Turkey Chili Recipe

scooping out some turkey chili from a bowl with a metal spoon.

4.97 from 28 votes

This turkey chili is thick, hearty, and packed with tender ground turkey, two kinds of beans, sweet bell peppers, and a smoky chipotle kick. Every spoonful is rich and cozy, with a bright finish of fresh lime and cilantro. It's the warm, filling bowl I crave on a chilly night, and it's ready in about an hour on the stovetop, in a Crockpot, or in an Instant Pot.

Prep Time10

Cook Time50

Total Time1

Course: dinner, lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: American, Mexican

Diet: Gluten Free

Servings:

Calories: 357kcal

Author: Lyuba Brooke

Ingredients

3 tbsp canola oil
1 large yellow onion
2 bell peppers
2 jalapenos
6 garlic cloves
2 lbs lean ground turkey
8 oz tomato sauce
28 oz canned diced tomatoes
1 cup chicken broth low sodium
16 oz can red kidney beans drained
16 oz navy beans drained
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp chipotle chili powder
3 tsp paprika
3 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp kosher salt more of less based on personal taste
2 tbsp minced fresh cilantro
1 large lime juice only

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

UPDATE: I've updated the order of steps, specifically when to add the spices, for the better overall flavor.
Dice vegetables and measure all the ingredients before starting to cook.
Preheat the Dutch oven (or another large soup pot) over medium heat and add oil.
Sauté onions and peppers together until it start to soften and add garlic, oregano, chili powder, paprika, cumin, and garlic powder. Stir and cook until just until fragrant, about 30-45 seconds. (Be careful not to burn or cook too long.)
Add ground turkey and break up the meat as much as you can. Season with salt. Cover the pot with a lid and let it cook. Keep breaking up the lumps of meat with a wooden spoon every few minutes, as it cooks.
When turkey meat is cooked through, add canned tomatoes, drained beans, tomato sauce, chicken broth, and bay leaves.
Carefully stir everything together, lower the heat to low, and let it simmer uncovered for 30-40 minutes.
Discard the bay leaves.
Stir in cilantro and lime juice and serve with your favorite toppings.

Video

Notes

Make it more or less spicy: It’s very easy to adjust the spice level by adding or taking away a few ingredients. If you want your chili more spicy: choose older jalapeños with more veins on the skin, leave the jalapeño seeds in, and/or add more chili powder. To make the chili less spicy: choose younger jalapeños with smooth skin, discard the seeds, and don’t add extra chili powder.
Storing: Cool chili to room temperature and store it in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. You can store it in the same pot it was cooked in, covered with a lid, or transfer it into a food storage container with an airtight lid.
Freezing: cool the chili to room temperature and either portion it into freezer zip-top bags or store it in one large freezer container. Seal, get the air-out, label, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw slowly in the refrigerator. It's easy to reheat in the microwave or in a pot on stove-top.
Don't like cilantro? Use chopped fresh parsley or sliced green onions instead, or skip the herbs and finish with lime juice alone.

Nutrition