If you put chili on spaghetti noodles it's chili-mac around here.

Here is a Wendy's copycat recipe I found a few years ago. I get asked to make it every year for Christmas at the in-laws. Original recipe calls for water, draining the beans, pinto beans, and shredded carrots. I changed pinto beans to kidney beans. I found water with the bean liquid made it too thin and just put the bean juice in the pot. Thought on that is the juice will have more flavor than water and will thin it out just a tad. Wife doesn't care for the carrots so we leave them out. I did make it with potatoes once because we had one or two left over and thought what the heck. We also make it and let it sit in the garage or fridge overnight to let the flavors really set in.

Chili
2 lbs ground chuck
29 oz can tomato sauce
15 ½ oz can dark red kidney beans (with liquid)
30 ½ oz can mild chili beans (with liquid)
28 oz can diced tomatoes (with liquid)
4 oz Ortega diced green chiles
Diced medium onion
3-5 stalked of celery chopped up
Small bag of shredded carrots
Fine cubed potatoes (optional)
2 teaspoons cumin powder
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 ½ teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons salt
Brown chuck, drain, crumble into small pieces. Combine chuck, seasonings, and all other ingredients into pot. Bring to simmer and let cook for 2-3 hours, stirring often.***
***I add the spices in a bowl and mix. Then the mix goes in with the beef. After each addition of ingredients, make sure to mix. Then I add the chilis, tomato sauce, tomatoes, chili beans, kidney beans, and veggies.

We use elbow macaroni! We also use chuck roast instead of burger. Bush's or Brooks hot and mild chili beans along with all the other good stuff(onions,jalapenos,etc. Top it with some good shredded cheddar and diced red onion.....yummy!! Of course you need some good hearty/chewy/crusty bread for dunkin!!!

Indeed, the Franks "not red hot at all" sauce thread I think was intended to make these old farts sound tough. lol.

Mo' Farts would be shut down for a good day of bathroom attendance if any of these chili recipes had any real heat to them.

Cincinnati Chili has spaghetti too, from what I hear. Ain't in my game plan though.

Well ya know with any luck you'll be an old fart too someday, but if you are the same in real life as you are here I'd be amazed if someone doesn't put you in an early grave.

Ok, so I used,
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons parsley
1 teaspoon fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon oregano
I used spicy V8
I would call it mildly spicy, it could have used more but was still good. I think I'll add some white pepper and green chiles next time.
Try the recipe and experiment with it, there is plenty of room to make it your own.

To to be contrarian but... No the original question was "Just wanted to ask if anyone here has a good chili recipe to offer that uses ground beef or ground chicken and has some heat to it but is not so hot that you can't taste the flavor of the ingredients." no mention of a Wendy's similar recipe in the question asked. Therefore you will get chili recipes.

Hmm, I just reread and there was definitely mention of Wendys.

It's ok, I just try to not be a jerk for no reason. Grizzly is who he is.

Thanks Moparjim79, I appreciate you getting my sense of humor, that's exactly what it was meant to do.

Sincere thanks for calling the out-of-line remark from another Member.

I'll remember that the next time you call me a liar.

Yeah, keep grasping, this just has to be all about you doesn't it?

A bullschitting Liar is right, and now you're being a Doosh.

Obviously you haven't amounted to anything in life. Just go away, you are of no use to Anyone on here.

Now everyone sees you for who you are. Thanks for proving my earlier post.
My apologies to the OP.

My chili will make your scalp sweat and itch and the next morning your ass will remind you that you ate chili the night before;

But my recipe is a guarded secret.