Turkey Chili
This easy Turkey Chili comes together in just 1 hour with lean ground turkey, beans, and veggies, and a SECRET INGREDIENT that enhances the flavors! A delicious dish that’s perfect for dinner and game days!
All About This Healthy & Delicious Turkey Chili
Make your game days more exciting and the cooler days warmer with this quick and delicious Turkey Chili! This easy-to-make chill recipe is even one you can count on for a family-pleasing dinner or a protein-packed meal prep for the week!
Made in just one hour on the stovetop, this dish can be loaded up with toppings, made in the crock pot, or smothered onto other foods as you cheer on your favorite team!
Rebecca’s Recipe Review
Taste: If you’ve never tried chili with ground turkey before, you’ll hardly notice the difference in this recipe! Just one spoonful will wake up your taste buds using a mouthwatering blend of spices, diced jalapenos, light brown sugar, and lots of tasty toppings!
Texture: This thick and hearty chili is loaded with tender chunks of ground turkey and diced fresh vegetables! Finish your bowl off with creamy sour cream, melty cheese, and crunchy corn chips!
Ease: 4/10
Pros: So many tasty ways to serve and enjoy this protein packed meal!
Cons:
Would I Make This Again? Yes, I meal prep this often for my lunches and as a family enjoy it during the cooler months!
Turkey Chili Ingredients
- Olive Oil
- Yellow Onion
- Red Bell Pepper
- Garlic Cloves
- Jalapeno Pepper
- Ground Turkey
- Chicken Stock
- Diced Tomatoes
- Tomato Sauce
- Raw Apple Cider Vinegar
- Dark Red Kidney Beans
- Chili Powder
- Paprika
- Ground Cayenne Pepper
- Bittersweet Baking Chocolate
- Light Brown Sugar
- Salt
- Ground Black Pepper
Ingredient Notes
Did you catch the secret ingredient in the list? That’s right; it’s CHOCOLATE! I know what you’re thinking, chocolate in my chili? Yup, and it’s awesome!
An ounce of 60% dark chocolate is just the thing to smooth out this chili recipe and marry the spices together. If you think about it, chocolate and peppers were made for each other. Mexico totally got it right with their hot cocoa!
A little heat and a little sweet, and you’re in for a wicked good treat!
Another key ingredient that makes this the best chili is the raw apple cider vinegar. This vinegar creates a great depth of flavor and drives this recipe home, making it incredibly delicious!
How To Make Turkey Chili Step-By-Step
1. Simmer diced yellow onion and red bell pepper in olive oil until the onion becomes translucent and the pepper softens. Afterward, add in the minced garlic cloves and diced jalapeño pepper if using.
2. Add in the pound of ground turkey and increase the heat to medium; cook until the meat has browned.
3. Add the chicken stock, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and raw apple cider vinegar to the pot and stir to combine.
4. Stir in dark red kidney beans, chili powder, paprika, ground cayenne pepper, bittersweet baking chocolate, and light brown sugar.
5. Simmer the turkey chili over medium heat while stirring occasionally. Lastly, turn off the heat to allow the chili to rest on the stovetop before serving.
Slow Cooker Instructions
In a large skillet over medium-low heat, simmer the diced onion and red bell pepper in olive oil until the onions become translucent and the pepper softens. Then stir in the minced garlic cloves and jalapeno pepper.
Next, increase the heat to medium and add in the ground turkey; cook until browned. Afterward, transfer this to the crock pot. Add the dark red kidney beans, chili powder, paprika, ground cayenne pepper, bittersweet baking chocolate, and light brown sugar to the crock pot as well and stir to combine.
Cook on high for 2 to 4 hours or on low for 5 to 6 hours
How To Serve Turkey Chili
A bowl of this hearty chili is great as is served in a bread bowl or with a nice homemade bread:
– Classic Drop Biscuits
– Best Buttermilk Cornbread
– Easy Bannock Bread
– Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits
You can also set up a toppings bar! This ensures that everyone finishes their bowl of chili exactly the way they want.
You could include your favorite chili toppings such as sour cream, shredded cheese, green onions, corn chips, tortilla chips, or saltine crackers. You could even serve this chili up in delicious bread bowls!
Some also enjoy their portion served over spaghetti or a bed of rice. For game days, try pleasing the crowd by serving the chili as a sloppy joe on buns, smothering hot dogs or French fries, or over plates of nachos.
Turkey Chili Substitutions & Variations
- Kick Up The Heat – For chili that has a stronger kick of heat, you can sprinkle in additional chili powder, use smoked paprika in place of regular paprika, add a few splashes of tabasco sauce, or more diced jalapeno.
- Looser Chili – If you enjoy chili that’s looser, you can add in additional chicken stock.
- Dairy Free – For a dairy-free turkey chili, skip the cheese and sour cream.
- Meat Choice – Ground turkey can be replaced with ground beef, ground chicken, sausage, or a meat substitute.
- Light Brown Sugar – Granulated sugar can be used in place of light brown sugar if needed.
- Kidney Beans – Though this recipe calls for dark red kidney beans, feel free to use your choice of kidney beans. Both light or white kidney beans would work in this chili.
- Chicken Stock – An equal amount of chicken broth can be used instead.
Rebecca’s Tips
- Adjust this chili to fit your exact taste buds! The chili powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, light brown sugar, salt, and pepper are all ingredients you can adjust to tailor to your preferred flavor of chili.
- Often times you can thicken chili just by simmering it for longer. However, if that doesn’t work, stir in a slurry of 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of water to achieve a thicker chili consistency.
- Keep it dairy free by leaving off the cheese and sour cream.
- Since this chili yields 27 grams of protein per serving, it makes a great option for meal prepping it for the week!
How To Store Chili
Store leftover cooled chili in the refrigerator in airtight containers to enjoy for up to 3 to 4 days. Leftovers can also be stored in the freezer for up to 6 months.
To freeze, transfer the cooled chili into quart-sized Ziploc bags and squeeze the excess air out of them.
Try These Other Delicious Recipes
- Stuffed Acorn Squash – Filled with chopped apples, kale, ground turkey, and dried cranberries!
- Burger Bowls – A Keto-friendly recipe made with crisp veggies, and a 4-ingredient special sauce!
- The Best Taco Salad – Packed with seasoned meat, fresh ingredients, and crunchy tortilla strips!
- Slow Cooker Chili – Hearty chili made with Tabasco sauce and three different kinds of beans!
Did You Make This Recipe?
If you’ve tried this recipe, please let leave a review in the comments below. I love hearing from you! Don’t forget to tag me – @sugarandsoulco – on Instagram and Pinterest with your photos, or join our Sugar & Soul Show-offs Community and share them there.
This recipe was originally published in 2015 and was updated in April 2023 with fresh photos.
Healthy Turkey Chili Recipe
Ingredients
Chili
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 jalapeno pepper minced
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 14 ounces diced tomatoes
- 14 ounces tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons raw apple cider vinegar
- 14 ounces dark red kidney beans thoroughly rinsed
- 1½ tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 2 teaspoons ground cayenne pepper
- 1 ounce bittersweet baking chocolate or 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar packed
- salt to taste
- ground black pepper to taste
Optional Toppings
- sour cream
- cheddar cheese
- green onions
Instructions
- In a large pot, add the 1 tablespoon olive oil, diced 1 small yellow onion, and 1 red bell pepper and simmer on medium-low heat until the onions start becoming translucent and the pepper are soft.
- Add the 2 garlic cloves (minced) and 1 jalapeno pepper (if using) and cook, stirring frequently for 1 minute.
- Increase heat to medium and add 1 lb ground turkey and cook until browned.
- Add 1 cup chicken stock, 14 ounces diced tomatoes, 14 ounces tomato sauce, and 2 tablespoons raw apple cider vinegar and stir together.
- Add in 14 ounces dark red kidney beans, 1½ tablespoons chili powder, 1 tablespoon paprika, 2 teaspoons ground cayenne pepper, 1 ounce bittersweet baking chocolate, 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, and stir together.
- Simmer over medium heat for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Chili will be watery at first but will thicken up.
- Turn off heat after the 40 minutes has passed and let rest on the stove for another 10 minutes. Add salt and ground black pepper to taste.
- Serve with sour cream, cheddar cheese, and green onions and any other desired toppings.
Notes
- Keep it dairy free by leaving off the cheese and sour cream.
- Adapted from Weight Watcher’s Hearty Turkey Chili.
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Share your thoughts!
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Love this recipe! But is it really only 1 cup of chicken broth? Or a typo?
Thanks
Julie
Yes, just 1 cup!
Looks so pretty I plan to make this tonight! My fiancé and I love swapping sour cream with Greek yogurt to make it healthier 🙂
Thanks for the recipe!
Great idea! I hope you enjoyed it!
Love your blog and this chili looks amazing! Thanks for linking up with us at All Things Thursday!!
Thanks so much for having me, Sarah! I pretty much live off this chili, it’s so good!
Chocolate? that’s so cool! I love to learn new things! I am trying to watch my girlish figure these days so this is perfect. I’ve totally been in the mood for some good chili. Thanks!
I know, right! It’s so good and all good for you!
I LOVE turkey chili, matter of fact it’s the only way I make chili at all. AND chili is very versatile – you can eat it by itself, with crackers, with tortilla chips, anywhere! Thank you for sharing! #Turnituptuesday
Thanks so much for stopping by, I hope you get a chance to try this recipe out soon!
Congratulations on your weight loss! That chili looks fantastic, I can’t wait to try it 😀
Thank you, Amanda! It’s so good, I eat it five days a week. It’s possible that I might be addicted, but the pounds are falling off so I’m going to keep on scarfing it down!
This looks soooo good! I have rediscovered the deliciousness that is ground turkey.
There really is a lot you can do with it, this recipe should totally be at the top of your list!
What a wonderful recipe! I love that it’s healthy!
i always add cocoa or chocolate to my chili and you’re so right- it just brings the flavors together so beautifully. This looks amazing and congrats on your success with WW! What a tremendous accomplishment!
Thanks, Allie! Doesn’t it make all the difference, plus chocolate makes EVERYTHING better!