I always tend to make a lot of soups, chilis, chowders, etc. in the fall and winter when everything just seems extra warm and cozy but this year it’s just non-stop! It’s the little things, right? My favorite thing about my turkey chili recipe is that it’s easy to prep, and you can let it heat all day long to bring out the amazing flavors. Also, this recipe is a bit lighter than others because it calls for ground turkey rather than ground beef, and uses only a small amount of kidney beans. This one is inspired by my mom’s original chili recipe she’s been making for years!

Turkey Chili Ingredients

Onion, Garlic & Peppers: Adding onion, garlic, and bell peppers to this recipe adds texture and great flavor to the chili. The key is to cook down the onion until soft and caramelizing to get that deep flavor before adding in the spices.

Ground Turkey: I like to make this chili with ground turkey, but you can use any kind of ground meat you’d like, including classic ground beef, ground chicken, or even plant-based options like Beyond Meat.

Spices: The spices you’ll need for the chili include chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, salt and black pepper. While the recipe already calls for minced garlic, I do recommend adding the garlic powder as well for the extra flavor. Feel free to skip it otherwise.

Kidney Beans: Red kidney beans are the typical bean used in chili, so that’s what you’ll want to use in this recipe. You could sub for another type of bean if you’d prefer, like black beans, just follow the same cooking instructions.

Crushed Tomatoes: A large can of crushed tomatoes is the main source of liquid for the chili. You could also use diced tomatoes, peeled tomatoes that you can break up with your hands, or even just tomato sauce if tomato pieces aren’t your thing.

Chicken or Vegetable Broth: Chicken broth also adds some extra liquid to the recipe. Depending on how you prefer the thickness of your chili, you can add less of more of the broth. Sub for vegetable broth or even water if you don’t have any on hand.

Baking Soda: If you’re wondering why you’d need to add baking soda to chili, here’s why: adding baking soda actually makes the meat more tender after the protein strands are tightened during the cooking process. Go science!!

How To Make Turkey Chili

Step One: Begin by adding the chopped onions to a large pot over medium-high heat with all of the oil. Stir and sauté until they begin to caramelize, about 10-15 minutes. Add in the garlic and bell peppers.

Step Two: Once the onions, garlic and peppers are lightly caramelized, add in the ground turkey. Brown the turkey by stirring every couple of minutes, then add in all of the spices (the turkey doesn’t need to be fully cooked at this point).

Step Three: Allow everything to cook with the spices until its aromatic, about 5-10 minutes. When the turkey is fully cooked, add in the tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, kidney beans and broth. Add more or less broth depending on your desired texture.

Step Four: Give the chili a stir, then cover the pot and reduce heat to medium. Set a timer for 30 minutes and let the chili cook while the beans soften. Stir every 5-10 minutes to prevent burning on the bottom of the pot.

Step Five: After the chili simmers for 30 minutes and the kidney beans are soft, stir in the baking soda. It will bubble for a few minutes as you stir.

Step Six: Reduce heat to low and let the chili sit on low until serving. The longer it simmers the better it gets. Store in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for up to five days or the freezer for a month.

If you try out this recipe, I want to know! Leave a comment with a star rating below if you love it. You can also snap a photo & tag @jenneatsgoood on INSTAGRAM. Your reviews help support this blog and make it possible for me to continue to create healthier recipes!

TURKEY CHILI (GF, DF, GRAIN-FREE)

Recipe by Jenn Lueke

Servings

4-6

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Diet

Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Dairty-Free

Ingredients

2 tbsp avocado or olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 bell peppers, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb ground turkey
1 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup tomato paste
2-3 cups crushed tomatoes
1 15oz can kidney beans
1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1 tsp baking soda

Directions

Begin by adding the chopped onions to a large pot over medium-high heat with all of the oil. Stir and sauté until they begin to caramelize, about 10-15 minutes. Add in the garlic and bell peppers.
Once the onions, garlic and peppers are lightly caramelized, add in the ground turkey. Brown the turkey by stirring every couple of minutes, then add in all of the spices (the turkey doesn’t need to be fully cooked at this point).
Allow everything to cook with the spices until its aromatic, about 5-10 minutes. When the turkey is fully cooked, add in the tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, kidney beans and broth. Add more or less broth depending on your desired texture.
Give the chili a stir, then cover the pot and reduce heat to medium. Set a timer for 30 minutes and let the chili cook while the beans soften. Stir every 5-10 minutes to prevent burning on the bottom of the pot.
After the chili simmers for 30 minutes and the kidney beans are soft, stir in the baking soda. It will bubble for a few minutes as you stir.
Reduce heat to low and let the chili sit on low until serving. The longer it simmers the better it gets. Store in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for up to five days or the freezer for a month.

Notes

Slow cooker option: Add all ingredients other than the broth and kidney beans to slow cooker and turn on high for 5 hours. Add in the kidney beans (and broth to thin) and cook for one more hour.

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