Turkey Chili Recipe

What Everyone Loves About My Turkey Chili Recipe

I’ve spent years cooking in both restaurant kitchens and my own home, and when it comes to chili, homemade was always better. I even tried to find ways to improve our restaurant chili based on what I’ve tested at home. I’ve learned ways to make it taste incredible and still easy to make at home. This turkey chili is one I make for our family at least once a month because it’s rich, hearty, and full of flavor, but light enough to enjoy any night of the week.

• more even ratio of vegetables, meat, and beans and I always punch up the flavors!
• hearty and packed with protein and fiber, because I add extra meat. That way, we’re not just eating vegetables and beans.
• when possibly, use a white and dark turkey meat. It adds more flavor and better texture. (PRO TIP: You can ask a butcher sometimes for a mix of white and dark turkey meat.)

Key Ingredients and Substitutions

Ground turkey – did you know that there are also different fat to meat ratios in turkey? There is! When possibly, get the “lean” turkey meat not the “extra lean.” Something they are labeled as percentages, so get the 93%/7% but no leaner. Otherwise your chili meat will be dry and tough.

Beans options – this is your opportunity to customize the recipe and use whichever beans you love. Swap red kidney beans for black beans, pinto beans, or cannellini beans for creamier texture. Make sure to drain them but no need to rinse!

My flavor secrets – fresh cilantro and fresh lime juice as a finish to the cooked chili takes it to a whole new delicious level!

Vegetable options – I like to keep it to the classic onion and peppers but you can take this opportunity to include more vegetables like carrots, celery, zucchini, yellow squash, and corn.

Seasoning – Chili seasoning is basically the spices and herbs that go into chili. Be generous with chili powder, cumin, oregano, and paprika. Garlic powder and onion powder is a nice optional addition. You can play around with chili powders like chipotle or ancho. As far as paprika, you can try classic, sweet, or smoked.

How to Make Turkey Chili: Step-by Step

Prepare ingredients first (aka mise en place)! This is a pretty fast moving recipe, so you’ll want everything ready to go before you start.

Sauté your veggies first until they are softened and then add the garlic.

Expert tip: Remember freshly minced or pressed garlic will always give you a better flavor but sauté it only until fragrant since garlic can burn fast.

Move the veggies to the sides of the pot. Add the turkey to the middle and break it up as much as possible. Cover the pot with a lid and let it cook, opening the lid every few minutes to break up the meat as it cooks.

Once the meat is fully browned, stir in the canned tomatoes, beans, tomato sauce, broth and spices. Stir everything well and when the meat is all browned, start tasting.

Expert tip: remember to taste your turkey chili after adding the seasoning to see if it needs to be adjusted, whether it’s more salt, more spice with chili powder, or more earthy and smoky notes with cumin.

Leave it to cook. Once everything is stirred together pretty well and starts to simmer, lower the heat to low and let the chili cook low and slow for about 30-40 minutes. The flavors really have time to develop this way. Remember to stir and scrape the bottom from time to time.

Finish it with a flavor pop! Just before serving, stir in a squeeze of fresh lime juice and cilantro. This will bring all the flavors to a whole new level! Chef’s kiss!

Cooking Variations

Slow Cooker: Start the turkey chili in the pot through the step of all cooking vegetables and meat. Next, transfer the mixture into the Crockpot and mix in canned tomatoes, beans, tomato sauce, broth, and spices. Close the lid on the Crockpot and cook on HIGH for about 4 hours or on LOW for about 6 hours. Discard bay leaves. Finally, stir in cilantro and lime juice right before serving.

Instant Pot: Follow the cooking steps of the recipe but sauté the veggies and meat in the Instant pot on the “saute” setting. Once all the ingredients are in the pot, close the lid and latch it. Make sure to turn the valve to “seal” and set pressure cooker to “beans/chili.” If your pressure cooker does not have that setting, set it to cook on high pressure for 30 minutes. Make sure to consult your pressure cooker’s manual for exact settings and safety instructions. Let the pressure cooker do a natural release for about 10 minutes and then carefully do a quick release. Discard the bay leaves. 

How can I freeze turkey chili?

Chili is a great freezer meal and you store it all at once or potion it:

• Cool chili as quickly as possible if you plan to freeze it.
• Once it’s cooled, portion it into smaller freezer bags, let all the air out, and close it well. Remember to label and date.
• Lay the bags flat on the cutting board and freeze. Once frozen, it will be easy to stack bags of chili. 
• To thaw, take the bag out of the freezer and into the refrigerator to slow-thaw it overnight. Reheat in the microwave or it a small pot.

Recipe FAQs – Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make turkey chili ahead of time?

Chili holds up very well in the refrigerator and becomes even tastier the next day. You can easily make the chili up to 2 days ahead of time, cool it to room temperature, and store in the refrigerator. Reheat gently on stovetop with a splash of broth.

What is the best way to reheat turkey chili?

You can easily reheat individual portions in a microwave for about 30-45 seconds at a time and stirring in between. To reheat the whole pot, do it on stovetop over medium heat just until heated through,

What are the best toppings for chili?

Some fresh options include sliced avocados, sliced jalapeños (seeded or not based on how spicy you prefer your chili), cilantro and green onions. You can also make it cheesy with some shredded cheddar cheese or Mexican blend cheese. Go creamy with sour cream or plain Greek yogurt.

Dip and topping: Turn this chili into a dip by serving it with tortilla chips, crackers or veggies! Serve turkey chili as a topping for nachos, tacos, eggs, baked potatoes and/or fries. Serve it over macaroni or other pasta.

What are good sides to serve with turkey chili?

Bread: Serve it with buttermilk cornbread or jalapeño cornbread. It’s also great with buttermilk biscuits and jalapeño cheddar buttermilk biscuits.

Can I make chili without beans?

Absolutely! You can just increase the amount of vegetables or add some new ones like carrots, corn, zucchini, mushrooms, or yellow squash.

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More Chili Recipes To Try

We are big fans of chili, like I mentioned above, I make it all year long. I tends to alternate between beef chili, this turkey chili, white turkey chili, and white chicken chili. During the fall months, I always make my pumpkin chili recipe. When I need to save a little time and make it faster, I turn to my Instant Pot Chili recipe.

Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles in January, 2018.