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Turkey Chili is a flavor-packed take on our usual chili with ground turkey, tomatoes, veggies, and beans simmered in a tomato based sauce.
Holly’s Recipe Highlights For Turkey Chili
- Flavor: This turkey chili recipe is filled with flavorful herbs and spices but isn’t spicy. You can add a little heat if you’d like.
- Skill level: It’s easy to make with just one pot and a few basic ingredients—perfect for any skill level!
- Prep ahead: Onions and peppers can be chopped several days in advance. This chili also reheats well; it’s great to make on the weekend and enjoy throughout the week.
- Serving: Healthy turkey chili can be served straight from a crock pot for game days and potlucks and tastes just as delicious as beef chili!
- Freezing: great for meal prep, it reheats beautifully and freezes well for up to 4 months, so make a double batch to enjoy later.
Ingredient Tips for Turkey Chili
- Meat: Use lean ground turkey; extra lean doesn’t have enough fat and can be dry. This can be made with leftover roast turkey as well.
- Beans: Kidney beans hold their shape well in a hearty chili, but any beans will do. If using canned beans, be sure they are drained and rinsed first.
- Sauce: Rotel tomatoes are pre-seasoned with green chiles. You can also use fire-roasted tomatoes. Tomato sauce can be replaced with canned crushed tomatoes.
Variations and Serving
- Add extra vegetables like diced zucchini or mushrooms.
- The chili powder in this recipe is mild, so feel free to add chopped jalapenos or a bit of cayenne pepper.
Serving Suggestions
- Top bowls of chili with sour cream or Greek yogurt
- Add shredded cheese, crushed tortilla chips, diced avocado, chopped cilantro, and sliced green onions.
Got Some to Save?
Leftover turkey chili can be kept in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in zippered bags in the freezer for up to 4 months.
It can then be reheated on the stovetop on medium heat, in the microwave, or a crockpot or slow cooker. Serve it up on game day with some homemade cornbread.
More Favorite Ground Turkey Recipes
Did your family enjoy this Turkey Chili? Leave us a rating and comment below!
Turkey Chili Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground turkey or ground chicken
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 ½ tablespoons chili powder
- 15 ounces canned red kidney beans 1 can, drained and rinsed
- 10.5 ounces canned diced tomatoes with chilies 1 can, such as Rotel
- 1 cup chicken broth or beef broth
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 1 bell pepper red or green, chopped
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt more to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Brown ground turkey, onion, garlic, and chili powder in a large pot until no pink remains.
- Add beans, diced tomatoes, broth, tomato sauce, bell pepper, oregano, cumin, salt, and pepper. Stir well to combine.
- Bring the chili to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce the heat to a simmer, and let simmer uncovered for 35 to 45 minutes or until thickened. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper.
Notes
- Use lean ground turkey in this recipe or replace with any ground meat of your choice. 2-3 cups of leftover diced turkey can be used in place of ground turkey.
- To make prep quick, while the turkey is browning, prepare the remaining ingredients.
- The chili will thicken as it simmers, for a thicker chili, simmer longer.
- As with most chili recipes, this makes great leftovers and reheats well.
- Keep turkey chili in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days or freeze for up to 4 months. Reheat on the stovetop until heated through.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dinner, Entree, Main Course, Turkey
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This was a family hit! I’m not even a chili lover and I went back for seconds! Will 💯 make it into my recipe rotation! Thank you for this delicious recipe.
Hi Michelle, we are happy to hear that it was a hit with the family and that you will be adding it to the rotation. You are welcome! Thank you for commenting.