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This flavorful Turkey Chili recipe will satisfy even the heartiest of appetites. It’s packed with lean ground turkey, three kinds of beans, and a variety of Mexican spices. Serve it with the toppings of your choice for a delicious, comforting meal.
This Turkey Chili recipe is the result of over twenty years of tweaking and modifying. It is quite a departure from where it started. As my boys grew and became fans of Mexican food, I started changing it up, adding in a variety of beans and Mexican spices and it has become a solid family favorite.
I like to serve it with lots of toppings for everyone to choose from – cheese, sour cream, cilantro, chopped bell pepper, chopped tomato, the possibilities are endless. This lean, low calorie chili is a meal we can all feel good about. Hearty enough for my athlete sons but light and healthy for the rest of us.
Ingredient Notes
- Ground turkey – I use 93% lean ground turkey and drain any excess grease after browning.
- Crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce – I try to stock up on San Marzano crushed tomatoes when they go on sale but any unseasoned variety will work just fine in this recipe. You’ll also need a can of plain tomato sauce.
- Beans – This three bean Turkey Chili includes a can of kidney, pinto and black beans.
- Onion and garlic – You’ll need a sweet yellow onion and minced garlic.
- Red wine – I will use any bottle of red we happen to have open when I make this chili. Ideally, you want a mid to full-bodied red like pinot noir or cabernet sauvignon. Use a wine you would drink and avoid anything labeled as “cooking wine”.
- Seasoning – A blend of chili powder, cumin, parsley, oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, and black pepper create amazing Mexican-inspired flavor. I love simmering stews and chilis with dried bay leaves to add a slight herby flavor. Remove the bay leaves before serving.
How to Make Turkey Chili
- Coat the bottom of a large pot or Dutch oven with nonstick cooking spray and place over medium heat. Add the ground turkey and cook, stirring to break up the meat until fully cooked. Drain off any excess grease and return the pot to the heat.
- Stir in the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, kidney beans, pinto beans, black beans, onion, garlic, and red wine. Season with the chili powder, cumin, parsley, oregano, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and bay leaves.
- Bring the chili to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 ½ to 2 hours. Stir the chili occasionally as it simmers.
Lights, Camera, Action!
This recipe brought a film crew from Seattle to my house about this time last year. It’s that good. Really, I kid you not. They dropped by to film a webisode of What’s Cooking for Allrecipes.tv featuring little ole’ me cooking up a pot of this Turkey Chili in my kitchen. Goodbye comfort zone! Three of my four boys got in on the action too.
The What’s Cooking shoot came at a particularly busy and chaotic time. I was in the process of planning our end of the season water polo banquet, Thanksgiving was days away, and we were just a couple of weeks away from a major re-haul of our kitchen. Although I consider myself a behind the camera kind of gal, it was a blast and a nice distraction from the chaos. The video will serve as a record of our old, original white tile counter which is now history.
Michael Ketchum (pictured above) and David Albright from Allrecipes really know their stuff and the experience was so much fun. Thanks guys. Come back to San Jose any time.
FAQ’s and Valerie’s Tips
The crushed red pepper flakes in this recipe are what bring the heat and create what I would consider to be a mildly spicy chili. Adjust the amount up or down to suit your taste. When cooking for kids or others who might be sensitive to spicy foods, I’ve found I can most consistently achieve the level of heat I’m going for when I use crushed red pepper versus jalapeños which can vary in spiciness quite a bit. If you want to turn up the heat, you can add some diced jalapeños too.
Absolutely! Feel free to substitute lean ground beef for the ground turkey.
Since there is quite a bit of sodium in canned beans and tomato products, I don’t include salt in this recipe. I recommend making it as written and tasting it before deciding if you feel it needs any. There is so much flavor from the dried spices that I think you’ll find it is plenty flavorful. You can also reduce the sodium substantially by using low sodium canned beans and tomato products which are readily available at most grocery stores.
Yes, you can! I’ve included alternate slow cooker directions on the recipe card below.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve made this chili. It has been on regular rotation on our menu since my boys were very young and has become a year-round staple. I love to serve it on a cold winter night with Rustic Sweet Cornbread and it’s a great way to bulk up the menu for a summer cookout.
More Ground Turkey Recipes
For more delicious ways to use ground turkey, check out these Turkey Meatballs, The Best Turkey Burger Recipe, Turkey Black Bean Enchilada Bake, and a huge reader favorite – my Italian Stuffed Zucchini Boats.
Turkey Chili
Ingredients
- 2 pounds 93% lean ground turkey
- 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 15 ounce can tomato sauce
- 15 ounce can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 15 ounce can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
- 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
- ½ cup diced yellow onion
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ¼ cup red wine like cabernet sauvignon or pinot noir
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes or to taste (optional)
- 2 dried bay leaves
Optional Toppings
- cheese, sour cream, cilantro, bell pepper, tomato
Instructions
Stovetop Method
- Coat the bottom of a large pot or Dutch oven with nonstick cooking spray and place over MEDIUM heat. Add the ground turkey and cook, stirring to break up the meat, for about 5 minutes or until fully cooked. Drain off any excess grease and return the pot to the heat.
- Stir in the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, kidney beans, pinto beans, black beans, onion, garlic, and red wine. Season with the chili powder, cumin, parsley, oregano, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and bay leaves.
- Bring the chili to a simmer over MEDIUM-HIGH heat, then reduce the heat to LOW, cover, and simmer for 1 ½ to 2 hours. Stir the chili occasionally as it simmers.
- Remove and discard bay leaves before serving.
Alternate Slow Cooker Method
- Coat a large skillet with nonstick cooking spray and place it over MEDIUM heat. Add the ground turkey and cook, stirring to break up the meat, for about 5 minutes or until fully cooked. Drain off any excess grease and transfer the ground turkey to a 6-quart slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients, as directed.
- Cover and cook on LOW heat for 4 to 6 hours. Remove and discard the bay leaves before serving.
Stephanie says
This is so easy and so delicious. Everyone in family liked it which is no small fete. I felt it was a little thick so I also added about a half cup of chicken broth. Makes the house smell fantastic too.
Chuckiesmom says
I’ve never really made chili like this usually just get a mix and add meat. This recipe was simple and easy and to try. It will be my go to recipe from now on.
Holly says
Hi there! This sounds great!! Do you know if this could be made in the Instant Pot? Thanks, Holly
Shani says
Can I use beef broth instead of red wine? Or does the red wine really add to the taste? Thanks!
Valerie says
I do think the red wine enhances the flavor but it will be delicious with broth as well.
Becki says
Great turkey chili love it!!
Dolores Miklaucic says
Made using crockpots. Great recipe thick and hearty.
Willow says
Love turkey chili, and your recipe sounds like a fabulous one. Also, loving the video… “whoever finds the bay leaf gets good luck” is SO smart! I am absolutely stealing that. Haha 😀
Lillian Russo says
I just love that webisode! It was very funny with the pig and the graphics! They really do a great job at AR with these videos! Thanks for sharing that here and on Pinterest!
Valerie says
Thanks Lillian! It was a blast and David did such a great job with the editing.
Lauren says
Loving this chili-crockpot idea!!
Kim - Liv Life says
This is a chili my husband would love!! All the ingredients for a happy husband. Nicely done!