Turkey Chili

Published February 11, 2021. Updated February 15, 2021

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The BEST Turkey Chili! It’s a healthy, flavorful recipe that is so easy to make and it’s one of those dinners everyone can agree on. It has deliciously seasoned, well balanced flavor and is a perfect pick me up on a cold day!

Serve it with baked potatoes or homemade cornbread for a perfectly cozy meal!

Serving of turkey chili in a white bowl set over a white plate with a spoon and saltine crackers to the side. Chili is topped with shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream.

Healthy Ground Turkey Chili

Here we’ve lightened things up with lean ground turkey instead of fattier ground beef and no one will notice the difference between the two in this delicious turkey chili recipe!

It’s still perfectly satisfying comfort food and you’ll be wanting to make this easy turkey chili time and time again during the fall and winter seasons!

This is full of veggies and it’s packed with protein thanks to the turkey and a generous amount of kidney beans.

You’ll love the blend of spices (which build up great flavor) and that rich tomato-y broth. Then finish it up with toppings as you wish (to keep it healthy add more veggies!).

Just don’t forget the crackers for dipping!

Overhead photo of turkey chili once finished in a pot.

Turkey Chili Recipe Ingredients

Here are the ingredients you’ll need to build up that amazing flavor:

  • Olive oil
  • Veggies including bell pepper, yellow onion, garlic
  • Lean ground turkey
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Canned diced tomatoes with green chilies
  • Canned tomato sauce
  • Low-sodium chicken broth
  • Spices including chili powder, ancho chili powder, cumin, paprika and coriander
  • Canned red kidney beans (I used 1 can light 1 can dark)

Photo of ingredients used to make turkey chili. Includes ground turkey, tomato sauce, chili powder, ancho chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, coriander, light and dark red kidney beans, chicken broth, canned tomatoes, bell pepper, yellow onion, green onions, garlic, olive oil, sour cream, and cheddar cheese.

How to Make Healthy Turkey Chili (Stovetop)

  1. Heat oil in pot: Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
  2. Cook and crumble turkey, transfer: Add turkey, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up turkey until cooked through. Transfer turkey to a plate.
  3. Saute vegetables: Heat remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil in now empty pot over medium-high. Add bell pepper and onion and saute 4 minutes.
  4. Saute aromatics: Add garlic, chili powder, ancho chili powder, cumin, paprika and coriander and saute 30 seconds longer.
  5. Add canned ingredients, cooked turkey, season: Pour in tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken broth, cooked turkey and season with salt and pepper to taste.
  6. Simmer to build flavor: Bring to a simmer then reduce heat to low. Cover and let continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.
  7. Stir in and warm beans: Stir in kidney beans and more chicken broth to thin if desired and heat through, about 2 minutes. Serve warm with desired toppings.

Collage of six photos showing steps of making turkey chili. Includes browning chili in the pot, sauteeing bell pepper and onion. Adding garlic and spices and then sauteeing.

Make it Mild

Ancho chili powder can be just a bit spicier than regular chili powder. If you’d like to tone it down then just use 2 Tbsp regular (mild) chili powder and omit the Ancho chili powder.

How to Make Turkey Chili in the Crockpot

To make this in the slow cooker here are the steps to follow:

  1. Cook turkey in pot in oil. Transfer to slow cooker.
  2. Saute bell pepper and onion in pot 4 minutes and garlic 30 seconds, transfer to slow cooker.
  3. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken broth, spices, salt and pepper to slow cooker.
  4. Cover and cook on low heat 5 hours.
  5. Stir in kidney beans and heat through for a few minutes. Serve warm.

 

Collage of four photos showing continued steps of making turkey chili. Includes adding liquids and cooked turkey back into pot, covering pot to simmer. Then finishing with kidney beans.

Variations

  • Try with ground beef, ground chicken or even ground pork in place of turkey.
  • Switch up the type of chili powder. Use sweet or smoked paprika (I like either type here).
  • Sneak in other vegetables. Great options include corn, carrots, or zucchini.
  • Reduce chicken broth for a more stew-like chili, increase for a more soup-like chili.
  • Make it spicier by sautéing one or two diced jalapeños (with or without seeds) with the bell pepper mixture.
  • Use any color of bell pepper (red, orange, yellow or green) or switch to a different type of pepper such as poblano or Anaheim.

Turkey Chili Toppings to Try

What’s a bowl of chili without a handful of flavorful toppings? A few of our favorite chili toppings are:

  • Cheddar cheese
  • Sour cream
  • Red or green onions
  • Avocado
  • Cayenne pepper or thinly sliced jalapeños
  • Tortilla chips
  • Saltine crackers

A white pot filled with turkey chili.

How to Freeze Chili for Later

Turkey chili freezes incredibly well and is easily reheated. To freeze this easy turkey chili:

  • First let it cool a bit, no more than one hour at room temperature (or wait to freeze it until the next day after it’s been in your fridge and cooled).
  • Ladle the chili into freezer-safe containers or jars.
  • Freeze up to 3 months.
  • When you’re ready to reheat the chili, place it in the fridge to thaw overnight and then reheat on the stove or in the microwave.

Close up photo of ladle filled with turkey chili.

More Chili Recipes You’ll Love:

Be sure to check out the other chili recipes I’ve shared:

16 Quick & Easy 30 Minute Recipes! (plus weekly recipe updates)

Serving of turkey chili in a white bowl set over a white plate with a spoon and saltine crackers to the side. Chili is topped with shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream.
5 from 17 votes

Turkey Chili

Hearty, rich and well seasoned turkey chili everyone will love! It's made healthier with ground turkey in place of ground beef but it's still super delicious and perfectly satisfying on a cold day.
Servings: 5
Prep10 minutes
Cook50 minutes
Ready in: 1 hour

Ingredients

For serving:

  • Cheddar cheese, sour cream, chopped green onions

Instructions

  • Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add turkey, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up turkey until cooked through. Transfer turkey to a plate.
  • Heat remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil in now empty pot over medium-high. Add bell pepper and onion and saute 4 minutes.
  • Add garlic, chili powder, ancho chili powder, cumin, paprika and coriander and saute 30 seconds longer.
  • Pour in tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken broth, cooked turkey and season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Bring to a simmer then reduce heat to low. Cover and let continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.
  • Stir in kidney beans and more chicken broth to thin if desired and heat through, about 2 minutes. Serve warm with desired toppings.

Notes

  • Toppings not included in nutrition estimate.
  • You can sneak in a vegetable for another healthy filler. Try sautéing 1 diced carrot with the bell pepper mixture, or add 1 chopped zucchini halfway through simmering, or finish with 1 cup frozen corn near the end.

How to Make Turkey Chili in the Crockpot

To make this in the slow cooker here are the steps to follow:
  1. Cook turkey in pot in oil. Transfer to slow cooker.
  2. Saute bell pepper and onion in pot 4 minutes and garlic 30 seconds, transfer to slow cooker.
  3. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken broth, spices, salt and pepper to slow cooker.
  4. Cover and cook on low heat 5 hours.
  5. Stir in kidney beans and heat through for a few minutes. Serve warm.
Nutrition Facts
Turkey Chili
Amount Per Serving
Calories 442 Calories from Fat 153
% Daily Value*
Fat 17g26%
Saturated Fat 3g19%
Cholesterol 83mg28%
Sodium 1188mg52%
Potassium 891mg25%
Carbohydrates 40g13%
Fiber 13g54%
Sugar 10g11%
Protein 34g68%
Vitamin A 1865IU37%
Vitamin C 34.1mg41%
Calcium 133mg13%
Iron 6.2mg34%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition values are estimates only. See full disclaimer here.

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66 Comments

  • Gigi

    It looks delicious. I haven’t try it, but after this weekend, I will know for sure if it is a recipe I will continue making for families and friends. Thank you so much for providing an easy way for people like me who is not a talented cook.

  • Leah Saks

    hi, this looks great! can I use just one can of beans? also, I don’t have ancho chili. can i substitute chipotle chili?

    • Jaclyn

      Jaclyn Bell

      Yes one can of beans is fine. And I would suggest more regular chili powder in place of the ancho chili powder – unless you want it quite spicy with chipotle chili powder.

      • Leah Saks

        Thank you Jaclyn! that was going to be my next question… the chili came out delicious but SOOOO spicy. i only put 1/2 tsp of chipotle chili (i made this before i saw your response) so i am not sure where the heat is coming from. are the tomatoes in green chilis spicy? i definitely want to make this again but have to make it not spicy at all. so i am trying to figure out what i can do next time

        • Jaclyn

          Jaclyn Bell

          The chipotle powder would definitely be what made it spicy. As a side note also be sure to use mild green chilies with the tomatoes or just use plain tomatoes. You can even cut back chili powder a little and be sure it’s mild chili powder not hot.

  • Pnina Klein

    This one is good and simple! I add black beans and another spoonful of smoked paprika. serves it with chopped green and red onion. Delish!

  • R.A.

    The only ingredient in the chili powder I have is red chili peppers.
    Will that work, or will it be much hotter than intended for this recipe?

    • Jaclyn

      Jaclyn Bell

      It would depend on the type of chili peppers but it sounds like they are spicy so I wouldn’t recommend them.

  • Karen Johnson

    Always appreciate it when you post Mediterranean diet friendly meals, and his one was a total hit. Followed everything as written, adding corn at the end. So good! Thank you!

  • Craig H

    I made this chili today on a cold, snowy Thursday afternoon, and it was a huge success! Every element was spot on, especially the spice combination (I loved the ancho chili powder). I did use a full 2 lbs. of turkey and I probably used 3 cups of chicken stock, but, other than that I followed the recipe, right down to the 6 qt. cream-colored Martha Stewart collection cast iron dutch oven! Thank you Jaclyn for the wonderful recipe!!!

  • Kevin D

    Look like your old turkey chili recipe that is a staple in our home. I am stoked to see a slow cooker recipe now in order to let the flavors “marry”. I will be making this soon. BTW, love the website. I tell everyone I can about it since you have some amazing recipes. Love what you do!

    • Jaclyn

      Jaclyn Bell

      Thanks so much for sharing my site! I’m so glad you’ve been enjoying my recipes Kevin!