One of my favorite meals is chili. However, my wife can't seem to find a recipe that is to my liking. Either it's not very flavorful or it's too mild or sometimes the consistency is pasty. An example of the type of chili I like is Wendy's chili especially when I would add several of the little packets of hot sauce they used to give you on the side. She has tried a Wendy's copycat recipe but it didn't turn out anything like Wendy's. 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.

frontier soups makes a pretty good chili. Unfortunately it's out of stock. try andersonhousefoods.com

Williams Chili seasoning has a good balance of flavor vs hot. I add a can of green chilis to it.

Here's mine, I call it #1 chili...all ingredients are one something. It a North East style...it will give you nose a little run but not burn your innards (coming or going)
[list]
1lb meat of choice
one lg onion
one green pepper
one jalapeno pepper
one palm full of black pepper
one palm full of Chili powder
one can crushed tomato
one can Kidney beans
one can Black beans
one jar spaghetti sauce
one palm full red pepper flakes (if more heat is desired)

Place chopped onion, pepper, jalapeno in crock pot and cover with water. Add Chili powder, Black pepper let simmer until they become tender (not cooked thru). Add meat (you may want to brown in a pan to render the fat off , again not cooked thru) Add crushed Tomato and spaghetti sauce. let simmer until meat and vegetable are cooked thru. Rinse beans and add to pot, let simmer 10-15min then it ready to go ready to go.
Best part once you have everything in the pot it can sit all day (low heat) its a great busy day meal. set it up in the AM and eat when you want. It freezes/reheats well also.

I start with the Carroll Shelby mix and then add all I want in with it.......

I make a 4 bean chili. Shred the white meat from a roasted chicken, then add the beans, Italian style diced tomatoes, lots of diced garlic, crushed red pepper and anything else I feel like.

I use a 2 gallon crock pot.

Serve with jalapeño pepper slices on top.

Wick Fowler's is a good start. Add whatever you like. It costs way more than the included ingredients would, but the spices are packaged individually so you can control the heat and flavor.

I don't use any store bought mixes as the wife has high blood pressure so I avoid high fructose corn syrup for my blood sugar, and as much sodium as possible when cooking. We make most everything from scratch and the fresher the better.
I also like the Wendy's chili and this recipe can get you that consistency but with more flavors and lower sodium.


Super simple recipe and you can make it as mild or as hot as you want.
1 lb ground beef or two boneless chicken breasts
2 stalks of celery chopped
1 large onion chopped
4 green onions chopped stalks and all
Parsely
Oregano
3-4 garlic cloves crushed and then chopped
Basil
1 can crushed tomatoes the larger 24oz? can
1 jar regular or spicy V8 juice. (You can get low sodium versions of either)
2-3 teaspoons chili powder to taste
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2-4 cans of dark and light kidney beans depending on how much you want to make. 2 cans should be enough for 4 people or 2 people twice. It does freeze well.

Saute the celery and onions in little olive oil just enough, maybe 1-2 tablespoons but not more than 3, in a stock pot until clear, brown the beef or chicken in a skillet and drain. Add the cooked meat to the stock pot. Stir in the can of tomatoes and all the other ingredients then add the V8 juice to get the desired consistency. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for at least 20 minutes.
This is a pretty mild chili so you can add more chili powder, cayenne or even green chilis or some slices of jalapenos to it to suit your taste. One note is the longer it simmers the spicier it gets so if you don't like it too spicy start cautiously.

I also rinse the kidney beans well and soak them in cold water for at least 20 minutes before cooking.

EDIT: I looked back at my recipe and you can add red pepper flakes as well, mine includes a 1/2 teaspoon. I rarely measure anything when cooking so it comes out a little different each time, lol, except for pepper varieties. You can always add more but can't take it away. If you find you made it too spicy you could always add another can of beans and more regular V8 juice to water it down.

This is the brand chili mix that I've been using for about 20 years, Bayou Magic.
They make an assortment of different Cajun mixes.

https://www.bayoulandexpress.com/main.sc

They have the chili mixes with and without beans.

With beans, https://www.bayoulandexpress.com/2-Step-Chili-With-Bean-54.htm

Without beans, https://www.bayoulandexpress.com/2-Step-Chili-No-Bean-53.htm

i toss in a can of cream of mushroom soup and some brown sugar

Find a salsa you like and pour a little into the chili when warming it up.

Oh gawd no, just no.

I'm sorry, I can do one or the other. Please make up your mind...

I think he's referring to the consistency of Wendy's chili which I prefer as well.

OK, now I'm going to make chili tomorrow. I'll measure everything and write it down to be accurate, but I don't have any green onions and I'm not going to the store, still can't tell where the road is.

I happen to like Wendy's chili, always have. It's just not hot enough without adding the hot sauce to it.




I do prefer the consistency of their style of chili over the thicker, tomato sauce type.

You may like the Bayou Magic mix, it give you a good heat with a lingering low burn without being just ridiculous hot from the start.
Just a good lingering heat in your mouth.

Wendy's chili is not bad. I like to get their bacon-cheese baked potato and dump a cup of chili over it.

Most of these replies are hard to read. The majority are reflective of old man taste buds and a dash complacency. The statement made was I like Wendy's chilli, does anyone have a good recipe for that? I have many good recipes that I share with my wife, we have several chili recipes. They are supreme against Wendy's. My father LOVED Wendy's chilli, then my wife made hers, and my mother copied and put her spin on it( no beans) and pops was set. Flavor is one thing, but consistency can be manipulated easily. From runny to thick, it can happen without altering flavors. To each their own.

Okay. The real big question; red or white? I make both.

In Wisconsin they put spaghetti in chili,