The Best Turkey Chili
My Turkey Chili is the easy comfort food you need to try tonight! Ground ancho and chipotle chiles combine with the turkey, black beans, and kidney beans for a flavor so rich you'll never miss the beef!
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 large onion diced
- 2 pounds ground turkey
- 1 6-ounce can tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 16-ounce cans kidney beans drained
- 2 16-ounce cans black beans drained
- 2 cups low sodium chicken stock
- cayenne pepper to taste, see notes below
- 1 tablespoon honey see notes below
For the ground spice mixture
- 3 dried ancho chiles stems and seeds removed
- 1 dried chipotle chile stems and seeds removed
- 2 tablespoons chili powder If not using whole dried chiles increase to 5 tablespoons
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1/4 cup crushed tortillas
Instructions
For the ground spice mixture
- Remove the stems and seeds from the dried ancho and chipotle peppers. Toast the chiles in a dry pan over medium heat for 30 seconds per side or until fragrant. Remove chiles from the heat to a plate then add the chili powder and cumin to the pan and toast for 1 minute stirring frequently.
- Place the peppers along with the chili powder, cumin, and tortilla chips into a food processor. Blend until a fine powder is formed.
For the chili
- Heat a large Dutch oven to medium heat with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and saute the onion until soft (about 5 minutes).
- Add the ground turkey and saute until browned while breaking it up with a wooden spoon.
- Meanwhile, heat a pan to medium heat and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil along with the prepared spice mixture. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until very fragrant. Once fragrant add a 1/4 cup of water to the pan.
- Once the turkey is browned add the spice mix to the turkey and continue to cook for another 1 minute stirring to incorporate.
- Add the tomato paste to the pot and cook for 3 minutes stirring well to combine. Next, add the salt and garlic powder and mix well.
- Add the low-sodium chicken stock and beans, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, give it all a stir then turn the heat down to low. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes or until the chili is nice and thick. If you like it on the thinner side cook simmer with the lid partially cracked and/or add more chicken stock.
- Add the optional honey and mix to combine. Taste test the turkey chili and adjust salt, spice, and honey levels to taste. An easy way to bring up the spice level quickly is with cayenne powder to taste. Serve in bowls topped with sour cream, diced raw onion, cheddar cheese, or whatever you like. Enjoy!
Notes
- Improve the flavor. The single most important thing you can do to improve turkey chili is to make it one day in advance and refrigerate overnight! The flavors will be so much better.
- Spice level. The amount of cayenne or omitting completely will depend on the spice level of the dried chilis and commercial chili powder you use. For this reason, it's recommended to wait until the end before adding any cayenne.
- Honey. I find that some of level sweetness is often needed to balance out the chile peppers. Adjust according to taste.
- Different chile peppers. Anaheim, Pasilla, or Guajillo can be substituted for the Ancho chiles.
- Ratio of chili powder. 3 dried ancho chiles equal approximately 3 tablespoons of chili powder and 1 dried chipotle equals approximately a 1/2 tablespoon of chili powder. If using just ground chili powder increase from 2 to 5 tablespoons total.
- Leftovers. Turkey chili can be saved for up to 3 days and can be reheated on the stovetop or in the microwave.
Nutrition
Calories: 492kcal | Carbohydrates: 34.5g | Protein: 44.5g | Fat: 22.5g | Saturated Fat: 4.4g | Cholesterol: 140mg | Sodium: 674mg | Fiber: 15g | Sugar: 7.4g | Calcium: 176mg | Iron: 3mg
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