This award winning Turkey Chili is thick and hearty and bursting with flavor. This healthier chili recipe is loaded with tender beans, lean ground turkey, and the perfect blend of spice.
All about this healthy Turkey Chili..
This is my all time favorite recipe when it comes to chili. I love the ease of my 20 minute Texas Chili, but I think I love the combination of flavors and textures in this chili even more.
It’s the same recipe that I use in my Easy Chili Recipe, except in that version I use ground beef. It’s the same recipe, except here, we’re using ground Turkey to make it lighter!
Ingredients Needed:
Notes on some ingredients:
- Ground Turkey: this can be substituted for ground chicken or beef if needed.
- Green chiles: these add a very mild flavor. If you would prefer more heat in your chili you can use a jalapeno instead.
- Black beans & kidney beans: canned beans work great in this recipe. You can always swap out the beans for another kind if you would prefer.
How to make (step-by-step)
On the Stovetop:
- Step 1: Add the meat to a large pot or dutch oven. As the turkey is cooking, add the chopped onion to cook also. Once the meat is cooked and the onion is softened, drain any excess moisture. Add the garlic and allow it to cook for an additional 30 seconds.
- Step 2: Add all the other ingredients. Bring the chili to a simmer and allow to cook for about 10-15 minutes. Serve and top with all your favorite toppings!
In the slow cooker:
- Step 1: Cook the meat: even though this is a slow cooker recipe we want to cook the meat first in a skillet. Along with the onions to soften them. Then we can add that to the slow cooker.
- Step 2: Add all other ingredients to the slow cooker. Then we can let this cook together for the rest of the day.
Expert Tips:
- Cut the sugar: You can leave out the brown sugar if desired, to cut out sugars of course. I do like adding the sugar because it helps cut the acidity of the tomatoes. Another option would be to use honey instead, or substitute with a coconut sugar.
- Sneak in some Vegetables: add in some additional veggies if you want! Some great options are corn, peppers, diced zucchini, diced sweet potato, or butternut squash. If adding in fresh veggies, add them in the last 30 minutes of cooking in the slow cooker, that way they don’t get too mushy.
FAQ’s:
Yes, absolutely. You can substitute the turkey for a ground beef, pork, or chicken.
Yes! In this case the meat would already be cooked, so you would just need to sauté the onion and start from there. Add the shredded or cubed meat in with all the other remaining ingredients and cook until heated through.
Favorite topping ideas:
One of the best parts about any chili recipe is being able to customize with your favorite toppings! When serving a large pot of chili for dinner for the family, or if you’re expecting company, creating a topping bar is a great idea. This way everyone can top their bowl with what they enjoy. Some ideas are:
- Cheese: of course, shredded cheese is a must when having chili! Some mild cheddar, sharp cheddar, pepperjack, or Monterey Jack are all great options.
- Sour Cream/Greek Yogurt: the cold creamy tang of either of these options contrasts with the warm heat of the chili and is typically welcomed!
- Onions: chop up some white onion or slice some green onion to go on top for a fresh flavor.
- Cilantro: always a win with Tex Mex lovers.
- Chips: some fresh homemade tortilla chips, or Fritos pair perfectly with this thick chili.
- Tortillas: I personally love having a fresh stack of flour tortillas with my chili.
- Avocado: another creamy option that helps take off some of the heat of the chili
- Hot sauce: for those that need even more heat!
Serve this chili with:
- Tortillas: I personally love having a fresh stack of flour tortillas with my chili.
- Cornbread
- Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread Muffins
More Chili and Soup Recipes:
If you tried this recipe please leave a comment and a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below! Thank you so much!
Award Winning Turkey Chili
Ingredients
- 1 pound turkey, ground
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 1/2 cup yellow onion , diced
- 1 (15 ounce can) tomato sauce
- 1 (14.5 ounce can) diced tomato
- 1 (7 ounce can) diced green chiles
- 1 (15 ounce can) kidney beans, drained, rinsed
- 1 (15 ounce can) black beans, drained, rinsed
- 1-2 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp brown sugar
Toppings
- sour cream
- cheese, shredded
- green onion, sliced
Instructions
Slow Cooker
- Add the ground turkey, and onion to a medium size skillet. Cook over medium heat until the onion is soft and the turkey is completely cooked. Add the garlic and cook an additional 30 seconds.
- Remove from heat and add to the crockpot.
- Add in all the other ingredients, stir to combine. Cook over low heat for 4-6 hours.
Stovetop
- Add the meat to a large pot or dutch oven. As the turkey is cooking, add the chopped onion to cook and soften.
- Once the meat is cooked and the onion is softened, drain any excess moisture. Add the garlic and allow it to cook for an additional 30 seconds.
- Add all the other ingredients. Bring the chili to a simmer and allow to cook for about 10-15 minutes. Serve and top with all your favorite toppings!
Video
Equipment
Notes
- How to Freeze this turkey chili: let the chili cool to room temperature. Add to a freezer safe container. Store in the freezer for 3-4 months. To reheat, thaw the chili in the refrigerator overnight, pour into a large pot and heat over medium heat for 20 minutes, until warmed through.
- Store leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
Nutrition
Recipe first posted November 21, 2014. Updated on February 27 with new photos and video. Recipe is unchanged, but instructions for stovetop were added.
This recipe comes together so quickly on the stove. I was worried about the flavors not melding well without the low-and-slow crockpot but was pleasantly surprised! I omitted the brown sugar completely as i wanted to avoid any hint if sweetness. This chili is hearty, delicious and to my diets delight, didn’t need any extra toppings which I typically add on to most chilis. Can’t wait to make again!
I quadrupled the batch but only tripled the beans and chilies, and I use fire roasted diced tomatoes and don’t add the salt. It was delicious!
I portion out and freeze remainder for quick ready to go meals when everyone comes in from a day of skiing or other activities. Always a big hit!
This was fabulous and totally exceeded my expectations. Lots of love from friends who ate it, too. Thank you!
I’ve never been big on Chili but this is delish! I follow the recipe exactly and serve with shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream and a side of corn bread. Love the left overs. It’s easy to make, freezes well and even my husband likes it. This is a keeper for us!
Easy to make and delicious! I used a mixed bean medley (pinto, black & kidney) and it was perfect. Agree with the McCormick chili powder being on the low end of spicy and I also used mild chilis. I love spice but not everyone in the family does – so this gave it just a slight spice. Thanks!
We have a garlic allergy- any suggestions to replace garlic & garlic powder?
Yes! Here is a post about garlic substitutes.
Absolutely delicious!! I used brown coconut sugar instead of regular sugar. This is our go to chili recipe. Yum!!
Made it like the directions stated. Husband said it was the best ever! Perfect spice level for me, tasty too!
I usually don’t do this with a new-to-me recipe, but I made a GIGANTIC batch of this chili using 1lb bags of white, black and pinto beans. (Love that you can scale up the recipe before printing!). We used less turkey than called for and substituted a couple of cans of Rotel for the chilis. Oh, also, used no salt added tomatoes and Rotel. We had a great dinner and now I have a freezer full of chili for chilly fall nights coming up. Thank you!
I make a few adjustments but I love this recipe!
Ack! Nevermind—just saw the Slow Cooker directions, thank you 🙂
This looks wonderful! Could you tell me if you have any suggestions as to maybe using a slow cooker for this?
Great chili. I have seen a few people saying too spicy and others saying not at all. First of all, some love spice, others don’t, but I learned from other chili recipes that not all Chili powder is the same. You need to buy McCormick chili powder if you don’t want it to be too spicy. McCormick tends to have the least heat and anytime I have used any other brand, my children say too spicy.
This is so true!! All of my recipes are tested using Gebhardt’s chili powder. I think it’s fairly comparable to McCormicks in regards to heat level.
This recipe was great! Lots of flavor and the perfect consistency. I wanted more veggies, so I added some zucchini, bell pepper, and sweet potato as well as canned corn. However, I only used black beans (we don’t like kidney beans). I also threw in a beef bouillon cube before simmering to add extra salt/flavor. So good! Next time I’ll add some chili flakes for extra heat!
This was PERFECT 🙂 Making this again next week!
Excellent recipe! I used dried beans and soaked them the night prior in salted water. I then modified the recipe to simmer for about 90 minutes to ensure the beans were thoroughly cooked. It turned out great!
This chili was wonderful! The only thing I added was 2c. of broth (we like to sop with corn bread). Both of my young children loved this, not a single complaint!
I used McCormick taco seasoning as it contains all of the chili spices, used Rao’s pizza sauce instead of tomato sauce and added cayenne pepper. I will see how it’s cooking as I doubt it needs the full time. I will also add some broth if it looks too thick.