Copycat Wendy's Chili Recipe

Wendy's chili is great and now you can make a big batch yourself for family and friends. This recipe is the closet authentic Copycat Wendy's Chili. There are a few key secrets to make it just like theirs and I share those all with you. This can be made stovetop or mixed up and allowed to simmer in your crockpot all day. It's perfect over air fryer baked potatoes or in a big bowl with crackers and beer bread.

Jump to:

• What is the best secret ingredent for chili?
• Ingredients in copycat Wendy's chili
• Instructions
• Tips for the perfect bowl
• What to serve with chili
• More soup recipes
• Recipe

What is the best secret ingredent for chili?

There are really two things that make a pot of chili amazing.

• Start with high-quality ingredients. Grass-fed beef, fresh spices, and chili powder that does not have fillers. It really does make a difference when it comes to flavor.
• This secret might surprise you, but time is the key! The best chili is cooked slow and low. It also gets even better when it's been chilled and reheated. The flavors are richer and more developed. So if you are in a chile contest, make it a day or so before and reheat it; that will give you the upper edge.

Ingredients in copycat Wendy's chili

I have carefully researched and broken down the ingredients to give you the most authentic copycat recipe.

What kind of meat?

Wendy's takes leftover char-grilled patties and puts them in the fridge for the next batch of chili. When they are ready to make chili, they put the patties in a pot of boiling water. Boiling the burgers reduces the fat content, so the chili will not be greasy. Also, boiling brings back some of the moisture to the meat after sitting in the fridge.

I start with a fresh hamburger for my recipe, and after it is cooked, I rinse and drain it with boiling water.

What kind of beans to use?

According to Wendy's website, they use kidney beans and pink beans in their chili. Pink Beans are small, slightly sweet, oval-shaped beans with pale, pink skin popular in Caribbean countries. If you can't find pink beans, substitute them with pinto beans.

Does Wendy's put sugar in their chili?

Again I referred to the restaurant's ingredient list on their website. There are 6 grams of sugar in each serving of chili.

Instructions

This recipe started when I checked out a cookbook with restaurant recipes from the library. I was newly married and was trying to find the perfect chili recipe that tasted like our favorite take-out chili.

 I copied the recipe on the small index card minus the beans. It took a few years to convert my husband to beans in your chili kind of guy.  Over time I had to glue the small card onto a bigger one, and we made a few changes like using stewed tomatoes and canned green chilis.

It didn't start as the perfect recipe; it sort of evolved over the course of 20 or so years. You can tell by our recipe card. Many pots of chili have been made using this recipe card.

How to prepare

1. Cook hamburger in a stockpot and drain off the fat. Rinse and drain the meat in a colander with boiling water or extremely hot tap water. Return to stockpot.
2. Add onions, green peppers, and celery to hamburger, cook on medium heat for 5 minutes, or tender vegetables.
3. Add tomatoes, beans, seasonings, and water. Simmer for 1 hour.

Using a slow cooker

If you would like to use this recipe in a slow cooker, then cook your hamburger as instructed. Add the rest of the ingredients, stir and cover. Cook on low for 4-5 hours.

How to make it spicy

One of our favorite ways to spice up this recipe is to add 3 or 4 tablespoons of hot wing sauce. This sauce makes it spicy but not too hot.

Tips for the perfect bowl

Toppings for chili

 This chili recipe is great served with shredded cheddar cheese, chopped onions, sour cream, or chopped jalapeños. For a vegan topping, try my Spicy Cashew Cream Sauce. It is easy to make and is a delicious healthy vegan substitute for sour cream.

How to reheat chili

Reheat leftover chili on the stovetop at medium-low heat. You can also heat it by the bowl in the microwave. Just be sure the internal temperature reaches 165 F.

How to freeze

1. Allow to chili to cool down to room temperature.
2. Use thick, durable freezer bags or airtight freezer containers.
3. Lay the bags flat on a cookie sheet and freeze.
4. Defrost in the fridge overnight.
5. You could also defrost in a bowl of room temperature water
6. To quickly defrost, use the defrost setting on a microwave.

Canning this recipe

Canning soup and stew is easy and safe when you use a few basic canning safety tips. You can have a quick heat and eat dinner ready on a cold winter night in minutes.

Make the recipe according to the directions. If you are new to canning, then I suggest you read my post How To Pressure Can. Pressure canning is a way to preserve low acid foods like this chili safely. The pressure canner is able to heat the food to a higher and constant temperature to kill botulism spores. For complete canning instructions, please read my post Canned Chili

What to serve with chili

Italian Cheesy Pull Apart Bread would be a great addition to your chili dinner. The loaf is filled with buttery garlic, pesto, and Italian herb mixture then generously stuffed with mozzarella cheese to create each perfect bite for this pull-apart Italian bread.

You could also make a batch of Vegan Beer Bread to dip into your chili. A sweet, chewy crust on the outside with a soft scrumptious inside describes this crazy good recipe.

More soup recipes

• Vegan White Bean Chili ~ web-story: How To Make Vegan Chili

Recipe