What’s the one menu item from Wendy’s that you’d be down to pick up at the grocery store? We’ll let you think about it for a second… Okay, you good?
Did you pick chili? Because that’s what we picked. Well, good news — it’s happening! Wendy’s branded chili will hit grocery store shelves nationwide as the fast food brand teams up with Conagra to bring the menu classic to a store near you. But this isn’t just a white label low-effort job, Conagra actually linked up with the Wendy’s culinary team to ensure they get the beloved recipe right.
At 29 grams of protein, Wendy’s chili features beef, peppers, and beans in a tomato-based sauce. The only major factor that will differentiate this chili from Wendy’s own is that Wendy’s fast food version is made with leftover burger beef. That flavor certainly adds something unique — tough to say if it’s better or worse but, for what it’s worth, Wendy’s does have some of the best burger beef in the game.
Sure, that’s ultimately going to have an effect on the flavor (one way or another) but just think of all the things you can do to a can of Wendy’s chili beans to elevate it to something next level. You could add cilantro! Cheese! Jalapeños! toss it on a hot dog! The sky is the limit!
Of course, while many are rejoicing, others are… taking the news with a grain of salt (actually a lot of salt, the chili is wildly high in sodium).
And, of course, it wouldn’t be America in 2023 if there wasn’t some debate around this. In this case, a reopening of the argument about what chili actually is:
Cans of the famous chili are set to hit grocery stores and online retailers sometime this spring at a suggested retail price of $4.99 per can.