Whole 30 Turkey Chili with Sweet Potatoes is a clean, flavorful and easy meal to prepare! All you need is one pot and some basic whole food ingredients and you’re all set for an amazing healthy chili recipe!
Many years ago, I used to do a Whole30 every January and often one additional month throughout the year. While I haven’t done a Whole30 in a number of years, I find eating low-inflammatory whole foods is cleansing on the body and mind.
After the initial few days, I always felt clear-headed with much more energy. This whole30 turkey chili was one of the recipes I would put on repeat during a January Whole30.
Whether you’re doing a Whole30, a stint of Paleo, or simply enjoy a hearty wholesome meal, this paleo turkey chili is here to support you.
In addition to Indian or Thai curry, chili is one of those meals I can put on repeat and never get sick of it.
Let’s face it, dolling up chili with an array of toppings is often the best part. This way you end up with thick, hearty stew with added texture and nice cool creamy finishes from the toppings. Talk about a perfect bite!
For those of us who don’t tolerate beans well, bean-less chili is just as satisfying!
I make my chili recipes loaded with vegetables and quality meat (I use either grass-fed ground beef or organic ground turkey) and top it with a dollop of coconut milk yogurt and a hefty portion of avocado.
To me, there’s nothing more satisfying than a belly full of chili bliss.
If you aren’t paleo,
Why This Recipe Works:
This Whole30 Turkey Chili with Sweet Potatoes couldn’t be easier to prepare! It’s a delicious clean eating recipe in its finest form.
The majority of the ingredients are spices you already have on hand, and it wouldn’t shock me if you keep the fresh ingredients stocked in your household as well.
You’ll love how hearty the chili is and you won’t miss the beans from traditional chili! The sweet potato provides a nice sweet counterbalance to the acidity of the tomatoes and peppers, hitting all the major flavor bases.
Whether or not you’re doing a Whole30, this chili is an amazing staple to incorporate into your weeknight menu.
It is paleo-friendly, easy on the digestive system, and makes me feel so gloriously full without putting me in a food coma.
This easy weeknight chili can be made after work or you can use it as a meal prep recipe.
Let’s dive into the minimal ingredients list. You can find them at any grocery store!
Ingredients for Paleo Turkey Chili:
Ground Turkey: The key ingredient here, lean ground turkey brings lean protein to this paleo turkey chili recipe.
Fresh Vegetables: Yellow onions, garlic, sweet potato, carrots, pasilla pepper, and bell pepper. This combination of fresh vegetables adds sweet, smoky, bold flavors to the sweet potato chili.
Seasonings: Chili powder, ground cumin, paprika, dried oregano, and sea salt. The simple seasonings that make this paleo turkey chili recipe taste like a classic chili recipe.
Liquid: Chicken broth and diced tomatoes. All we need is some broth and diced tomatoes for the liquid portion of the recipe. You can add more or less broth depending on how thick you like your chili.
Looking to customize this healthy chili recipe? Here are some ideas.
Recipe Changes:
- For more tomato flavor, add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste.
- Use ground beef or bison in place of ground turkey.
- Make it low-FODMAP by omitting the onion and garlic and adding 1 Tbsp cider vinegar or dijon mustard.
- Replace the sweet potato with butternut squash, or omit altogether.
- For richer flavor, add 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder and/or ⅓ cup dry red wine
- If desired, add ¼ cup dry quinoa for thicker chili and more volume.
- Add more chicken broth for a soupier consistency.
- If you aren’t doing a Whole30 or you love beans, add 1 to 2 cans of black beans, kidney beans, or garbanzo beans.
- Replace the pasilla pepper with an Anaheim chili or another green bell pepper. This will result in a milder chili.
- Add more vegetables like zucchini or cauliflower rice.
- Mix in a can of green chilis if you love the flavor of green chilis.
- For spicy chili, add chipotle chili powder to your personal taste.
Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s make this delicious turkey chili!
Let’s get into it!
How to Make Whole30 Turkey Chili with Sweet Potatoes:
Heat avocado oil over medium heat in a large stock pot such as a Dutch oven on the stove top. Add the onion, sweet potato, and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes, until vegetables begin to soften.
Stir in the bell pepper, pasilla pepper, garlic, chili powder, paprika, ground cumin, and sea salt and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes.
Move the vegetables to one side of the stock pot and add the ground turkey to the stock pot.
Allow it to brown on one side 1 to 2 minutes before stirring it into the vegetables (there’s no need to cook the turkey through just yet).
Add the diced tomatoes and chicken broth and stir well. Cover and bring to a full boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and continue cooking for 20 minutes, until turkey is cooked through.
While you can simmer the chili longer, the sweet potato continues to soften the longer the chili cooks. Just be sure to cook the chili to your desired level of doneness so that the texture of the sweet potato is just right for your liking.
Taste chili for flavor and add sea salt to taste.
Serve chili with your favorite toppings like avocado slices, cilantro, and green onion and any other toppings you fancy! While sour cream isn’t whole30 or paleo friendly, feel free to add it on top if it’s in your wheelhouse.
If you love fried plantains, whip up a batch! My recipe is whole30 and paleo friendly because it uses avocado oil instead of canola oil.
Store leftover chili in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
Chili is even more flavorful the next day and the 2-3 days following preparation. For this reason, always feel free to make chili ahead of time.
Meal prep this recipe by dividing the chili into individual portions and storing in glass containers. I find this recipe makes 3 large servings, but it may stretch to 4 depending on your appetite.
Make a double batch of this paleo chili recipe if you’re meal prepping for weeknight dinners or workweek lunches.
Slow Cooker Instructions:
Interested in making Crock Pot Whole30 Chili?
The down, dirty, quick and easy way of preparing this recipe in a slow cooker is to add all the ingredients to your crock pot, give it a big stir, and cook on high for 4 to 6 hours or low for 6 to 8 hours.
For the best result, though, you’ll want to sauté the onion and sear the meat before adding it to the slow cooker.
To do so, heat olive oil over medium heat in a large stock pot. Stir in the onion and cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes, until it begins to soften.
Add the bell pepper, pasilla pepper, garlic, chili powder, paprika, ground cumin, and sea salt and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes.
Move the vegetables to one side of the stock pot and add the ground turkey to the stock pot. Allow it to brown on one side 1 to 2 minutes before stirring it into the vegetables (there’s no need to cook the turkey through just yet).
Transfer everything to the slow cooker along with the remaining ingredients (carrot, sweet potato, diced tomatoes and chicken broth).
Stir well to combine, then secure the lid on the crock pot. Cook on high for 6 to 8 hours or low for 6 to 8 hours.
Serve this bean-less chili recipe with your favorite toppings like chopped onion and dig in! If you have picky eaters in the house, just add cheddar cheese!
You can also make Instant Pot turkey chili if you prefer using your pressure cooker.
And that’s it! This delicious meal has tons of flavor, tons of veggies, and is the perfect chili for cold weather.
If you love chili and soup recipes, here are more to enjoy during the fall and winter months.
More Healthy Soup and Chili Recipes:
- Rustic Minestrone Soup with Rice and Kale
- Instant Pot Paleo Pumpkin Chili
- Crock Pot Citrus Pork Chili with Mango
- Crock Pot White Chicken Chili
- Hearty Ground Turkey Soup with Vegetables
- Curry Ground Turkey Cabbage Soup
- Nightshade-Free AIP Chili
Get your Whole30 Turkey Chili on!
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil, or olive oil
- 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 small sweet potato, chopped
- 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, cored and chopped
- 1 pasilla pepper, cored and chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp ground paprika
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp sea salt, to taste
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1.5 cups low-sodium chicken broth, or bone broth
For Serving:
- coconut milk yogurt
- 1 large ripe avocado, sliced
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 4 stalks green onion, chopped
Instructions
- Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large stock pot. Add the onion, sweet potato, and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes, until vegetables begin to soften. Stir in the bell pepper, pasilla pepper, garlic, chili powder, paprika, ground cumin, dried oregano and sea salt and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes.
- Move the vegetables to one side of the stock pot and add the ground turkey to the stock pot. Allow it to brown on one side 1 to 2 minutes before stirring it into the vegetables (there’s no need to cook the turkey through just yet).
- Add the diced tomatoes and chicken broth and stir well. Cover and bring to a full boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and continue cooking at least 20 minutes (the longer the more flavorful the chili becomes), until turkey is cooked through. Taste chili for flavor and add sea salt to taste.
- Serve chili with homemade coconut milk yogurt, sliced avocado, cilantro, and green onion and any other toppings you fancy!
Video
Nutrition
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I originally shared this recipe on January 29, 2020. I updated the information, added a video, and added new photos. The recipe itself remains the same as the original version.