I have to admit that it’s been a long time since I’ve had Wendy’s chili. When I was a kid, the Wendy’s in our otherwise awful town had a buffet and one of those incredible sunrooms, so I was there constantly, sucking down taco salads, listening to Toni Braxton, and basking. Even if I don’t eat it all the time, I like knowing that Wendy’s serves chili. It could be as bad for you as a Baconator, but it feels like a healthy choice and that’s all that matters. It’s one of those menu items that sets Wendy’s apart from pretty much every other fast food burger chain, so it has its fans. And now those fans can skip the drive-thru and buy Wendy’s chili in a can at the grocery store. We grabbed a can to find out whether fast-food-chain grocery store chili is better than other grocery store chili.
If you aren’t sensitive to salt, Wendy’s canned chili is good. as. hell. It’s incredibly savory—the last ingredient listed is liquid smoke, which gives it just a touch of smoky flavor to complement the boatload of beef in here. It’s always been my understanding that Wendy’s serves chili because it’s a way to use up burger patties that are on the verge of being past their prime (since their burgers are fresh rather than frozen); while the beef in this chili isn’t quite burger patty quality, the slightly smoky flavor nods to its source material’s provenance. In addition to beef, the chili is packed with big chunks of tomato and both kidney and pinto beans, which are perfectly cooked and creamy. It’s extremely hearty and it looks homemade.
As I said, I can’t tell ya whether it’s a straight-up dupe for Wendy’s chili from Wendy’s, but it’s an excellent canned chili. The next time we update our canned chili ranking, this will be on the list.
Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart
Rating:
9.5/10
Sporks
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Howdy! I’m Gwynedd, Sporked’s managing editor. I live in Los Angeles and have access to the best tacos the U.S. has to offer—but I’m a sucker for a crunchy Old El Paso taco night every now and then. I’ve been at Sporked since 2022 and I’m still searching frozen mozzarella sticks that can hold a candle to restaurant sticks.
Why you should trust me: I’ve been a journalist for 20 years (yikes), a consumer of food for 40-plus years, and I’m truly hard pressed to think of foods I don’t like (or that I can’t tolerate at the very least). Oh and one time I cooked my way through Guy Fieri’s cookbook and wrote about the journey through Flavortown.
What I buy every week: Trader Joe’s Original Savory Thins. Fat free plain yogurt (usually Fage or Nancy’s). Honeycrisp apples. Sweet cream coffee creamer for my at-home Americanos. A frozen cauliflower crust pizza and some jarred mushrooms to top it with. Old El Paso Stand ‘N Stuff taco shells and Gardein Ground Be’f, even though I think “be’f” is a nightmarish contraction.
Favorite ranking: Stouffer’s frozen dinners. I don’t own a microwave (I get my cancers the old fashioned way!), so I love taste testing things that I don’t really buy to eat at home.
Least favorite ranking: Soy sauce. Don’t get me wrong, I love soy sauce—but consuming that much sodium in one sitting is probably illegal in some countries. Our frozen enchilada taste test was a close second; the smell of microwaved corn tortillas still haunts me.
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Gwynedd Stuart
Vinz Karl
Joe Rumrill
