Spicy Turkey Chili is thick and robust, with an amazing flavor. This easy chili recipe combines healthy ground turkey with spicy tomatoes, onions, garlic, and black beans, with a perfect blend of seasonings. Serve this Spicy Turkey Chili with cornbread, tortilla chips, and your favorite toppings for a perfect game-day or anytime one-pot meal.
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Ingredients: Here's What You'll Need
- Ground Turkey: Since this is turkey chili, you shouldn't be surprised that I used ground turkey! Specifically, I used 93% lean ground turkey for a low fat chili.
- The Vegetables: Adding flavor to the chili were onions, garlic, and black beans. I could have substituted pinto beans or kidney beans for the black beans.
- The Tomatoes: For the tomatoes, I used Rotel Original Diced Tomatoes & Green Chiles along with tomato sauce.
- The Seasonings: I used traditional chili seasonings in this recipe including chili powder, ground cumin, dried oregano, Kosher salt, and black pepper to add a depth of flavor.
- The Thickener: I like my chili on the thick side. Therefore, I included some all-purpose flour that served as a thickener.
Here Are The Steps In Making This Chili
- I started by browning the ground turkey in a Dutch oven over medium heat. I could have also used a large skillet.
Once the turkey was browned, I dumped it into a colander and ran it under hot water. Even though the ground turkey is quite lean (I used 93% lean), I routinely rinse the cooked turkey until the liquid runs clean. You may think this odd. However, the real flavor of the chili comes from the other ingredients that are added.
After it cooled a bit, I crumbled turkey with my hands.
- Next, I added a bit of olive oil to the same Dutch oven used for the turkey. Then, I added the onions, chili powder, and cumin. I sautéd the onions over medium heat for about five minutes until they were tender but not browned.
- Then, I added the minced garlic and continued sautéing the mixture until the garlic was fragrant, which took about 30 seconds.
- Once the garlic was fragrant, I added the flour, oregano, salt, and pepper. I stirred everything together and let the mixture cook for a minute or so.
- Once everything was well combined, I added the two cans of Rotel tomatoes and two cans of tomato sauce.
- Then, I returned the drained turkey to the Dutch oven.
- I stirred the Spicy Turkey Chili and heated it to a boil. Then, I covered the pan, reduced the heat to medium-low, and cooked the chili for about an hour.
- I stirred the Spicy Turkey Chili and heated it to a boil. Then, I covered the pan, reduced the heat to medium-low, and cooked the chili covered for about an hour.
- While the turkey chili was cooking, I poured a can of black beans into a strainer, rinsed them, and allowed them to drain.
After the chili had cooked for about an hour, I added the black beans. I stirred the mixture and covered the pan again; I cooked the chili for an additional 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, I removed the lid from the Dutch oven and gave the mixture a stir. I tasted the chili to see if it needed any additional seasonings. It was perfect!
For dinner, I served the Spicy Turkey Chili with my favorite chili toppings - some shredded colby jack cheese, sour cream, and chopped green onion tops. On the side, I served some Fritos Scoops and a green salad.
What we didn't eat went into the freezer for another delicious meal. Yum!
Frequently Asked Questions
You can substitute ground beef in this recipe for the ground turkey. Just proceed as above.
Because I drain and rinse the cooked turkey, it really doesn't matter whether you use 93% lean ground turkey or 85% lean ground turkey.
To make it in a slow cooker, follow the recipe up to and including the step where you add Rotel tomatoes and tomato sauce. Once that step is complete, transfer everything to a slow cooker and cook on low for about five hours. Then add the black beans and cook for an additional hour.
I add shredded cheese, sour cream, and sliced green onion tops to this chili. You can also add minced or sliced jalapeños, crushed tortilla chips, chopped tomatoes, green onions, green pepper, chopped onions, or chopped or sliced avocados.
One of my favorite things to serve with this chili is cornbread. You could also serve breadsticks, quesadillas, grilled cheese sandwiches, salad, coleslaw, or hot dogs.
This healthy turkey chili recipe is even better the next day. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days or in the freezer for up to three months.
Other Southwestern-Style Recipes
If you're a fan of chili, you should check out these amazing Southwestern-style recipes.
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Recipe
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Spicy Turkey Chili
Equipment
- Dutch Oven
- Wire Mesh Strainer
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ pounds lean ground turkey (See Tips 1 and 2)
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped (about 1 ½ cups)
- 3 Tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 20 ounces (2 10-ounce cans) Rotel Original diced tomatoes & green chilies
- 16 ounces tomato sauce (2 8-ounce cans)
- 16 ounces (16-ounce can) black beans drained and rinsed well
- Shredded Colby jack or cheddar cheese
- Sour Cream
- Chopped green onions or chives for garnish if desired
- Fritos or Tortilla chips to serve on the side.
Instructions
- Cook and crumble ground turkey in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until browned. Pour into a colander and rinse with hot water until the water runs clean. Take handfuls and rub between hands to crumble into fine pieces. Rinse again.
- Heat olive oil in the same Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions, chili powder, and cumin; sauté the onions until tender, about 5 minutes. Add minced garlic; sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the flour, oregano, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Stir to mix well. Add Rotel tomatoes & green chilies, and tomato sauce; mix well. Return the cooked turkey to the Dutch oven; stir well. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 1 hour. Add black beans; cover and simmer for an additional 30 minutes.
- Serve Chili in bowls topped with shredded cheese, sour cream, and chopped green onion tops. Serve Fritos scoops or tortilla chips on the side. (See Tip 3)
- Yield: 6 servings. (See Tip 4)
Video
Tips/Notes
- I used 93% lean ground turkey.
- May also use ground beef in place of turkey.
- For a variation, serve warm chili on a bed of shredded lettuce and chopped tomatoes to make a taco salad. Garnish with chopped onions, crushed tortilla chips, and shredded cheese.
- The leftovers, if any, can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to three days or frozen for up to three months.
