Turkey Chili

by Sabrina Snyder

Last Update:

18 Comments

5 from 7 votes
6 servings
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 52 minutes
Total Time 57 minutes
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Turkey Chili is hearty and filling, made with easy ground turkey and spicy seasoning in ONE POT. So delicious and ready in under 60 minutes!

When it’s still cold outside, I like to stick to Soup Recipes that will warm me up! This turkey chili, Tommy’s Chili (Copycat) and Classic Beef Chili are all great soups to do just that!

Pot of chili with ground turkey and beans

Sabrina’s Turkey Chili Recipe

Turkey Chili is a hearty comfort food, while also being lower in fat than other chili recipes (like my super popular Classic Beef Chili). Plus, it takes a total time of under 60 minutes, making this the perfect weeknight Tex-Mex dinner recipe! You can make this in a large dutch oven on the stovetop, or in the slow cooker. The slow cooker may take longer, but it cooks this chili low and slow, which is perfect for developing the flavors.

Recipe Card

Dinner, then Dessert

Turkey Chili Recipe

Turkey Chili is hearty and filling, made with easy ground turkey and spicy seasoning in ONE POT. So delicious and ready in under 60 minutes!
Yield 6 servings
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 52 minutes
Total Time 57 minutes
Course Dinner
Cuisine American
Author Sabrina Snyder
PrintRate

Ingredients
 

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 pound ground turkey
  • 1 onion , chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic , minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
  • 1 cup water
  • 28 ounces crushed tomatoes , canned
  • 28 ounces kidney beans , canned, rinsed
  • 14 ounces chili beans , canned, rinsed
  • 3 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Instructions

  • Add the vegetable oil, turkey, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper to a large dutch oven on medium heat and cook, breaking meat apart until cooked through, about 5-7 minutes.
  • Add in the rest of the ingredients, bring to a boil then reduce to low heat, cover and simmer for 45 minutes.

Notes

Note: click on times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer while cooking.

Nutrition

Calories: 348kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 1295mg | Potassium: 1373mg | Fiber: 14g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 1535IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 132mg | Iron: 6mg

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Chef’s Note

For a variety of texture and flavor, you can add your own twist to this chili by using any type of beans. Some of my other favorites to throw in are black beans, chickpeas or even lentils. If you’re planning ahead you can also always use dried beans by soaking them overnight. Throw in some sweet Paprika, switch bone or vegetable broth for the water or even add a small pinch of Cocoa powder for a deeper flavor!

Table of Contents

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About this Recipe

This turkey chili recipe can be made even healthier with veggies like bell peppers, carrots, mushrooms, or zucchini. You can add more or less chili powder depending on how much flavor you like, and more cayenne for heat.  Or if you’re in a rush, just use a pre-made packet of chili seasoning instead of chili powder!

Pairing Ideas

  • Crunchy Toppings: Crumble tortilla chips or corn chips over the top of the chili.
  • Creamy Toppings: Spoon sour cream, sprinkle shredded cheese (like cheddar or pepper jack), or add sliced avocados on top of your bowl of chili.
  • Fresh Toppings: Add chopped cilantro, parsley, tomatoes, or sliced jalapeños to your chili.
  • Dippers: Serve with sliced French bread, sourdough, corn bread squares, or corn muffins for dipping into the wonderful broth.

How to Store

  • Store: Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days in an airtight container. Reheat in the microwave, or a saucepan, stirring before serving.
  • Freeze: Turkey chili is perfect for prepping ahead of time and freezing for another day. Store in an airtight container for about 4-5 months, and defrost in the refrigerator the night before you want to serve it.

Ideas to Serve

  • Crunchy Toppings: Crumble tortilla chips or corn chips over the top of the chili.
  • Creamy Toppings: Spoon sour cream, sprinkle shredded cheese (like cheddar or pepper jack), or add sliced avocados on top of your bowl of chili.
  • Fresh Toppings: Add chopped cilantro, parsley, tomatoes, or sliced jalapeños to your chili.
  • Dippers: Serve with sliced French bread, sourdough, corn bread squares, or corn muffins for dipping into the wonderful broth.

Alternative Cooking Techniques

Slow Cooker Method

  • In a large skillet, brown the turkey with vegetable oil. Add to slow cooker.
  • Add all other ingredients to the slow cooker and stir together. Cook on high for 4 hours, or on low for 8 hours.
  • Stir the chili in the slow cooker, and serve topped with shredded cheese and chopped fresh cilantro.

Intant Pot Method

  • Add oil and ground turkey to the pot with the sauté function turned on, stirring until browned.
  • Stir in the rest of the ingredients, then seal and lock to lid and pressure valve.
  • Set the pot on high manual setting for 20 minutes, and release naturally.
  • The instant pot is a lot faster than the slow cooker, but most instant pots have a slow cooker function, too.

Variations

  • Ground Meat: This recipe calls for ground turkey, but you can use any other ground meat in this chili recipe.
  • Vegetarian: Make this turkey chili recipe vegetarian by omitting the ground turkey and adding crumbled tofu instead. Press as much water from the tofu as possible using paper towels, then crumble into the chili. Personally, I prefer black beans instead of kidney beans when I’m making vegetarian chili. The black beans are smaller and match the texture of tofu chili better.
  • Dairy-free, Gluten-free: This recipe is naturally dairy-free and gluten-free if you don’t use cheese on top.
  • Healthy Additions: If you’re going for a healthy dinner with this recipe, you can serve with fresh slices of bell peppers. You can also top with light sour cream and fat free cheese.
  • Tomatoes: If you don’t have crushed tomatoes you can use diced tomatoes.
  • Citrus: I like to set out some lime wedges on the table, for some fresh flavor. You could use lemon wedges too!
  • More Flavor: If you want even more flavor, use Chipotle seasoning or even a small amount of brown sugar.

Homemade Chili Powder

  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 1 tablespoon oregano
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon white pepper
  • cayenne pepper to taste (start with ¼ teaspoon)
  • Mix all of the spices together for a quick and easy chili powder recipe! Make this a low-sodium chili powder version by omitting the salt.

More Chili Recipes

Ladle of red chili with ground turkey meat, black beans and red kidney beans.

These photos were included in previous versions of this post:

Chili in a ladle
Chili in pot, side angle view.
Collage of easy chili in a pot and shown serving with a ladle
Chili in a large pot

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

See more posts by Sabrina

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

  1. I have made this chili so many times. It is literally my go-to recipe for chili. The BEST!! I also use Chimayo red chile powder (medium) – it comes from Chimayo, New Mexico and is the most flavorful chile I’ve ever tasted. (In NM we spell it with an “e” on the end to differentiate from other chilis).

    Reply

  2. I made the turkey chili last week, and it was amazing. Best chilli I have ever made and the recepe was so easy! Thank you Sabrina

    Reply

  3. Oops. I thought I could use leftover turkey. It doesn’t work. Not enough liquid. What can I do? I’m not a great cook.
    Thanks.

    Reply