This is the best ground turkey chili recipe! It's got two types of beans - cannellini and kidney, as well as onions, garlic, and lots of spices. This is one of my favorite cozy weeknight meals in fall and winter.
It's a wonderfully flavorful and healthy chili recipe that's sure to be a family favorite. Simmering and developing its flavor takes some time but doesn't require much hands-on time.
Emily's Notes on Turkey Chili
I love making chili for dinner - it's a top 5 winter dinner for me. The richness of flavors and warmth can't be beat on a cold day!
I make a lot of ground turkey recipes, because it's lower in saturated fat than beef and often cheaper. It's easy to cook with and will brown up nicely - you won't even really notice the difference in this chili!
When I make this recipe for my toddler, I omit the cayenne and reduce the chili powder. When it's just for adults, I make it as is, as we enjoy a little heat in our chili.
Turkey Chili Ingredients
- Turkey - You'll need 1 pound of ground turkey for this recipe. We used lean ground turkey, but you can use whatever kind you'd like.
- Aromatics - You'll need one small yellow onion and three cloves of garlic.
- Beans - You'll need 1 (14-ounce) can of red kidney beans and 1 (14-ounce) can of cannellini beans.
- Tomato Sauce - You'll need 1 (14-ounce) can of tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes.
- Stock - You'll need 2 cups of chicken broth or stock. You can substitute vegetable stock or vegetable broth as well. Here's a list of substitutions for chicken broth if you need other ideas.
- Oil - You'll need one tablespoon of neutral oil (like canola). You can substitute this for olive oil or avocado oil as well.
- Spices - You'll need three teaspoons of kosher salt, 1 ½ teaspoons of cumin, one teaspoon of dried oregano, one teaspoon of chili powder, and ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
Instructions
- Step 1: Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Once it's hot, add the diced onion and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Step 2: Add the minced garlic and allow it to cook for 30 seconds. Then add half the salt, the cumin, oregano, chili powder, and cayenne. Stir and sauté for 1 minute.
- Step 3: Add the ground turkey to the pot and break it up. Allow it to cook for 5 minutes or until browned.
- Step 4: Add the remaining ingredients - chicken stock, kidney beans, cannellini beans, and tomato sauce to the pot. Increase the heat and bring it to a low boil.
- Step 5: Cover, reduce to medium heat, and allow to simmer for 30 minutes. Then, remove the lid and stir. Allow the chili to simmer for another 20 minutes until reduced.
- Step 6: Serve with your favorite toppings!
Favorite Toppings
You don't need toppings, but they are the spice of life! Here are a few ways I like to dress this chili up.
- Diced avocado or avocado sauce
- Sliced jalapeno peppers
- Shredded cheddar cheese or Monterey jack
- Tortilla chips or strips
- Sliced green onions
- A dollop of sour cream
- Chopped fresh cilantro
Substitution Ideas
One of the best things about chili is the ingredient options and customizations are endless - make this chili your own! Here are some frequent swaps I make:
- Beans - instead of using cannellini beans, you can use pinto beans or black beans.
- Vegetables - add one or two chopped red or orange bell peppers to the chili or some canned or frozen corn.
- Stock - Instead of chicken stock, you can use bone broth or vegetable stock.
If you try this healthy turkey chili recipe, let me know! Connect on Instagram and share your photos, or leave me a rating below.
Ground Turkey Chili with Beans
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3 teaspoons kosher salt divided
- 1 ½ teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon cayenne
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 14 ounces (1 can) kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 14 ounces (1 can) cannellini beans drained and rinsed
- 14 ounces (1 can) tomato sauce
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Once it's hot, add the diced onion and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the minced garlic and allow it to cook for 30 seconds. Then add half the salt, cumin, oregano, chili powder, and cayenne. Stir and sauté for 1 minute.
- Add the ground turkey to the pot and break it up with the back of a spoon. Allow it to cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until browned.
- Add the chicken stock, kidney beans, cannellini beans, tomato sauce, and remaining salt to the pot. Increase the heat and bring it to a low boil.
- Cover and allow to simmer for 30 minutes. Then, remove the lid and stir. Allow the chili to simmer for another 20 minutes until reduced.
- Serve with your favorite toppings.
Linda says
This recipe is so delicious. Second time making it.
Emily says
I'm so glad you like it! It's one of my favorites too!
Kammy says
Does this recipe freeze well?
Emily says
Yes, it does freeze well! In fact, I have some in the freezer now 🙂
Liz says
Looks tasty, I’m making this now! When does the rest of the salt come into play? I only see step 2 mentioning half the salt.
EW says
Hello! Recipe card is updated - thanks for letting me know about that. It goes in with the stock and other ingredients before simmering.
Jessica says
The recipe is good but a 28oz can of tomato sauce made it too tomato flavor. I had to double the amount of cumin and chilli powder to make it taste more like chili. Half of a 28oz can would be better. Honestly even just using regular tomatoes. I usually use two tomatoes when making chili which taste better than tomato sauce in my opinion. Overall good recipe.
Mary says
@Jessica, turkey chili doesn't even need tomato sauce to be good. Try it without it, using the other ingredients, and some great northern canned beans, and see for yourself. My mother never put tomato sauce in hers, and it was always delicious!
Tammy says
This was a really tasty (and healthy) chili. Made exactly as written and didn't change a thing. So nice. Thank you.
EW says
So glad you liked it!