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Copycat Wendy's Chili

Copycat Wendy’s chili with ground beef, kidney and pinto beans, and diced tomatoes, simmered until rich and ruby-red. Warm chili powder and cumin bring classic depth with a hearty, spoonable texture.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Calories: 360
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chili base
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 1 green bell pepper, diced
  • 1 can (15 oz) kidney beans
  • 1 can (15 oz) pinto beans
  • 1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes
  • 1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
  • 2 tbsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp cumin

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Brown the beef
  1. In a Dutch oven, cook the ground beef with the diced yellow onion and diced green bell pepper over medium-high heat until browned, 8-10 minutes, stirring until the vegetables soften and the beef is no longer pink (visual cue: dry, browned crumbles).
Build the chili
  1. Stir in the kidney beans, pinto beans, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, chili powder, and cumin until evenly combined, about 2 minutes (visual cue: spices are speckled through the sauce).
Simmer
  1. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, then reduce to low and simmer until thickened, 45 minutes, stirring occasionally (visual cue: chili looks ruby-red and coats the back of a spoon).
Season and serve
  1. Season to taste with additional chili powder or cumin as needed, and add a pinch of sugar if you want to balance the acidity (visual cue: flavor tastes rounded rather than sharp).
  2. Serve hot straight from the pot (visual cue: steam rises from the chili surface).

Notes

Pro tip: if you like a smoother chili, mash a few spoonfuls of beans against the side of the Dutch oven during the last 10 minutes. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 4 days; freeze up to 3 months (thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat on the stovetop). For a lighter option, use 93% lean ground beef.