diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index b5dd3bda..4930ed01 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -201,7 +201,7 @@ Tests
 
 You can run specs with ```embark spec```, it will run any files ending *_spec.js under ```spec/```.
 
-Embark includes a testing lib to fastly run & test your contracts in a EVM. 
+Embark includes a testing lib to fastly run & test your contracts in a EVM.
 
 ```Javascript
 # spec/contracts/simple_storage_spec.js
@@ -255,6 +255,7 @@ The environment is a specific blockchain configuration that can be managed at co
     rpc_port: 8101
     rpc_whitelist: "*"
     datadir: default
+    chains: chains_staging.json
     network_id: 0
     console: true
     account:
@@ -323,4 +324,3 @@ $ echo 'export PATH="$PATH:$HOME/npm-global/bin"' >>~/.bashrc
 $ source ~/.bashrc
 $ npm install -g embark-framework grunt-cli
 ```
-
diff --git a/bin/embark b/bin/embark
index e7506768..7706bac6 100755
--- a/bin/embark
+++ b/bin/embark
@@ -17,15 +17,12 @@ var run = function(cmd) {
 var deploy = function(env, embarkConfig) {
   var contractFiles = grunt.file.expand(embarkConfig.contracts);
   var destFile = embarkConfig.output;
-  var chainFile = embarkConfig.chains;
 
   Embark.init();
   Embark.blockchainConfig.loadConfigFile(embarkConfig.blockchainConfig);
   Embark.contractsConfig.loadConfigFile(embarkConfig.contractsConfig);
 
-  if (chainFile === undefined) {
-    chainFile = './chains.json';
-  }
+  var chainFile = Embark.blockchainConfig.blockchainConfig[env].chains || embarkConfig.chains || './chains.json';
 
   abi = Embark.deployContracts(env, contractFiles, destFile, chainFile);
   grunt.file.write(destFile, abi);
diff --git a/lib/config/blockchain.js b/lib/config/blockchain.js
index 368fa493..15323a9a 100644
--- a/lib/config/blockchain.js
+++ b/lib/config/blockchain.js
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ BlockchainConfig.prototype.config = function(env) {
     minerthreads: config.minerthreads,
     genesisBlock: config.genesis_block,
     datadir: config.datadir,
+    chains: config.chains,
     networkId: networkId,
     maxPeers: 4,
     port: config.port || "30303",
diff --git a/test/config.blockchain.js b/test/config.blockchain.js
index bf98b4bc..d9db6129 100644
--- a/test/config.blockchain.js
+++ b/test/config.blockchain.js
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@ describe('embark.config.blockchain', function() {
           minerthreads: 1,
           genesis_block: 'config/genesis.json',
           datadir: '/tmp/embark',
+          chains: 'chains_development.json',
           mine_when_needed: true,
           gas_limit: 123,
           gas_price: 100,
@@ -67,6 +68,7 @@ describe('embark.config.blockchain', function() {
         minerthreads: 1,
         genesisBlock: 'config/genesis.json',
         datadir: '/tmp/embark',
+        chains: 'chains_development.json',
         networkId: 0,
         maxPeers: 4,
         port: "30303",
@@ -88,12 +90,13 @@ describe('embark.config.blockchain', function() {
           network_id: 0,
           minerthreads: 1,
           datadir: '/tmp/embark',
+          chains: undefined,
           mine_when_needed: true,
           console: false,
           account: {
             init: true,
             password: 'config/password'
-          }
+          },
         },
         staging: {}
       };
@@ -110,6 +113,7 @@ describe('embark.config.blockchain', function() {
         minerthreads: 1,
         genesisBlock: undefined,
         datadir: '/tmp/embark',
+        chains: undefined,
         networkId: 0,
         maxPeers: 4,
         port: "30303",