Ground Turkey Chili – When the temperatures start to dip, sometimes there’s nothing like a warm bowl of chili, loaded with your favorite toppings.
This lightened up version subs out the usual red meat in favor of ground turkey, and trust me, it’s just as delicious and satisfying.
Today, we’re using our favorite kitchen gadget, the slow cooker, but you can also make this cozy bowl on stovetop. We’ll tell you all…
Using ground turkey has become one of our favorite ways to lighten up meals lately. We were initially a little skeptical, but these versions have all turned out just as delicious as the originals.
Be sure to check out our Ground Turkey Tacos, Ground Turkey Pasta Bake, and Ground Turkey Stir Fry!
Why We Love this Ground Turkey Chili Recipe
- It tastes just as awesome as your traditional chili, but is much healthier.
- You can customize it. Try it with different beans or add in other veggies.
- Everyone in the family will relish it, young and old alike.
- It’s a super easy weeknight dinner. Other than browning meat (which is optional) and chopping a few veggies, it’s a total “just dump it in the crock pot” type of meal.
Healthy Turkey Chili Ingredients
- Ground turkey – We used 90% lean.
- Aromatics – Onion and garlic.
- Beans – Today we used 2 cans of kidney and 1 can of black.
- Tomatoes – Diced and tomato paste.
- Bell peppers – Any colors go great, but this time we used 1/2 red and 1/2 yellow.
- Beef broth – For added depth of flavor.
- Spices – Chili powder, cumin and oregano.
- Jalapeño – For a little kick.
- Brown sugar – Can be substituted with honey.
How to Make Slow Cooker Turkey Chili
This is about as easy as you can get…
First, heat some oil in a skillet and brown the ground turkey, along with the onion. This step is optional, but adds some nice flavor.
Add all ingredients into the slow cooker and combine well. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours, or low for 6-8 hours.
Stovetop Method
Brown the turkey and onion in a large pot or dutch oven. Add in the garlic, jalapeño and spices, and sauté for another minute or two.
Mix in all remaining ingredients. Bring to a low simmer and cook for 45 minutes to an hour, uncovered.
How to Serve this Easy Ground Turkey Chili
First and foremost, you’ve gotta add some toppings. Everyone has their favorites, but some top contenders include:
- Shredded cheese
- Diced onions
- Scallions
- Sliced jalapeños
- Diced avocado
- Sour cream
- Cilantro
- Crackers
- Fritos
A side of cornbread is also a must. Check out our collection of favorite Cornbread Recipes for plenty of options.
Storing Leftover Ground Turkey Chili
You can enjoy this hearty chili for a few days, as it keeps on getting better. Store it in an air tight container up to 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
This freezes beautifully too, up to 3-4 months. Simply thaw overnight in the fridge, then reheat it on the stovetop, adding a dash of water if necessary.
Cook up a big batch of this healthy ground turkey chili, and cozy up to a bowl loaded with your favorite toppings. It’s a great fall recipe, but you’ll want to relish it all year long.
Ground Turkey Chili, on our Gypsy Plate… enjoy!
Try these other amazing chili recipes!
Smokey Chipotle Chili
Vegetarian Black Bean Chili
White Turkey Chili
Three Meat Chili
Chile Verde
Ground Turkey Chili (Slow Cooker or Stove Top)
This healthy Ground Turkey Chili is a cozy meal the whole family will love. It can be cooked on stove top or in the slow cooker.
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil
- 2 pounds ground turkey
- 1 small onion, diced
- 4-5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 jalapeño, finely chopped
- 3 Tbsp chili powder
- 1.5 Tbsp cumin powder
- 1 Tbsp dried oregano
- 2 15oz cans kidney beans
- 1 15oz can black beans
- 2 15oz cans diced tomatoes
- 3 cups beef broth
- 5 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 yellow pepper, diced
Instructions
Slow Cooker
- Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and ground turkey, crumbling up the turkey with a spatula.
- Transfer turkey mixture to the slow cooker, along with all remaining ingredients. Combine well.
- Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours, or low for 6-8 hours.
- Serve with your favorite toppings.
Stove Top
- Brown the turkey and onion in a large pot or dutch oven. Add in the garlic, jalapeño and spices, and sauté for another minute or two.
- Mix in all remaining ingredients. Bring to a low simmer and cook for 45 minutes to an hour, uncovered.
- Serve with your favorite toppings.
Nutrition Information
Yield 8 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 547Total Fat 23gSaturated Fat 6gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 15gCholesterol 120mgSodium 704mgCarbohydrates 44gFiber 15gSugar 6gProtein 44g
Nutrition information calculated by Nutritionix.
Welcome to GypsyPlate! I'm Alpana, former wordwide tour manager and professional caterer, now full time blogger. I love exploring cuisines from around the world, and my recipes have been featured on sites such as MSN, Parade, Brit + Co, CNET and AOL. You can explore my entire collection of sortable recipes in my Recipe Index or learn more about me here.
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The last direction says, “Cook on low 3-4 hours and on high 6-8 hours.” Just wanted to make note of the misprint. I can’t wait to try this!
Thanks for catching that! We have corrected the recipe card. Let me know how you like it!