OK, I’m not too proud to admit it… I really really love Wendy’s chili. It’s absolute comfort food, especially when piled on the most perfect of vessels, a fast food baked potato.
So this week I set out to make a pot of chili at home with just ingredients I already had on hand. A quick Google brought me to a copycat Wendy’s chili recipe, and then my good bud Chatty G helped me make it work with my freezer and pantry staples (San Marzanos, hatch chiles, duck fat, smoked salt… be jealous). It leans into slow simmered flavor without being fussy. It is hearty, rich, a little smoky, and eminently flexible. Serves 6 to 8.
Snapshot
Prep time: about 15 minutes
Cook time: 60 to 90 minutes
Equipment: Dutch oven or heavy pot, knife, cutting board, wooden spoon
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Ingredients
Meat and aromatics
- 1.5 to 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 tablespoon duck fat
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium carrot, diced
- 1 to 2 ribs celery, diced
Peppers and chiles
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
- 1 small can hatch chiles, drained (rinse only if the can liquid smells metallic)
Tomatoes and beans
- 1 large can San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes (28 to 32 ounces), crushed by hand
- 2 to 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
Liquids and depth boosters
- 1 to 1.5 cups water or broth
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 quarter of a Knorr Rich Beef jellied pot, dissolved in a splash of hot water (add half first and taste later)
- 1 half teaspoon molasses or 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon chili crisp
Spices
- 2 to 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 half teaspoon cayenne (adjust to taste)
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (in place of oregano)
- 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt to start
- 1 half teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Finishers
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 quarter teaspoon smoked salt to start
- optional 1 teaspoon European butter for a silky finish
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Instructions
- Brown the beef
Place the ground beef in a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Cook until well browned, breaking it up as it cooks. Lightly season with salt.
- Drain most of the rendered fat
Pour off excess fat, leaving behind about 1 to 2 teaspoons.
- Add duck fat and aromatics
Add the duck fat to the pot. Stir in onion, garlic, carrot and celery. Cook 5 to 7 minutes until softened.
- Add peppers and hatch chiles
Stir in bell peppers and drained hatch chiles. Cook 3 to 4 minutes.
- Bloom the spices
Add chili powder, cumin, paprika, cayenne, Italian seasoning, sugar and black pepper. Stir and let the spices bloom in the fat for 30 to 45 seconds.
- Add tomato paste
Stir in the tomato paste and cook 1 minute to deepen the base.
- Add tomatoes
Add the crushed San Marzanos and all their juices.
- Build the broth
Add rinsed beans, water or broth, Worcestershire, molasses or maple syrup and chili crisp. Stir well.
- Simmer
Bring to a gentle bubble, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 45 to 60 minutes. Add more water if it thickens too much. If it is too thin, simmer uncovered during the last 15 minutes.
- Add frozen corn
Stir in the corn during the last 10 minutes so it stays bright.
- Finish and season
Taste and adjust. Add lemon juice, then add smoked salt a little at a time until the flavor feels round and balanced. Add a teaspoon of butter if you want a silky finish. Adjust salt, pepper or heat as needed.
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Notes, swaps and guardrails
Duck fat note
If you don’t have duck fat, just retain more beef drippings!
If the chili tastes flat
Adjust salt first. Then try another small pinch of smoked salt. Then a drop or two more Worcestershire. Save lemon juice for the very end.
If the chili tastes too acidic
Add a tiny amount of molasses or a pinch of sugar. Do not increase the lemon.
If the chili is too thick
Add water a splash at a time until it loosens to a scoopable texture.
If it is too thin
Simmer uncovered until it tightens.