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
Equipment
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
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.
Thank you for this great recipe, my family loved it. It has just the right balance of ingredients- some chili is overpowering with beans or tomatoes, but this was perfect. My hungry family of boys didn’t even mind that I used turkey! Definitely saving this recipe.
You weren’t kidding! Perfect! So glad I doubled it for freezing some, but would be great for a crowd.
This recipe is AMAZING!!! I’ve never made anything with ground turkey before and I was amazed on how great it was. I added a bag of frozen mixed vegetables 30min before it was done.
It is so hard to find a recipe that everyone in our family of 4 enjoys, but this was a winner! I made it in the crockpot and everyone loved it so much that they went back for seconds (and some, thirds!)
Such an easy and delicious recipe. This got us through our “COVID breakthrough week.” I increased the chili powder and added crushed red pepper and added one more can of beans for fiber. Fabulous!
Delicious! Added green chili enchilada sauce. Sooo good!
I chose this recipe out of all the chili recipes online, of course I added my own twists like : ground turkey and ground beef, a bit more chili powder and brown sugar and cumin, added sour cream and cheese after and had a side of honey 🍯 cornbread! And I …. I can’t even!!! My entire family loved it and even I was impressed with myself this time 😂 I know how to cook but I’m always “how is it?” “Is it good “ just to get opinions from everyone all around- but this I KNEW was banger lol awesome awesome recipe guys.
I died of starvation before I could find the list of ingredients.
10/10. Would starve again.
This is such a great recipe. 1.5-2hrs in crockpot worked fine (I used canned beans). Didn’t use cumin, not something I regularly have.
My question, cups wise… How big is a serving? And really only 119 calories? Please help.
Very tasty, easy recipe. If you get pre-seasoned canned beans it is even tastier and faster. Don’t cook cannked beans for 4-6 hours in a slow cooker, though. They will turn to paste. Maybe an hour at the MOST. The nutrition info is based on this being about a 10-serving recipe.
I added two cups of chicken broth and let it simmer for hours to develop the flavors.
Does this recipe really need 4-6 hours? Mine seemed to be finished after only 2 hours?
Thanks For Sharing this amazing recipe. My family loved it. I will be sharing this recipe with my friends. Hope the will like it.
Delicious! I used beans on hand (pinto & canellini) and then adapted the 2T chili powder as spouse cannot tolerate too much heat: I used 1/2 T chili powder, 1 T Loisa Adobo seasoning blend (Sea Salt, Organic Garlic, Organic Turmeric, Organic Black Pepper, Organic Oregano) and 1/2 T smoked Paprika. I kept everything else as is. Very easy and very good!
Delicious chili. My husband says it’s his favorite and I make many types. Great flavor. The teaspoon of brown sugar is magic. I was worried about minced garlic and garlic powder, but it’s SO good. I add frozen corn because my family likes it in chili, but it’s perfect.
Best chili I ever made! I used cannelini beans and black beans and 28 oz can diced tomatoes instead of 14 oz. Spicy and hot but well blended. Nutritionally great. Used 1.3 lbs ground turkey. Everything else exactly as recipe states.
This recipe has become a winter staple for us. We make a double batch and freeze one. We even took a few frozen batches on a vacation to the mountains and it was perfect! It’s so easy, quick, and everyone loves it. Thank you for this recipe!!!
Absolutely delicious! Made in the crock pot, with corn thrown in at the end. My picky teenager said she couldn’t tell it was turkey and not beef. Also, I used a half a packet of store bought chili seasoning in place of the spices. This recipe is going to take a prime spot in my dinner recipe arsenal.
If I double the amount of ingredients do I need to double the crock pot time. Thank you
I doubled the recipe, cooked in slow cooker for 6 hours—wonderful!
I have an unopened package of chili seasoning that has been sitting in my cabinet for a good while and I was looking to use it so it’s not wasted. If I were to add it, would it ruin the receipe?
Delicious!! This will now be in my rotation of favorite healthy turkey chili. Oh ….. and, by the way, I made this on the stovetop and was eating some within 30 minutes. I taste and adjust recipes constantly. I needed more chili powder, tomato paste, and added some Beef Base to punch it up. Great recipe, though. Thank you.