This Fast Food Restaurant Sells Chili By The Bucket

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When you order chili at a fast food restaurant, it's usually a small cup that's a side for your meal. But one chain's been getting viral attention for selling it in a bucket a la classic KFC fried chicken. Customers at Wendy's can order the family-size red bucket with the iconic pigtailed girl logo on the front, and its own special cardboard carrier.

Chili was one of the original five items offered when the first Wendy's opened in 1969, along with burgers, fries, soft drinks, and Frosties (try making a copycat with just three ingredients). Chili is normally available in regular and large, but it seemingly only recently become more widely known that there's a family size too. It isn't new, however, and has been an option since at least 2020. The only catch is that not every location sells it, so you have to look on the chain's app or website to see if it's available at one nearby.

Wendy's doesn't share how many ounces any of its chili sizes are, but the bucket's been tagged as 1½ quarts, or 48 ounces, in some reports. However, Redditors have said it's actually 72 ounces, and that when some people said they were given six regular ones instead of the bucket when they ordered the family size, they had the right amount, since the smaller ones are each 12 ounces. It comes with saltine crackers, and optional light sour cream, hot chili seasoning, and hot sauce. Prices vary significantly, with some reporting paying $22.99, others $9.99, and still more a range of prices in between. 

The chili is made with ground beef and both pinto and red kidney beans, along with a base that includes tomatoes, sugar, chili pepper, spices, onions, celery, and green peppers. Its ground beef is fresh because it's made with leftover unsold burgers, which are among the fast food burgers that are never frozen. It also makes an appearance on the chain's chili cheese fries, chili and cheese baked potato, and taco salad.

So, what can you do with an entire bucket of the flavorful meat and bean dish? Try serving it for a family dinner over rice or pasta, on top of baked potatoes, or with toppings (sour cream, anyone?) and cornbread, like Dolly Parton's three-ingredient version. Make chili dogs and burgers, and put some out with tortilla or corn chips for dipping, at a cookout or tailgate. Wendy's suggests dunking some of its chicken nuggets or fries in it, and you could do the same with the chicken tenders.

If you don't want a bucketful, but would like to have some on hand whenever you have a craving, it's been sold in cans since 2023. Wendy's Chili with Beans and No Beans Chili are available in 15-ounce cans at grocery stores, big retailers, and some online outlets. Although reviewers have said the taste isn't exactly like what you get at the restaurants, they've praised the savory, smoky, and sweet flavors, and the abundance of meat.