- This turkey chili recipe will satisfy
all of your cold weather cravings
for warmth and nourishment in one big pot.
You guys know I'm a fan of one pot meals
and you really can't go wrong with chili
in the wintertime for an easy dinner
or to meal prep for the week.
That's why I already have recipes
for a classic beef chili,
a white chicken chili, and a vegetarian chili.
But today I thought I would add
to my chili recipe repertoire
with this turkey chili recipe
that is a simple combination of ground turkey,
hearty vegetables and beans,
and the perfect kick of warming spices.
All of those flavors simmer and melt together on the stove
for a healthy one pot meal that I know you're gonna love.
So let me show you how to make it.
To get started, you'll dice up one onion
and thankfully I remembered to put this onion
in the freezer for 15 minutes before chopping today.
So hooray, there are no tears.
I just wish I remembered to do this all of the time.
Now, if you've made my other chili recipes
this one should be a cinch for you
as they're all quite similar.
Well at least my classic beef chili,
vegetarian chili, and this turkey chili.
And there's just slight tweaks
to the ingredients and spices.
But at the end of the day,
what you're doing with chili
is creating layers of flavor
and it all starts with an onion,
bell pepper, and garlic base.
So once you're done chopping up that onion,
add it to a bowl and set it aside.
For the bell pepper,
you could really use any color you'd like here.
I like to use red as it contrasts with
the green jalapeno pepper that's also in this recipe.
And pro tip, when you're cutting the bell peppers,
slice the top and bottom off,
then run your knife around the inside to remove the seeds.
You can then easily slice the bell pepper
by slicing down on the inside of the bell pepper
rather than the outside skin.
The outside is just a bit harder to slice through.
This is something I learned way later than I should have
so please don't judge me by my early videos.
And once that's all diced up,
you can then dice up the remaining
top and bottom pieces around the stem.
You don't waste any of the bell pepper
if you chop it up this way
and then add it to your bowl on top of the onions.
(gentle music)
Next up is a jalapeno pepper
and while a jalapeno isn't in my classic beef chili,
I decided to add it to this turkey chili recipe
because ground turkey has a softer,
more muted flavor than ground beef.
So I thought the jalapeno was a nice
little extra kick of flavor.
And because it's sauteed,
it's not overly hot, just flavorful.
So once you've sliced it in half
and removed the seeds with a spoon,
dice it up and then add it to your veggie prep bowl.
You can't have a chili recipe without garlic
or at least I don't think you can.
So give three large garlic cloves a bash
with a side of your knife to help remove the skins.
If you don't like bashing the garlic,
you can just slice the top
and bottom off the garlic
and then peel the skins off after doing that.
But once they're peeled,
take them along with your prepped veggies over to the stove.
All right, moving on to the beans.
You'll need two 15 ounce cans
of red kidney beans for this recipe.
If you prefer another type of bean,
like black beans or pinto beans,
feel free to swap those in.
And then give them a good rinse.
You always want to rinse beans
as they sit in a can of salty water
and you don't want all that extra salt in the recipe
or else your chili will taste a bit funky.
Not to mention it also helps to get rid of
any residual metallic flavor.
So don't dump the cans of beans
straight into the pot of chili.
Always make sure to rinse them first.
And now that all of the prep work is done,
let's make this turkey chili.
Add two tablespoons of olive oil to a pot
over medium high heat.
Dump in your veggie prep bowl
with the onion, bell pepper and jalapeno pepper
and saute these for about four to five minutes
or until the veggies have softened
and the onion becomes translucent.
This is the base layer of flavor
in this classic one pot recipe.
And from here we'll just keep adding more to it.
And that includes the garlic.
So mince your three garlic cloves straight into the pot
and then stir that for another 30 seconds or so
until the garlic is lightly sauteed.
Add one and a half pounds of ground turkey
and use your spatula or spoon
to break it into smaller pieces
until it's cooked through.
And it's really easy to tell when turkey is fully cooked,
as it turns white.
So just keep stirring it around
and breaking it up into smaller pieces until it's all white.
(gentle music)
Next you'll add two tablespoons of tomato paste,
two tablespoons of chili powder,
one tablespoon of ground cumin,
two teaspoons of paprika or smoked paprika,
it's up to you,
one teaspoon of dried oregano
and one teaspoon of kosher salt.
Stir all of that together to toast the spices
and make sure the ground turkey is fully coated
in all of that spicy goodness.
Now you'll add the liquidy ingredients
which includes one 28 ounce can of diced tomatoes.
And I'm using fire roasted tomatoes
because it adds heaps more flavor
with no extra work which is always lovely.
Dump in your drained kidney beans
and then add two cups of chicken broth.
I like a really thick chili,
but if you'd like a thinner, more liquidy chili,
feel free to add another cup of broth.
Stir that up, increase the heat to high,
and bring the pot to a boil.
Then reduce the heat back down to medium low
and let it simmer uncovered for 30 minutes
making sure to stir it occasionally.
Chili is one of those recipes
that make your entire house smell amazing
with those fragrant spices wafting everywhere.
And during the wintertime it sends a signal
directly to your stomach
that hearty goodness is on the way.
Turkey chili is leaner than beef chili,
but it's definitely not lacking in substance or complexity.
And by the way,
don't feel like you have to choose a favorite
between all of my chili recipes.
I sure don't.
I just rotate them around and share the love equally.
Now I'll serve up my bowl here in a second
and talk to you about toppings,
but before I do,
I'm going to meal prep and store the other portions.
Chili is arguably the undisputed king of meal prep
as you've got a complete meal
in one easily reheatable container
and it will last for up to three months in the freezer.
In all honesty, it will last for even longer than that,
though I always like to give the recommendation
of three months for the best flavor on reheating.
So I'll pop two portions in the freezer
for a night when I don't feel like cooking
and put one other portion in the fridge for later this week.
But now that my stomach is grumbling
and more than ready to enjoy a portion right this minute,
I'll go ahead and scoop the remaining
turkey chili into a bowl.
You can of course enjoy the chili plain,
but I think half the fun with chili is adding toppings.
You can always add a dollop or two of sour cream
or a sprinkle of cheese, some diced avocado,
more sliced or diced jalapeno if you like it extra spicy,
and a sprinkle of cilantro
or sliced green onions for the final pop of green.
If you enjoy today's video,
make sure to give it a thumbs up
as that helps to support my channel.
Share it with your chili loving family and friends
and let me know in the comments below
if there's another variation of chili
you'd like to see me make next.
(upbeat music)