Our Best Homemade Turkey Chili
- PREP 15min
- COOK 40min
- TOTAL 55min
This healthy turkey chili is a win-win. It makes it to the table in less than an hour and tastes fantastic. Ground turkey is browned for flavor and then simmered with savory mushrooms, onion, and ancho chili powder. The chili is excellent immediately but gets even better over the next few days.
You Will Need
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
8 ounces crimini or baby bella mushrooms, finely chopped (15 to 20 medium mushrooms)
1 pound ground turkey, 7% to 10% fat
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 ½ tablespoons ancho chili powder or this homemade chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional
1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes
3/4 cup water or chicken broth
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed or 1 ½ cups cooked black beans
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
Pinch cayenne pepper, optional for heat
Directions
Heat the oil in a large, deep pot over medium heat. Add the onions and mushrooms, and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are tender and some edges brown, about 7 minutes.
Add the ground turkey and season generously with salt and pepper. Cook, breaking up the meat into crumbles until most of it has browned, about 10 minutes.
Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and the cinnamon. Cook until the garlic and spices begin to toast, about 2 minutes.
Meanwhile, open the can of tomatoes, pour them into a bowl, and use kitchen shears or your hand to break them apart into smaller pieces — the size is up to you; we like leaving some chunky bits.
Add the tomatoes with all the juice, water (or broth), and the rinsed beans to the pot. Stir, then bring to a simmer. Taste the chili, then add salt, pepper, and chili powder to your taste. If you enjoy spicy chili, consider adding a pinch or two of cayenne pepper.
Reduce to a low simmer and cook until the liquid has reduced and chili has thickened; about 20 minutes.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Ancho chili powder is dried, ground ancho peppers, while generic “chili powder” is usually a blend of ground chilies and other spices. Ancho chili powder is on the milder, sweet side. It’s incredibly rich in flavor and works beautifully in this chili, dusted onto meats or tossed with vegetables and roasted. There are a variety of options for buying. For this recipe, we used ancho chili powder from McCormick. Feel free to substitute other chili powders in this recipe. If you switch things up a bit, add the chili powder slowly and taste how spicy it makes the chili. Amounts might vary.
- Spicy chili: Add hot sauce, 1/4 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or 1 to 2 tablespoons chipotle in adobo puree to taste.
- Optional toppings: Avocado, sour cream, shredded cheese, tortilla chips, sliced green onion
- Nutrition Facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA database to calculate approximate values.
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