Easy Turkey Chili Recipe: 4 Tips for Making Turkey Chili

Turkey chili is a hearty dish made with ground turkey simmered in a thick tomato sauce with aromatic vegetables, kidney beans, and spices. Lean ground turkey, which is full of flavor but low in fat, is a great option for anyone who wants to enjoy this comfort food staple while avoiding red meat. Serve hot turkey chili with a toppings bar of grated cheese, sour cream, and sliced green onions. A side of cornbread or tortilla chips rounds out the meal. Use leftover chili to make chili dogs, or chili fries, or chili-topped baked potatoes.

Home cooks of all experience levels can pull off this fuss-free recipe. Here are a few tips to get you started:

1. 1. Try a slow cooker. You can make this recipe on the stovetop, but for hands-off dinner prep, use a slow cooker. Sauté the ground turkey, onion, and garlic, then add the mixture and the rest of the chili ingredients to a slow cooker. Cook over low heat for four to six hours.
2. 2. Use leftover turkey. While this recipe calls for ground turkey, you can also use leftover cooked turkey meat. Simply shred or chop up the meat and mix it into the chili after sautéeing the onion and garlic.
3. 3. Play around with ingredients. Use this simple chili recipe as a jumping-off point to create your new favorite chili recipe. Add hearty veggies like sweet potato, red bell pepper, zucchini, and corn for healthy turkey chili. Increase the heat with spicy ingredients like jalapeño peppers, hot sauce, cayenne pepper, canned green chilies, or dried chipotle chilis. Incorporate different types of beans, like black beans and pinto beans. Or use this recipe as a blueprint for beef chili and chicken chili by swapping in ground beef or ground chicken.
4. 4. Make ahead and freeze. You can prepare this chili in advance and safely store it in the freezer for up to four months. Allow the chili to cool to room temperature before transferring it to an airtight, freezer-proof container. Reheat the chili over medium heat in a large pot with half a cup of hot water.