February 7, 2024
Review RecipeTurkey Chili
Table of Contents
There’s something nostalgic and cozy about a big hearty bowl of turkey chili. Delicious turkey simmering away with fresh ingredients such as tender beans and crisp veggies in a tomato sauce has to be the ultimate comfort food on a cold day.
Turkey Chili Recipe Ingredients
You’ll need:
- 1 tablespoons cooking oil
- 2 green bell peppers
- 1 large diced onion
- 4 cloves minced garlic
- 2 pounds ground turkey, chopped
- 2 tablespoons ground cumin
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoons onion powder
- ½ tablespoons salt
- 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 2 (15-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- Green onions, sour cream, shredded cheese (optional for garnish)
TURKEY CHILI SUBSTITUTIONS AND ADDITIONS
GARNISH: Kick up the flavor and garnish your chili with sour cream, green onion and shredded cheese — I personally love to add jalapeños for an extra spicy kick – or if you have any other favorite chili toppings, go ahead and add them too!
SPICE: Add red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, or a dash of hot sauce for extra spicy chili.
MEAT: If you would prefer to make this recipe with something other than lean turkey meat, you could also use ground beef or ground pork.
VEGGIES: A hot bowl of chili is always better with plenty of veggies. Load up your chili with all your favorites including red bell pepper, mushrooms, or any other favorites.
BEANS: You could also try another kind of beans in place of or in addition to beans in this recipe such as black beans. You can also increase the beans and reduce the amount of meat — or eliminate the meat altogether to make it a vegetarian option.
HOW TO MAKE TURKEY CHILI
STEP ONE: Heat oil in a large dutch oven. Saute green pepper, onion, and garlic for 2 to 3 minutes. Add ground turkey and cook until just done.
PRO TIP:
Ground meat can be cooked ahead of time in large batches and frozen until you need it. You could use pre-cooked turkey in this recipe if you’d like.
STEP TWO: Add in cumin, chili powder, onion powder, and salt and cook for about 1 minute, stirring continuously.
STEP THREE: Pour in tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. Stir in the brown sugar. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook for about 15 minutes.
STEP FOUR: Add in the pinto and kidney beans.
STEP FIVE: Add the baking soda and stir with a wooden spoon until the bubbles disappear.
PRO TIP:
Adding baking soda helps cut the acidity in the tomatoes.
STEP SIX: Simmer 10 minutes more.
PRO TIP:
If you find your chili is too thick and want to thin it out, add some broth to your ingredients. You can add according to your preference!
STEP SEVEN: Serve warm. Garnish with sour cream, green onion and shredded cheddar cheese or any other favorite toppings.
HOW TO SERVE GROUND TURKEY CHILI
The best thing to serve with this hearty meal is anything that absorbs the yummy goodness. Cook up a side of rice and serve the turkey chili on top or make homemade cornbread to dunk and dip into the chili — delish.
I love dinner rolls or yummy beer bread as great options too!
If you are wanting to add more veggies, you can’t go wrong with a side caesar salad! The creaminess of the dressing goes perfectly with the variety of spices in the chili. They make a great pair!
If you prefer different chili versions, check out our beef chili and vegetarian chili, both great recipes to enjoy.
MORE TURKEY RECIPES
How to store this Turkey Chili Recipe
IN THE FRIDGE: Store this leftover flavorful turkey chili in an airtight container in the fridge
IN THE FREEZER: Let the chili cool all the way down and ladle the chili into freezer plastic bags. Once you fill the bags with the chili, lay them flat and place them in the freezer. Freezing the chili flat will make for an easy freeze and even easier defrosting later! Voilà, turkey chili for the next time you have a craving!
THE BEST TURKEY CHILI RECIPE
The combination of spices makes for a deep chili flavor that seasons the meat and veggies perfectly and creates a hearty chili that will certainly be a family favorite.
TURKEY CHILI RECIPE FAQs
Can I make this chili in the slow cooker instead of the stove top?
This simple turkey chili recipe could be made in the slow cooker. Just add the sauteed veggies and cooked meat to the slow cooker and simmer on low until the chili is thick enough and the veggies are tender.
Can I freeze chili?
This easy turkey chili recipe freezes exceptionally well. Store in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months.
Can I turn this into a vegetarian recipe?
If you’d like to make this chili into a vegetarian dish, omit the ground turkey and increase the beans in this easy recipe.
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Turkey Chili
This turkey chili recipe is a one-pot meal game changer – and it's delicious!
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 10
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 2 green bell peppers
- 1 large onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 pounds ground turkey chopped
- 2 tablespoons cumin
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- ½ tablespoon salt
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- 30 ounces diced tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 can pinto beans rinsed and drained
- 1 can kidney beans rinsed and drained
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- green onions sour cream, shredded cheese (optional for garnish)
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large dutch oven. Saute green pepper, onion, and garlic for 2 to 3 minutes. Add ground turkey and cook until just done.
- Add in cumin, chili powder, onion powder, and salt and cook about 1 minute, stirring continuously
- Pour in tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. Stir in the brown sugar. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook for about 15 minutes.
- Add in the pinto and kidney beans.
- Add the baking soda and stir until the bubbles disappear
- Simmer 10 minutes more
- Serve warm. Garnish with sour cream, green onion and shredded cheese
Video
Notes
TIP: Ground meat can be cooked ahead of time in large batches and frozen until you need it. You could use pre-cooked turkey in this recipe if you’d like.
TIP: Adding baking soda helps cut the acidity in the tomatoes.
TIP: If you find your chili is too thick and want to thin it out, add some broth to your ingredients. You can add according to your preference.
Nutrition
Calories: 165kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 50mg | Sodium: 676mg | Potassium: 649mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1036IU | Vitamin C: 30mg | Calcium: 63mg | Iron: 3mg
Have You Tried This Recipe?Follow me on Pinterest @spaceshipslb
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Comments
Heather says
Hi, sorry for a silly question, I see it serves 10, do you abput what a serving size is? I am doing weight watchers, so trying to figure out points. Thanks!
Layne Henderson says
Each serving was about 1.5 cups!
Toni Thomason says
I LOVE chili especially on cold nights and this one is delicious!
Keshia says
Hi!
Can this be done in a crockpot? If so, how long do you recommend? Also, what’s the baking soda for??
Layne Kangas says
We have a crockpot chili recipe you can try 🙂 I haven’t done the turkey chili in my slow cooker, but you could use ground turkey in our crockpot recipe instead. The baking soda helps cut down on the acidity of the tomatoes!
Treena says
Great recipe! Chili is always my go to for comfort food!
Debi says
What size are the cans of diced tomatoes?
Layne Kangas says
15-ounce cans!
Nina says
Is there something else I can substitute the baking soda with? I started making it and realize I don’t have any.. ugg
Layne Kangas says
You can omit if you don’t have it!
lori reece says
I’m following the recipe, and it looks awesome? But out of curiosity what is the purpose of the baking powder? I added it, everything bubbled up & then settled back down. But what does it do? Thank you!
Layne Kangas says
It helps neutralize the acidity!! 🙂
Melissa says
Can you use cannellini beans or great northern instead of pinto.
Layne Kangas says
Sure! Enjoy 🙂
Jenny says
I did a few tweaks to the chili. I didn’t use the beans that are called for in the chili instead I used two 15oz cans chili beans rinsed and drained and I used 15 oz can of tomato sauce instead of the 6 oz can of tomato sauce that it calls for. This chili is absolutely fantastic!! This is going to be my new go to recipe for chili!! 😊
Shoni says
I substituted with chicken . Came out great
Layne Kangas says
So strange! I just updated it to the correct number, which is 228 per serving. Enjoy!
Sharon J says
This recipe is great but I would eliminate the brown sugar all together. I only used 1/2 tablespoon and the sweetness was too much. Otherwise, excellent.
Stephenie says
I love this recipe however, just curious on why you add baking soda? Is for a certain taste, do it enhance the other ingredients?
Layne Kangas says
It helps cut down on the acidity of the tomatoes. Enjoy!
Emily says
Delicious recipe! Used 93% lean turkey and it was super flavorful and juicy. Served with cornbread for a hearty fall dinner.
Stephanie says
This is our favorite go to chili recipe! Question though, for a little more kick (so asks my Texan husband) would I add more chili powder or add cayenne or is a jalepeno preferred?
Layne Kangas says
You could do any of those! 🙂 Enjoy!!
Anka says
This is my family’s favorite chili with sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese toppings!
Connie Green says
This is so delicious!!
Monica says
This was sooooo good! Will be my go to chili from now on! Since my husband doesn’t like turkey (at least he doesn’t when he “knows” it’s in there), so I used 1 lb of 97/3 ground turkey and 1 lb of 97/3 ground beef. I used Kitchen Bouquet (browning sauce) when I cooked the turkey (turns it brown) hoping he wouldn’t notice! LOL. Being from south Louisiana, I added an extra tablespoon of chili powder and Cumin. I added about an extra tsp of salt. I cooked the meat and sat aside. Then I sautéed the veggies. Once they were done, I added the meat back in and the seasonings. I dumped it all in my crockpot and added the rest of the the ingredients. I cooked it on high for 4 hours. It got rave reviews!
Joanne Novak says
Love, Love this recipe! Who knew adding a little baking soda would be a chilli game changer! So good! I have yet to try the sour cream in it, but I will!!!!!
Kathy Shook says
You have the BEST way to share your recipes…pictures, printed, video. And your dishes are delicious.
Hats off. YOU are the best chef!
Ashlie says
Could you make this recipe in a crockpot??
Layne Kangas says
Hi, Ashlie – that should work fine. We have our slow cooker chili recipe here – you could use ground turkey in it. Enjoy!
Julie says
I added a little Chipotle seasoning.
Julie says
Excellent. I used leftover turkey and added some Chipotle seasoning. Moved recipe from “to try” to “favorites “