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This copycat Wendy’s chili recipe captures the bold spices and hearty comfort of the fast-food favorite, for a hearty bowl-full at home!!
a spot-on copycat recipe!
Craving Wendy’s chili recipe? The kids love this chili, so we knew we had to recreate that signature flavor at home – and it tastes just like the real thing!
We love to whip up batches in the fall/winter, from our White Chicken Chili Recipe to Classic Chili recipe, and now this fast food copycat.
Whether you prefer it topped with cheese and served with Sweet Cornbread or nestled in a Bread Bowl, this chili is a versatile and satisfying main dish, perfect for chilly nights.
WHY WE LOVE IT:
- Pantry staples. This chili uses mostly canned and pre-chopped ingredients you’ll likely have on hand, making it a budget-friendly and convenient meal.
- Flavor customization. Since you’re the chef at home, you can tailor chili recipes to your exact taste preferences.
- Easy. Whether cooking on the stovetop, or in the crock pot, this chili comes together in a single pot, minimizing cleanup.
Ingredients
PREP TIME: 5 minutes
COOK TIME: 70 minutes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 pounds ground beef – drain excess oil. You can also use ground chicken or ground turkey. If you happen to have leftover hamburger patties, this is the dish to make. After all, in an effort to reduce food waste, Wendy’s developed this recipe using leftover cooked burgers.
- 2 stalks celery chopped, optional
- 1 green bell pepper chopped
- 3 (14-ounce) cans stewed tomatoes chop them up a little more
- 1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chilies such as RO*TEL
- 1 (14-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 cup water – you can also use beef or vegetable broth
- 2 (1.25-ounce) packages chili seasoning such as McCormick® Mild Chili Seasoning Mix – see FAQs for a recipe
- 1 (14-ounce) can kidney beans undrained
- 1 (14-ounce) can pinto beans undrained
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar or more to taste
- optional spice – For spicier chili, Add in chopped jalapenos, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, or hot sauce
How to Make Copycat Wendy’s Chili Recipe
- BEEF. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Cook 2 pounds ground beef until no longer pink.
- VEGGIES. Stir in 2 stalks chopped celery and 1 chopped green bell pepper into ground beef for 4-5 minutes.
- COMBINE. Pour in 3 cans chopped stewed tomatoes, 1 can diced tomato with green chiles, 1 can tomato sauce, and 1 cup water. Break apart large chunks of stewed tomatoes. Stir in 2 packages chili seasoning.
- Mix 1 can kidney beans and 1 can pinto beans into chili, season with salt and black pepper, and bring to a boil.
- SIMMER. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour. Mix 1 tablespoon vinegar into chili.
Slow Cooker Directions
- Brown the beef as directed in steps 1 and 2. Drain excess fat if necessary.
- Scrape the browned beef into the crockpot and add the ingredients listed in steps 3 and 4.
- Cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or on HIGH for 2-3 hours.
Complete The Meal
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Wendy’s Chili Recipe
This copycat Wendy's chili recipe captures the bold spices and hearty comfort of the fast-food favorite, for a hearty bowl-full at home!!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 2 stalks celery, chopped, optional
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 3 (14-ounce) cans stewed tomatoes, chop them up a little more
- 1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chilies, such as RO*TEL
- 1 (14-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 cup water
- 2 (1.25-ounce) packages chili seasoning, such as McCormick® Mild Chili Seasoning Mix
- 1 (14-ounce) can kidney beans, undrained
- 1 (14-ounce) can pinto beans, undrained
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar, or more to taste
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Cook meat until no longer pink.
- Stir celery and green bell pepper into ground beef for 4-5 minutes.
- Pour in chopped stewed tomatoes, diced tomatoes with green chiles, tomato sauce, and water. Break apart large chunks of stewed tomatoes. Stir in chili seasoning.
- Mix kidney beans and pinto beans into chili, season with salt and black pepper, and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour. Mix vinegar into chili.
Video
Nutrition
Calories: 343kcal, Carbohydrates: 26g, Protein: 20g, Fat: 18g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 8g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 54mg, Sodium: 437mg, Potassium: 868mg, Fiber: 7g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 490IU, Vitamin C: 21mg, Calcium: 89mg, Iron: 5mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
How do I Make McCormick Chili Mix?
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- 1-2 teaspoons salt
- 4 teaspoons chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
How to Store Wendy’s Chili Copycat Recipe?
- Fridge. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days until you are ready to heat and serve.
- Freezer. Store cooled chili in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
This chili recipe is the perfect combo of flavors and has just the right amount of spice. I’ll be making this quite a bit when the weather cools down.
Yay! I’m so glad you enjoy the chili recipe. It’s a great one for the cooler weather!
This copycat recipe is so good!!
Best chili you can get
I actually had this recipe at Kristyns house and loved it so much that I printed out the recipe to make my family. It was sooo yummy!
There’s a reason Wendy’s Chili is so popular – it’s so good! And now I can make it at home with enough to feed my whole family. Love it – thanks for the great copycat recipe!
Chili is my favorite fall dish – especially this copycat recipe from Wendy’s! It’s perfect with cornbread as well.
I really loved how this turned out. It was the perfect thickness and tasted great.
Ohh so good! You will love this copycat recipe for Wendy’s chili.
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing wendy’s chili recipe! Will surely have this again! It’s really easy to make and it tasted so delicious! Highly recommended!
I love Wendy’s chili & this tastes exactly like it, in my opinion!! My hubby requests it all the time!!