If you love a good copycat recipe, then you absolutely cannot pass up this Wendy's Chili. Super flavorful, easy and absolutely filling, the best dinnertime meal.
In a large dutch oven over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef, breaking it up into crumbles, 8-10 minutes. Drain any excess grease.
Add the celery, onion, and bell pepper to the pan, stir it in to mix with the beef, and cook until the veggies have softened, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the chili seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes until fragrant.
Add the water to the pot and scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pan.
Add the kidney beans, pinto beans, tomato sauce, stewed tomatoes, diced tomatoes with green chiles, and sugar, stir until combined. Try to break up any large pieces of stewed tomatoes if you can.
Bring the chili up to a simmer, cover it and simmer for one hour, occasionally stirring to make sure nothing burns on the bottom of the pan.
Before serving, take off the heat and stir in the white vinegar.
Notes
Toasting the spices is really what amps up the flavor in this.
Multiple toppings can be used, see some ideas above.
You can serve this over other things, see above on what we like to serve with.
This makes a large batch but you can easily double to make more.