[count, noncount] : a small pepper with a very hot flavor

[noncount]

a  : a spicy dish made of ground beef, hot peppers or chili powder, and usually beans

• a bowl of chili

— called also chili con car*ne

b  : a similar dish made without meat

Eventually, British writers settled on the original chilli, and American writers on the shortened chili.

This usage preference extends to the names of common food items and products using the chili pepper. Usually, you'll see https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chili%20con%20carne" rel="nofollow - chili con carne —referring to a spiced stew of ground beef and minced chilies and other ingredients (with or without beans), and whose name, literally, translates as "chili with meat"—on American menus; in the Spanish-influenced southwest, it might be spelled chile con carne. Chilli con carne, on the other hand, will generally be encountered on menus in the United Kingdom. Americans seem to have been the first to abbreviate this dish's name as chili (as in "a bowl of chili"), which becomes established in English by the late-1800s. By mid-1900s, the https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chili%20dog" rel="nofollow - chili dog —a hot dog topped with chili con carne—is introduced and becomes a staple of the American food vendor. Across the Pond, the chili dog isn't as relished.

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Now... The Free Dictionary not only contains a definition, but cites a third-party definition as support:

chili

Also found in: https://www.freethesaurus.com/chili" rel="nofollow - Thesaurus , https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/chili" rel="nofollow - Medical , https://acronyms.thefreedictionary.com/chili" rel="nofollow - Acronyms , https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/chili" rel="nofollow - Idioms , https://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/chili" rel="nofollow - Encyclopedia , https://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/chili" rel="nofollow - Wikipedia .

chil·i

also chil·e or chil·li  (chĭl′ē)

n. pl. chil·ies also chil·es or chil·lies

1. The pungent fresh or dried fruit of any of several cultivated varieties of capsicum, used especially as a flavoring in cooking. Also called chili pepper.

2. A stew made of meat or beans (or both) and usually tomatoes, spiced with chili peppers or chili powder.

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[Spanish chile, from Nahuatl chīlli.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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And this pattern continues, so it's pretty clear here... the definitions seem to agree that Chili... in context of the 'stew' or 'soup' reference, can be with, or without meat, or beans, they ALL agree that the 'stew' or 'soup' contains chili powder(s) and peppers, but the rest of the contents (meat, beans, vegatables) are subject to variation, and I'm certain that variation changes per the locale, culture and tradition, availability of indigenous contents, etc.

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But the OP's question was about reduction of salt in a recipie.  ONE of the reasons salt appears in many soup recipies, is because of how ingredients react to it in solution.  Historically, putting vegatables and fruits in highly mineralized water would result in no significant change in an ingredient's texture.  Dry beans, for example, would be hard when dry, and after soaking in highly-mineralized water (i.e. from a high-calcium or high-iron well water), would remain hard and dry in the center, even after cooking.  Substitute that mineralized with a 'soft' water, and the beans will absorb the moisture and soften rapidly... hence the old-time term of 'Hard' vs. 'Soft' water was demostrated by dropping several beans in a glass of water for a few hours.

IF you had some salt, though... and added it to your 'hard' water, the bean would respond to the salinity, and it would be forced to absorb the water, softening the bean considerably, and it is oftentimes this reason why you'll see sodium in MANY soup and stew mixes-  the packager has no clue what water will be used, and without the sodium, the mix may wind up NOT absorbing water and cooking properly.

So the suggestion here is, if you go with dry or sodium-free, make certain your stew or chili is using SOFTENED water, so that you don't wind up with an otherwise perfect recipie, that after being cooked, is filled with crunchy, dry ingredients.