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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 Ground Beef Chili with no beans, but I think I love the combination of flavors and textures in this chili even more.
This is the same base that I use in my Easy Chili Recipe, except in here we’re using some lean ground turkey.
Ingredients Needed
Let’s Make Turkey Chili
- Add the lean 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 this from the heat and add the cooked turkey to the crockpot.
- Add in all the other ingredients including the tomatoes, beans, green chiles, and spices. Stir to combine. Cook over low heat for 4-6 hours.
The recipe card below also includes stovetop instructions!
Recipe 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.
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!
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Award Winning Turkey Chili
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground turkey
- 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 lean 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
- Chili Powder: Start with 1 tbsp and add more to taste.
- 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 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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Serve this chili with:
- Tortillas: I personally love having a fresh stack of flour tortillas with my chili.
- Cornbread
- Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread Muffins
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.
More Chili and Soup Recipes
Recipe first posted November 21, 2014. Updated on February 27 with new photos and video. Recipe is unchanged, but instructions for stovetop were added.
Great recipe! Anyone know what the serving size is when it says 5 servings?
We’re simply dividing the amount of the recipe made into 5 portions. You can always calculate your own nutrition information with an online resource. I hope that helps!
Hwy. Thank you. Was asking not for nutritional value but serving size. We are making a big batch for my mom’s wedding in multiple slow cookers! Thinking serving size is 1 cup? It’s a small wedding, my mom is 79 and her partner 82, too adorable lol.
What a fun way to cater a wedding! 1 cup per serving sounds accurate. I hope y’all enjoy the wedding and congrats to your mom!
Thank you!!
I made this for the first time yesterday. I’ve made many chili recipes but this one is the best!!! It’s my go-to from now on. BTW, I scrolled thru it again and was knocked over when I saw the calorie count!! How can this taste so good and only have 119 calories?!?!?!
Thank you Patricia! This is one of our family’s favorite also! And I went back and double checked the nutrition facts and still git the same! I think it went up to 125 calories, but still a great number!
Excellent recipe — thank you!
This is the BEST chili I’ve ever made thanks to you! Didn’t think I’d have many takers because I used turkey instead of ground beef. It disappeared quickly so I have to double the recipe next time. Thanks so much for sharing!!!
just made this recipe. added red chilis and a potato. after it cooked topped it with a chopped green onion, cheese and pickled jalapenos! so glad i decided to try this recipe! thank you.
Love , love , love this recipe. It’s a great go to when you’re watching your weight. Very filling.
Everyone in my house loved this! It was easy to prepare and just the right hint of spice.
Mom hack: I put half of the diced tomatoes and half of the beans in my mini chopper as hubby doesn’t love beans and one of my kids hates tomatoes. When added back into the pot, it adds a nice thickness to the chili and no one knows they’re eating beans and tomatoes even if picking them out!
excellent!
While food shopping for the Super Bowl, I decided to make chili and read through a lot of recipes. This one was the winner because of the uncomplicated list of ingredients and ease of prep. This recipe did not disappoint!!
I added the spices in with the minced garlic for 30-60 seconds before adding the canned ingredients. Also, because hubby doesn’t like beans and my son will pick tomatoes out of everything, I put half of the beans and half of the diced tomatoes into my mini chopper. It adds a thickness to the chili, and no one can tell!
So delicious! I’m upset I didn’t double this, but will be making this again very soon.
I HAD to comment on here since my ULTRA PICKY husband really liked this. He doesn’t like tomatoes, beans, onions, or ground turkey. But this was a hit! I did use tomatoes from my freezer that I blended up instead of the canned sauce, but that was the only substitute. Thanks for the recipe.