This Copycat Chili Recipe Tastes Like Wendy's Famous Chili (High Fiber, High Protein) by Donna John

Love Wendy's chili? On a foodie group I read that Wendy's will sell its famous chili at grocery stores soon. People from all over seem to be obsessed with this fast food chain's beef and bean chili. Wendy's describes their chili (aka chili con carne) as "a cup of spicy stew with our unique blend of rich and meaty ground beef, kidney beans, tomatoes, peppers and other vegetables." And while many are excited about buying a can of the iconic chili, many still want a Wendy's copycat chili recipe to make it fresh at home.

This copycat recipe for Wendy's chili is pretty darn close in taste and consistency to what you buy at the drive-thru. Start the high-fiber and high-protein chili by browning ground beef in a soup pot. Drain the fat then add tomato juice, tomato puree, kidney beans, pinto beans, onion, celery, green bell pepper, chili powder, ground cumin, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, dried oregano and ground cayenne, to taste. Gently simmer, covered, on the stovetop for about 1 1/2 hours. (Check out the health benefits of fiber and the health benefits of protein.)

You can also make this ground beef chili in a slow cooker. Brown the ground beef in a skillet and drain. Add the ground beef and remaining ingredients to your slow cooker and cook on low heat for about four hours.

Serve this hearty bean and beef chili with your favorite side dishes. We like it with a slab of fresh-baked cornbread and a crisp garden salad. 

Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 to 1 1/2 hours
Total Time: 1 hour and 50 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 2 pounds ground beef
• 32 ounces tomato juice
• 29 ounces (1 can) tomato puree
• 15 ounces (1 can) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 15 ounces (1 can) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 onion, chopped 
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• ground cayenne, to taste

Here's how to make it: 

1. Brown the ground beef in a large soup pot. Drain fat. (Instead of ground beef, try this recipe with ground turkey.)
2. Add all the remaining ingredients. (You could change up the beans to suit your tastes. Try healthy black beans.)
3. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover and cook, stirring often, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Serve. Store the chili in an airtight container in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave. 

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