The History of Wendy's Chili Recipe
THE SIGNATURE WENDY'S CHILI RECIPE IS THE PERFECT MIX OF OUR SIGNATURE BEEF, HEARTY VEGETABLES, CHILI BEANS AND SAVORY SPICES.
Wendy’s Pays Tribute To Signature Menu Item On National Chili Day
There’s something to be said about the level of comfort a bowl of chili can bring. When it comes to our list of menu items we wish we could snuggle, chili definitely tops the list. Hey, don’t act like you’ve never dreamt of snuggling up to a big ole’ bowl of chili by the fire on a cold winter night. We digress… But, it is National Chili Day so let’s dive into the history of this signature item that’s been on our menu since our early days.
So, What Makes Wendy’s Chili Recipe Deliciously Different?
What is it about chili that makes it so desirable? The Wendy’s Chili recipe ingredients are simple at their core, but at Wendy’s it’s all about blending our signature beef with the perfect mix of hearty vegetables, chili beans and savory spices. The result is a taste that’s both satisfying and sentimental, and it’s the perfect comfort food anytime of the year. Who else but Wendy's could bring you #allthefeels in every bite?
With Great Beef Comes Great Responsibility
Don’t worry, this isn’t the part where we segue into the robust history of Wendy’s chili. We’ll keep it short and savory. Being a resourceful man – and a little ahead of his time – Dave Thomas inherently understood the concept of food recovery. And by building the brand on the promise of serving fresh, never frozen beef*, Dave knew his hamburgers would have a shorter shelf-life. He even asked himself, “what do you do with the leftover hamburger?” The answer was simple: combine the beef we use for our hamburgers with a hearty helping of vegetables, chili beans and a dash of spice.
Creating the perfect chili recipe wasn’t easy, but Dave knew it would be worth it. After many marathon cooking sessions, Dave created a sustainable solution and a delicious menu item that has stood the test of time and holds a special place in the hearts of customers.
Comfort Without The Calories
A large-serving size of our chili is packed with 23g of protein and 5g of fiber, with only 250 calories. And while we can’t speak for its medicinal merit, it’s been known to cure almost every craving and remedy a few bad days. Simply put, it’s a taste that lets you reminisce and keeps you coming back for more.
Now, we didn’t write this up to make you hungry on purpose. BUT… if that rumble you heard was your stomach growling, might we suggest a bowl of Wendy’s Chili?
Click here to find your nearest Wendy’s: Find My Wendy’s
*Fresh beef available in the contiguous U.S., Alaska and Canada.
FAQs
Wendy's chili dates back to the very beginning of the franchise. When Wendy's opened in 1969, there were only five items on the menu: signature burgers, fries, soft drinks, chili, and the famous Frosty. Dave Thomas didn't go into the restaurant business dying to have chili on the menu, it just sort of happened.
Did they change Wendy's chili recipe? ›
Lorraine Thomas and Charlotte Immke developed and finalized the recipe for Wendy's chili that was sold in the first restaurant on the first day, and hasn't really changed all that much since.
Is Wendy's chili made from old burgers? ›
Accordingly, Wendy's developed an off-putting solution: Incorporate old, unsold burger patties into the restaurant's chili. Find this fact a little too disgusting to be true? As reported by Entrepreneur, the practice for making Wendy's chili was demonstrated by a staff member at the chain.
What is the sand in Wendy's chili? ›
Sand (Silicon Dioxide)
Used as an anti-caking agent, it is often added to processed beef and chicken to prevent clumping, and is listed in the ingredient panels for chili from both Wendy's and Taco Bell.
What are the ingredients of Wendy's chili? ›
Chili Concentrate: Chili Sauce (Water, Tomato Juice, Tomatoes, Calcium Chloride, Seasoning (Sugar, Salt, Corn Starch, Dried Chilies, Spices, Flavor Enhancer [Dextrose, Salt, Yeast Extract, Silicon Dioxide, Modified Corn Starch], Citric Acid, Disodium Inosinate, Disodium Guanylate, Xanthan gum), Beans (Pink Beans, Red ...
Is Wendy's chili made fresh everyday? ›
Made fresh every day
We prep from scratch every day—slicing our tomatoes by hand, preparing our house-made chili and cooking our bacon to ensure quality and freshness in every order.
What does Wendy's use as fillers in their meat? ›
Our signature square hamburger patties have no fillers or additives, because we know the beef is what matters when it comes to making the best hamburger in the game.
What secret ingredient will deepen the flavor of your chili? ›
Stir some puréed pumpkin into your chili just after sautéing your aromatics (onions, garlic, etc...) and before adding any liquid. This will deepen and sweeten its flavor, making it a great balance for all the chile peppers and heat.
Does Wendy's sell their chili in a can? ›
We Should. We Could. We Canned.
Enjoy the classic taste of Wendy's® famous chili from the comfort of your own home.
Why did Texas Pete stop making chili? ›
“We quit making chili because we couldn't sell it for what it cost us to make it," says Garner. "We were actually losing money on it, and we could not sustain our business if we had continued to do that product.”
According to the Wendy's website, a large chili contains 1,270 milligrams of sodium. This is approximately 55 percent of the recommended daily sodium allowance for adults, which is under 2,300 milligrams. Furthermore, the chili has 15 grams of total fat, 30 milligrams of cholesterol, and 31 grams of total carbs.
Why is Wendy's chili different? ›
The meat in Wendy's chili starts as something else
The meat that's used for Wendy's chili might never have been frozen, but it wasn't browned specifically for a batch of chili. It's actually leftover meat — but that's even more reason to love it.
Who invented Wendy's chili? ›
Back when Dave Thomas left his discipleship of Colonel Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame to go off and start the hamburger chain that we now know as Wendy's (which he named for his daughter, Melinda) one of my favorite things he did was find a way to reduce waste – and thus costs – while increasing revenue by ...
What grade of hamburger does Wendy's use? ›
Fresh Beef
We only source beef with high quality grades, such as Prime or Choice, and we always cook your hamburgers fresh to order.
What is the true origin of chili? ›
Food historians speculate that chili originated in Texas-Mexico border towns and spread north. In the 1880s San Antonio's downtown was famous for Hispanic outdoor vendors called "chili queens." At Chicago's 1893 World's Columbian Exposition Texas-style chili was popular, and at St.
Is Wendy's chili beef or turkey? ›
What Is In the Wendy's Chili? Made with our delicious beef, a hearty helping of vegetables and (of course) chili beans, this is a tried-and-true classic.
Is chili a Texas thing? ›
In 1977, chili manufacturers and members of the Chili Appreciation Society International successfully lobbied the Texas state legislature to have chili proclaimed the official "state dish" of Texas “; in recognition of the fact that "the only real 'bowl of red' is that prepared by Texans.” Chili became the official ...
