Brian Baumgartner Reveals His Favorite Recipe From the ‘Seriously Good Chili Cookbook’ and It’s Not His Own
If you told The Office actor Brian Baumgartner 12 years ago he would still be talking about chili in 2022, he would have called you a liar. Kevin Malone’s famous chili scene has become “the most memed thing ever,” according to Baumgartner. So, he’s leaning into it.
In September 2022, Baumgartner published the Seriously Good Chili Cookbook: 177 of the Best Recipes in the World. It includes the recipe that made Baumgartner go viral as well as recipes from celebrity chefs, chili cook-off legends, and fans of The Office. When Showbiz Cheat Sheet caught up with Baumgartner over Zoom, he shared which recipe from the cookbook is his favorite. Find out which one it is.
‘The Office’ actor never made chili before that season 5 scene
Kevin’s famous chili might be “the thing he does best,” but Baumgartner had never made chili before filming that cold open in season 5. “I’m from the South, so I had enjoyed chili plenty of times,” Baumgartner told us. “I made it kind of on a lark. I thought, ‘Okay, I’ll try this.'”
After finding a recipe online and tweaking it to his preferences, Baumgartner took a photo and shared it on social media. “I thought, ‘Oh, maybe somebody will think this is funny,'” he recalled. “People went berserk.”
Thus began Baumgartner’s deeper connection with chili. In February 2021, he partnered with Bush’s Baked Beans to celebrate National Chili Day. Now, Baumgartner is the author of a cookbook dedicated to the dish.
Brian Baumgartner’s favorite recipe is a white smoked chicken chili
As the chili connoisseur, Baumgartner was invited to the World Championship Chili Cook-off (WCCC) earlier this year. There, he discovered what would become his favorite recipe in the Seriously Good Chili Cookbook.
“I judged this competition and my favorite one was a smoked chicken, white, white bean chili,” Baumgartner recalled. “It was so delicious.”
Baumgartner’s favorite chili didn’t win — it came in second. But working with the International Chili Society, who puts on the WCCC each year, Baumgartner got access to the runner-up and permission to include their recipe in his cookbook.
“We have a ton of world champion recipes in the book and I’m so honored and feel so blessed that they have allowed me to do that,” the actor said. “I said, ‘If we’re doing this, we have to find the the the guy or gal who did the smoked chicken, white, white bean chili that I tried at the WCCC.'”
‘Seriously Good Chili Cookbook’ page 86 contains Brian’s favorite recipe
Baumgartner found Chuck Anderson, the chef responsible for the smoked chicken chili. Now, fans looking to try the dish for themselves can find the recipe on page 86 of Baumgartner’s cookbook. “I’ve made it since the book came out,” he added. “It’s worth a try for sure.”
Fans can purchase the Seriously Good Chili Cookbook: 177 of the Best Recipes in the World online for more chili recipes, details about the rich history of the dish, and a behind-the-scenes look at Baumgartner’s infamous 60-second chili scene that went down in TV history and made him a chili icon.
Keep up with Baumgartner’s podcast Off the Beat and watch every episode of The Office on Peacock.
