This quick and easy loaded turkey chili recipe is a filling and healthful meal – perfect for sharing with your friends and family during the cold fall and winter months!
Topping chili is a fine art, do you agree?
The forethought and execution of said endeavor may be the most important thing you do all day. When it comes to pimping out your chili, the more pieces of flair, the better.
The flavors and textures you add to the top are just as crucial to the final outcome as what goes in the actual chili.
I love the bacon-cheddar-sour cream trifecta…and with red onion and green onion… thereโs just no other comparable flavor combination.
Avocado? Major bonus.
If I may be so bold, I’d say a three-topping minimum is a must, but if you can get to that five topping mark?
You’ve achieved a true level of badassedness, and deserve a mega gold star emoji.
If I had to choose one meal to eat for the rest of my days, it would be liver and onions. Just kidding, I just wanted to see if you were awake. It would be chili, guilty as charged.
I know, I know, I posted that Crock Pot Boozy Bison and Sweet Potato Chili a couple weeks ago, but the way I see it, thereโs no such thing as too much chili, and revisiting the subject can never come to early.
The manacle and I have made this chili three times over the last month (in fact, it was dinner last night!). It’s been the go-to whenever we’re
a.) lazy and just want to toss together a straight-forward one pot meal
b.) hangry and in need of something cozy and guaranteed to fill, and/or
c.) we’re mid blizzard and don’t feel like going to the store but have a pantry stocked with what we need.
There’s really just nothing that can beat a well-constructed chili!
Truthfully, I always go back for seconds…and then thirds…and then I scold myself in a state of over-stuffed glee for that third bowl.
But it’s such a satisfactory hurts-so-good type of situation that I just can’t bring myself to finally learn the lesson.
Another lesson I should pony up and learn is to double the recipe for a larger volume of leftovers.
Both of us eat large portions, and it’s always sad to see the bottom of the stock pot.
If you have a big family, and/or are as big of a fan of leftovers as I, do consider the recipe doubleage.
New to me this year: fresh tomatoes in chili.
I used to only do diced, but mid chili assemblage a few weeks ago, I discovered two ripe tomatoes in my fridge that needed to get used up, so in the chili they went.
And while I pride myself in not being too opinionated, I now feel very strongly about fresh tomatoes in chili. Simply put, they add freshness and also beautiful texture.
I could talk your ears off for days about how profoundly I recommend fresh tomatoes.
This basic recipe may just be the only turkey recipe youโll ever need.
Itโs a great foundation for the classic meal, but you can also tweak it to your heartโs delight.
Use any bean combo, turn it into a beef chili, add a splash of beer or bourbon, some cocoa powder for richness, an extra chili for heat, etc.
In terms of chili thickness (<- important subject alert): I go back and forth when it comes to the consistency I go back and forth on my preference depending on the day.
Sometimes I want my chili to be thin and zesty, where sometimes there’s not enough thickness in the world to satisfy my thick craving, you know?
For those of you who love a thin chili, be sure to add more broth to the recipe.
If you prefer your chili thick, you can cook it down longer to achieve that thickness, or even add a little bit of flour (the roux situation has its place in chili for sure!).
The chili thickens (and becomes more flavorful) the longer it sits, so if you can, make the recipe one day ahead of time and allow it to marinate in the refrigerator before consumption.
One final thought before I let you go get on with your loaded turkey chili-filled weekend: If you’re going to be partaking in any sort of Super Bowl activities slash general football gathering apparatus in the near future, this recipes marvelous for sharing. Just be sure to bring a minimum of three toppings. Winky face.
Load ‘er up!!
Loaded Turkey Chili
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 1 jalapeno seeded and finely chopped
- 1 large carrot peeled and chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- 2 vine-ripened tomatoes seeded and diced
- 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes (no salt added recommended), undrained
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 14-ounce can black beans, drained
- 1 14-ounce can kidney beans, drained
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil over medium-high in a large stock pot or Dutch oven. Add the chopped onion and saute, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 to 8 minutes.ย
- Add the bell pepper, jalapeno, and carrot. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables have softened but are still al dente, about 5 to 8 minutes.
- Push the vegetables off to one side of the pot to clear a space for the ground turkey. Place the ground turkey on the hot surface and allow it to brown untouched for 2 minutes. Use a spatula to flip the meat and allow it to brown on the other side for 1 minute. Break up the meat into large chunks and stir it into the vegetables. Don't allow the turkey to cook through just yet.
- Add the garlic and all of the seasonings (chili powder through red pepper flakes). Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until very fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Add the chopped tomatoes, diced tomatoes, chicken broth and beans. Bring the chili to a full boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook at a gentle boil for 20 to 30 minutes. Remove the cover and cook at a gentle boil for 10 minutes uncovered (if necessary, increase the heat).
- Taste chili for flavor and add sea salt and/or additional chili powder to taste. Serve heaping bowls of chili with cooked bacon (thick-cut recommended), cheddar cheese, sour cream, avocado, red onion and green onion.
Notes
- chopped red onion
- chopped green onion
- bacon
- avocado
- sour cream
- cheddar cheese
I’ve made this recipe and love it. I would like to put it in the crock pot. Would you recommend any changes such as
browning the ground turkey? Any other suggestions?
Thank you,
Tonya
You got it! I’m so glad you like it!
I am so infatuated with this formula!! It searches ideal for the icy climate that is traveling our direction!
Thank you for share!
Colorful, tasty and healthy. Love it! ๐
I have been sitting in my jammies playing catch-up on weeks worth of unread email, and with no plans to leave the comfort of my recliner and fluffy throw. So what happens? I find your email with a recipe that made my brain light up with anticipation!
Getting dressed now to go to the store for ground turkey and a couple tomatoes – pretty much the only items on the list I do not have already!
I am an unabashed chili fan, and even living in Florida does not make me immune to dank, chilly and miserable weather in January, so I am making this today!
Side benefit 1 – it will make the house smell wonderful, I can tell based on the ingredients! ๐
Side benefit 2 – it will make reheatable lunches for the work week and make all my co-workers with their cold sandwiches jealous bwahahaha ๐
OK, I just inhal… er ate my first bowl of the chili, using all the toppings recommended except the sour cream – cow dairy allergy – so I used Daiya cheddar shreds along with the red onion, avocado and bacon – yummy!!! I may try a dollop of goat yogurt next time, but the blend of flavors is so good it really doesn’t need it. Lunches are going to be a pleasure this week! I just throw the toppings into a small container and add them after I nuke the chili. Thank you! So healthy and yet so decadently good!!!
Yaaaas! I’m so happy to hear you like the chili, Sylvia! It’s definitely one of my all-time favorite meals…I even eat it in the hot summer months, that’s how much I love it! ๐ And definitely worth the time and effort to get dressed to go to the store ๐ Thanks a million for your kind words and feedback! xo
I am so in love with this recipe!! It looks perfect for the cold weather that is heading our way!
Maaaaaaaw thanks, m’dear! xo
Fantastic!! LOVE the recipe – it’s miserable and cold here so this is PERFECT!!!!