WENDY’S CHILI

First, I love making chili – my family laughs because once the weather starts getting cool, I make chili. Second, I have always loved Wendy’s chili even as a kid. This is a perfect recipe and the whole family will love it.

Leftovers are fantastic as well – the flavors develop and make the leftovers even better. I also freeze the chili for a quick meal when I am craving chili or need dinner on the table quickly.

This is perfect to top a baked potato or serve with cheddar and jalapeño cornbread (my favorite). I also set out sour cream, shredded cheese, Fritos, and black olives so each person can add toppings.

The recipe is so easy and delicious, you need to try it and I think you will be hooked! In the Notes I have the slow cooker instructions in case that works better for you.

Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs. ground beef – 90/10 or 93/7 (I prefer the leaner varieties.)

1 yellow onion – diced

2 stalks celery – chopped

1 green bell pepper – chopped

29 oz. canned tomato sauce

29 oz. canned kidney beans – not drained

29 oz. canned pinto beans – not drained

28 oz. canned tomatoes – chopped and not drained

1 diced jalapeño – de-seeded and de-veined (or a small can of green chilies for milder flavor)

1 Tbsp. cumin powder

¼ cup chili powder

1 tsp. black pepper

2 tsp. salt

1 cup beef broth or tomato juice

1 Tbsp. butter (Optional but makes a big difference so add it if you can!)

DIRECTIONS:

Place a large skillet on the stove and turn the heat to medium.

Add the ground beef, then cook until crumbly and brown. Remove from heat.

Very carefully, drain the grease from the pan from browning the meat.

Transfer the browned ground beef into a 6-quart large slow cooker.

Add the rest of the ingredients (Except for the butter) into the slow cooker to the browned ground beef. Stir until well combined.

Place the cover on the slow cooker and cook for about 8 to 10 hours on the low setting or 4 to 6 hours on the high setting.

Stir in the butter and the chili is ready to serve.

Ladle into servings bowls and garnish with your preferred toppings.

NOTES

Toppings: Adding a variety of garnishes on top of the chili is not only fun, it allows for each person to “doctor” their bowl to just how they like. Our favorites are: Fritos, shredded cheese, sour cream, black olives, extra jalapeño, diced red onion… or, anything else your family loves.

Ground Beef Alternatives: I have made this recipe with ground turkey and ground chicken and bother turned out delicious!

Vegetarian: Substitute vegetarian crumbles for the ground beef and it is still delicious!

Beans: Sometimes I use pinto beans with jalapeños instead of plain pinto beans. Also, if you don’t already have the specific beans called for in the recipe, but have other types of beans, you can substitute the whatever you have on hand. I have used Great Northern beans and they were great.

Storing: Cool any leftover chili and place in an airtight container. Refrigerate up to 5 days.

Freezing: Cool a whole batch, or any leftover chili, and place in an airtight container. Freeze for up to 3 months.