Crock Pot Turkey Chili with Black Beans is picture perfect comfort food at its finest. Big on flavor, high in protein, and a good source of complex carbohydrate, this easy to prepare meal is just as nourishing as it is delicious.
With so many chili recipes out there, nailing down a favorite is a moving target.
During the years that I had gut issues, I went bean-free and sometimes nightshade-free with my chili. In fact, I sometimes still do this.
Sometimes I’m feeling my Instant Pot Pumpkin Chili or my Pumpkin Chicken Chili, whereas other times I’m feeling some Crock Pot White Chicken Chili, or my Best Steak Chili Recipe.
Well, I can safely say this Crock Pot Turkey Chili with Black Beans is a remarkable meal, worthy of putting on repeat.
It uses simple ingredients, with a couple you ordinarily wouldn’t think to use that level up the experience.
All in all, this chili recipe is gluten-free, high in protein, a good source of complex carbohydrates, low in fat, and macro-friendly.
Ideal for active folks who pay attention to their macros or just anyone who enjoys a hearty meal.
Ingredients for Turkey Chili:
Onion, garlic, turkey, crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, cacao powder, chili powder, pure maple syrup, bell pepper, carrots, and black beans.
The ingredients you may be less familiar with in chili are the cacao powder and the pure maple syrup. The cacao powder adds richness to the chili (it doesn’t taste like chocolate, don’t worry), and the pure maple syrup adds a very subtle sweetness to offset the acidity from the tomatoes.
I find a generous amount of chili powder to be more than adequate for flavoring the soup. Some folks like to add additional herbs and spices, which is delicious as well.
For the purpose of keeping the ingredient list reasonably short, and for the sake of simplicity, we’ll do just fine with chili powder!
Chili powder is a blend of ground cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, and dried oregano, and sometimes cayenne pepper. If you prefer making your own blend based on the portion of each you enjoy, feel free to do so, or whip up this Homemade Chili Powder recipe from Spend With Pennies.
Recipe Adaptations:
There are plenty of ways you can change up this recipe to make it your own. Here are some ideas:
- Use a combination of ground beef and ground turkey instead of all turkey.
- Add a couple tablespoons of flour to make the broth thicker.
- Omit the cacao powder, or use regular unsweetened cocoa powder.
- Leave out the pure maple syrup or swap it for molasses or cane sugar.
- For the spice fanatics, add 1 to 2 serranos or jalapenos (keeping the seeds, not discarding them), or you can add 1 (7-oz) can of spicy Ortega chilis, or 1 to 3 tablespoons of your favorite hot sauce.
If you’re sensitive to nightshades (peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, etc.), follow my Nightshade-Free AIP Chili Recipe. It gets rave reviews, even from folks who aren’t nightshade-free!
How to Make Crock Pot Turkey Chili:
Add the crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, pure maple syrup, cacao powder, chili powder, sea salt, bell pepper, carrots, and black beans to your crock pot and stir it well.
Heat the avocado oil in a large skillet or thick-bottomed pot and add the onion. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to turn golden-brown, about 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and sauté another 2 minutes.
Scoot the onions off to the side to make room for the meat and add in the meat. Allow it to brown for 2 to 3 minutes before flipping and browning another 2 to 3 minutes on the other side. Use a spatula to break up the meat into smaller chunks.
Transfer the sautéed onion and meat mixture and stir well until incorporated.
Secure the lid on the crock pot and set it on High for 4 to 6 hours or Low for 7 to 10 hours.
Serve the chili with your choice of toppings, and enjoy!
I go with Greek yogurt, avocado, red onion and green onion. Sometimes I add chopped bacon and grated cheese and I always do a nice shower of hot sauce.
As is customary, you can always serve it up with my Gluten-Free Cornbread!
That’s it! I hope you love this ground turkey chili recipe as much as we do!
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp avocado oil
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 lbs ground turkey*
- 1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 Tbsp pure maple syrup
- 2 Tbsp cacao powder
- 3 Tbsp chili powder
- ½ tsp sea salt, to taste**
- 1 large green bell pepper, diced
- 2 large carrots, chopped
- 2 15-oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed
Instructions
- Add the crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, pure maple syrup, cacao powder, chili powder, sea salt, bell pepper, carrots, and black beans to your crock pot and stir it well.
- Heat the avocado oil in a large skillet or thick-bottomed pot and add the onion. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to turn golden-brown, about 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and sauté another 2 minutes.
- Scoot the onions off to the side to make room for the meat and add in the meat. Allow it to brown for 2 to 3 minutes before flipping and browning another 2 to 3 minutes on the other side. Use a spatula to break up the meat into smaller chunks.
- Transfer the sautéed onion and meat mixture and stir well until incorporated.
- Secure the lid on the crock pot and set it on High for 4 to 6 hours or Low for 7 to 10 hours.
- Serve the chili with your choice of toppings, and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
