Wendy’s Chili Recipe
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Wendy’s Chili Recipe, a delicious and easy copycat chili, this fast food joint favorite is perfect when you just cannot make the drive.
Delicious and hearty for winter weather, this chili is spiced up fantastically and full of savory beef and beans in every bite.
Why you will love making Wendy’s Chili at home!
Copyright recipes can be really hard – most companies don’t exactly print out their secrets, so it can take a bit to get it right. But this Copycat Wendy’s Chili is pretty close and fits the bill when you are wanting a homemade meal with fast food flavor.
With tons of amazing spices, beans (great source of protein!), and of course savory beef, you cannot go wrong snuggled on the couch with a bowl of chili.
Copycat Wendy’s Chili Recipe
Wendy’s Copycat Chili can be made in a stock pot and takes about an hour from start to finish if you stovetop.
You could easily translate this to a slow cooker chili recipe or a chili recipe for one (click to be taken to each of those instructions).
Ingredients
- Lean ground beef
- Fresh: Onion, Celery stalk, Green pepper,
- Pantry: Cooking Oil, Dry chili seasoning, White vinegar
- Canned: Rotel (tomatoes with green chilies), Stewed tomatoes, Kidney beans, Pinto beans, Tomato sauce
Brown beef before beginning chili recipe
Add ground beef, onion, celery, green pepper and cooking oil in a large stock pot and cook until hamburger is browned, about 8-10 minutes. Salt and Pepper beef to taste.
If your meat has too much grease, drain before going on into the next step. Grease is more of a preference thing.
I like to use 80/20 beef because the extra fat gives it extra flavor but when making soups and chili’s, if you do not drain before adding liquids, can def add a layer of grease on the top. I will leave that up to you.
How to make Wendy’s Chili at Home
- In a large stock pot, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add 1 lb of lean ground beef, 1 diced small onion, 1 diced stalk of celery, and 1 chopped small green pepper. Cook for 8-10 minutes until the beef is thoroughly browned. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Drain any excess grease if necessary.
- To the pot, add one 10 oz can of Rotel (tomatoes with green chilies), one 28 oz can of stewed tomatoes, one 14 oz can of undrained kidney beans, one 14 oz can of undrained pinto beans, one 14 oz can of tomato sauce, and one 1.25 oz packet of dry chili seasoning. Stir well to combine.
- Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, cover, and let it simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in 1 tablespoon of white vinegar just before serving.
- Serve the chili hot, optionally topped with shredded cheddar cheese and serve with a copycat wendy’s frosty.
MAKE YOUR CHILI BETTER
Everyone likes their chili differently and while this recipe is more authentic by itself, I personally enjoy mine like this.
- Use the recipe above BUT also add (1) can of Wolf Brand Chili (no beans) and one extra pound of cooked ground beef.
- Add minced garlic while cooking the beef ( I use about 1 tablespoon per pound of beef). This will make your chili super thick, and I love the can of Wolf Brand chili in mine because of the flavors.
- If your chili is TOO thick, just add about 1/4th cup of water or beef stock at a time.
Suggested Chili Toppings
- Diced Onions – dice and cut up mini onions. My store actually carries these pre-cut for quick serves like this.
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- Sour Cream – a dollop will do ya!
- Serve with Tortilla Chips – we skip the spoon around here and serve all our chili’s and Mexican soups with tortilla chips. My kids like to use them to dip out the chili but my husband likes to crunch his up and put on the top of the chili.
Wendy’s Chili Recipe (Copycat)
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 small onion diced
- 1 stalk celery diced
- 1 small green pepper chopped
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 10 oz. Rotel tomatoes with green chilies
- 28 oz. stewed tomatoes
- 14 oz. kidney beans do not drain
- 14 oz. pinto beans do not drain
- 14 oz. tomato sauce
- 1.25 oz. dry chili seasoning
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
Instructions
- Add ground beef, diced onion, diced celery, chopped green pepper and cooking oil in a large stock pot and cook until hamburger is browned, about 8-10 minutes. Seasoning generously with salt and black pepper. Drain grease if necessarily. Heat over medium high heat until boiling.
- To the same pan as cooked beef, canned Rotel, stewed tomatoes, undrained kidney and pinto beans, tomato sauce and packet of dry chili seasoning and mix together well.
- Reduce heat to simmer and cover for 1 hour.
- Stir in white vinegar after the hour is done.
- Serve chili topped with shredded cheddar cheese and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer: The nutritional data provided here is auto-calculated and intended for your convenience only. As it’s generated via automation, its accuracy may be compromised. For precise nutritional insight, please compute the values utilizing the actual ingredients in your recipe through your chosen nutrition calculator or application.
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Great recipe, my family loved and not only went back for seconds, but thirds as well. I
Sharon, thank you for sharing! I am so glad you enjoyed my chili recipe!!
So easy and so delicious!
So glad you enjoyed!
Fix your site!
Cannot get to wendys recipe
Its not my site, I can see the recipe fine. I would check another browser or internet access that you are on. Its in the post and in the recipe card both.
Out of curiosity, what does the vinegar for? Little bit of acidic flavor? I’m going to try out the recipe today. Its cold and rainy here in Texas. Good day for some chili.
It compliments most chilis – some people like balsamic actually at the end and brings (like you guessed) a little bit of acid.
Thank you! Making now. Happy New Year ❤
Hi Trisha, I am wanting to make your chili, but in the crockpot! How long would you suggest leaving it in the crockpot?
Thanks in advance!
-Lauren
Lauren, cook the meat first before you combine into crock pot. We have done other chili in the crockpot but not this recipe but typically it takes about 4 hours to combine the spices and warm properly.
Not fond of stewed tomatoes, can they be replaced?
You can replace with more rotel tomatoes if you like those.
This was the BEST !!!! Tasted spot on, good job. Thank you for sharing your recipe with us, you sure have made alot of people happy!!!
This is spot on. Glad I tried it.
Wonderful chili, made per recipe and it’s perfect. Thank you so much.
This is my go to chili recipe.
Nutritional information?
As noted on the recipe card, its an automated calculation and I do not personally believe that is helpful to most needing nutritional guidance. We recommend you import the ingredients and your personal serving portions on places like Carbmanager or other apps that specialize in nutritional values.