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This Turkey Chili Recipe is a true 30 minute meal and is soon to be one of your favorites! Especially in the winter months, I love a good bowl of chili and this is the one I always make. You can slow cook it longer, but it’s delicious in just 30 minutes!

chili covered in cheese in a white bowl


Best Turkey Chili Recipe

Luckily, chili is one of those dishes that is extremely quick and easy to make. It’s done on the stove top and has simple ingredients you already have. My husband loves chili and this is one of his favorites! I love making turkey chili but you can also swap out ground beef or ground chicken in this recipe.

Serve this with your favorite chili toppings and your family will love it. Plus, the leftovers of this are perfect for topping nachos or tater tots or on baked potatoes. I love cooking once and eating twice – makes my life so much easier.

Ingredients Needed

  • Turkey: ground turkey is my go-to, but again, use any ground meat. I recommend something lean, like 93/7.
  • Spices: Cumin, Salt, Chili Powder, Pepper, Garlic powder, Cayenne pepper
  • Green chilis: I used canned diced green chilis for some spice.
  • Canned tomatoes: Adding crushed tomatoes takes a lot of work out of the recipe. A large can means I don’t have to add extra tomato sauce.
  • Canned black beans: You can also use pinto beans or kidney beans.
  • Chicken stock: I prefer low sodium chicken broth
chili in a black pan with garnish on top

How to Make my Turkey Chili Recipe

  1. Cook ground turkey in a medium soup pot or dutch oven. Break it up into small bite-sized pieces.
  2. Add the diced onion and cook until the onion is almost translucent. Drain fat as needed.
  3. Add the spices to the turkey and onion mixture and stir it evenly, scraping all the little bits off the bottom of the pan.
  4. Add the diced green chilies, crushed tomatoes, beans with their liquid, and chicken stock. Stir everything together thoroughly.
  5. Cover and bring mixture to a boil. Cook the chili, stirring it often, until the mixture thickens and flavors meld together, about 15-20 minutes (longer if desired). It will start to look more like a chili and get thick when it’s about done. 
  6. Add additional salt, black pepper and/or cayenne as desired.

Toppings for Chili 

The great thing about chili is that it is fully customizable! I love to decorate my chili with all sorts of yummy toppings. The toppings I like best are:

  • Shredded cheddar cheese or Monterey Jack
  • Chives or green onions or cilantro
  • Sour cream or plain greek yogurt
  • Chopped avocado
  • Sliced jalapeñoo

Feel free to customize and see what you like best! My daughter always requests cornbread to go with it, but tortilla chips or Fritos are fantastic too.

chili in a white bowl

Expert Tips

  • Add a small amount of cayenne and then add more to taste after it cooks a bit! It’ll get spicier as it cooks.
  • It’s important to use chicken stock or broth for flavor – you can also use beef or vegetable stock. This gives it the all day flavor in just 30 minutes.
  • Make sure to let the chili full thicken during cooking. Chili has always been more rich and hearty and less soupy. Letting it thicken and adding great flavors makes for a great chili. You can even simmer this longer than 20 minutes if you want a thicker chili. I’ve let it simmer up to 2 hrs.
  • Store leftover chili in the refrigerator in an airtight container or store in the freezer for up to 1 month. Reheat in microwave.

FAQs

How do you store leftover chili?

Store any leftover chili in the fridge in an airtight container. It should stay fresh for up to 4 days after. 

chili covered in cheese in a white bowl

Turkey Chili Recipe

5 from 4 votes
Turkey Chili is the perfect easy dinner recipe! This is an easy 30 minute meal that's perfect for a weeknight. Make with ground beef and your choice of beans for an easy pantry meal!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Yield 6 servings
Serving Size 1 serving

Ingredients
 

  • 1 pound ground turkey
  • 1 small or ½ medium onion diced (about 1 cup)
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¾ teaspoon chili powder
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼-½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 4 ounce can diced green chilies
  • 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
  • 15 ounce can black beans or pinto or kidney beans
  • 1 cup chicken stock
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Instructions

  • Add ground turkey to a medium soup pot or dutch oven. Break up into small pieces. Add the onion and cook over medium high heat until turkey is almost cooked through and onion is almost translucent (about 5-7 minutes). Drain fat if needed.
  • Add the spices to the turkey and onion mixture; stir.
  • Add diced green chilies, crushed tomatoes, beans with their liquid, and chicken stock. Stir.
  • Cover and bring mixture to a boil.
  • Cook, stirring often, with pot partially covered, until mixture thickens and flavors meld, about 15-20 minutes (longer if desired).
  • Add additional salt, pepper and/or cayenne as desired.
  • Serve hot with chopped onions and cheddar cheese.

Recipe Notes

  • Note: you can use ground beef if you prefer. Use any fat content, although I normally use 93% lean meat.
  • Use any kind of beans – black beans are our favorite but pinto or kidney beans are great!
  • Vegetable stock or beef stock can be used. We usually use low sodium stock.

Recipe Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 222kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 43mg | Sodium: 999mg | Potassium: 904mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 412IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 79mg | Iron: 4mg
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
Course Main Course
Cuisine American

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Dorothy Kern

Welcome to Crazy for Crust, where I share recipes that are sometimes crazy, often with a crust, and always served with a slice of life.

5 from 4 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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