
- Soups:
- Broccoli Cheese Soup – Veggie packed, but you wouldn’t know it- YUM!
- Crock Pot 15 bean Soup– Very hearty and can be made with or without meat
- Creamy Tomato Soup– One of my all time favorites!
You can choose one or add a few sides to make a wholesome, well-rounded dinner.
Recipe Notes
This chili loaded baked potato recipe is as simple as promised! Just 15 minutes for a family-friendly meal.
In this section I am going to go through a few tips and tricks I use when making this recipe to get the absolute best and most delicious results.
Make sure to scroll to the bottom for the FULL recipe card.
Ingredients + Substitutions
- Baked Potatoes – I prefer to use russet or Idaho potatoes for my chili topped baked potato. They can be made in advance in the microwave, air fryer, oven, or with my favorite method – Instant Pot Baked Potatoes which makes the creamiest “baked” potato!
- Leftover Chili – You can use any type of chili you like – homemade chili, Wendy’s chili, canned, vegetarian, etc. For homemade, you could use Cream Cheese Chicken Chili, or classic Chicken Chili. As far as canned chili, I think Chili Man chili is the best canned chili for baked potatoes but you can use any that you like!
- Cheddar Cheese – I like sharp cheddar because you get more flavor with less cheese, but you can use mild, medium or even Mexican blend in its place.
- Sour Cream – This adds to the creaminess and gives you that classic baked potato flavor in the recipe. You can use basic sour cream or light sour cream.
- Green Onions – Green onions are great for adding crunch and brightness. Just be sure to add them after melting the cheese and heating the chili to keep them crisp.
- Crumbled Bacon – This is optional, but adds a delicious crunch! Feel free to make fresh bacon on the stovetop or in the oven. Bacon bites can be used too, but they may not be as crispy as fresh bacon.
Recipe Tips
- Fluff the potato – This is key to making sure the chili flavor penetrates the potato. By fluffing it, you are creating space for the baked potato chili topping to mix in and flavor it with all the delicious spices!
- Melt the cheese – I like to put the chili and cheese on the potatoes and then melt the cheese in the oven. This also heats the chili up more and ensures the cheese is nice and gooey. It just makes the dinner seem a little bit more special and delicious!
- Toppings come later – Make sure to not heat the potatoes and cheese with the toppings. Because they are all cold toppings, we want them to say nice and fresh. Each person can top their potato as they like once they come out of the oven.
Recipe Short Cuts
This is a leftover recipe by nature, making it super fast while utilizing meal-prepped potatoes and leftover chili but I still have a few tricks to make it even faster!
- Use Pre-made Chili – You are on the way home and completely forgot about dinner… Good news! You can grab chili at many super market deli sections hot and fresh, grab chilis from Wendy’s, or even use canned when you need to.
- Bake Potatoes ahead of time– Baked Potatoes can be cooked ahead of time and refrigerated, then just reheated for a quicker start to this meal.
- Don’t Melt The Cheese – Melting the cheese is totally optional and while it makes it very tasty, you can easily just top the chili on a baked potato with cheddar chili and call it a day. Still tasty and even quicker.
Baked Chili Potato Leftovers
If you have leftovers after making chili stuffed baked potatoes, then it is your lucky day! They save and reheat well, and can make the start of another delicious dish.
To save leftovers, separate into meal sized portions and then place in an airtight container and store:
- in the refrigerator for 3-4 days
More Recipes
If you enjoyed this loaded chili baked potato recipe, I really hope you will take a moment to grab a few more easy recipes for another busy night!
You can check out all of my dinner recipes here, or see a few of our readers favorite recipes below.
- Chicken Enchilada Casserole
- Ultra Creamy Chicken and Rice Casserole
- Creamy Beef and Mushroom Casserole
- BBQ Chicken Casserole
Stuffed Chili Baked Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 baked potatoes
- 2 cups leftover chili
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup green onions, or chives
- 1/4 cup crispy crumbled bacon, optional
Instructions
- Split baked potatoes and fluff with a fork.
- Top each baked potato with 1/2 cup chili, crumbled bacon, and cheddar cheese.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted and steak is heated through.
- Top with sour cream and green onions and serve immediately. Enjoy!
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