Warm up this winter with a savory bowl of this ridiculously delicious (and healthy) chili that will have your kids asking for more.
This turkey chili is made with traditional ingredients like beans, chili powder, and cumin, but then it's topped off with fresh lime and cilantro. The combination of flavors is truly amazing.
I make this for our family and for company. It's always a hit!
For more Tex-Mex recipes, try my Best Homemade Guacamole, Healthy Beans and Rice Casserole, Healthy Chicken Enchilada Bake, and my Easy and Delicious Mango Avocado Toast recipes.
About this recipe
Cozy up with this delicious and healthy chili. It's the perfect meal to make around the holidays, too, because you can use leftover turkey... you know, like the turkey roasted on Thanksgiving. Yum!
- This healthy turkey chili is made from scratch, using cooked turkey, beans, onions, garlic, broth, spices, cilantro, and lime.
- Black beans can be substituted with more Great Northern Beans.
- Chopped tomatoes and, or avocado can be added at the end for more color, nutrition, and texture.
- Leftovers can easily be reheated and placed in a thermos for your kids to pack for lunch.
Ingredient notes
- Cooked turkey Lean protein. Can use cooked ground turkey or leftover roasted turkey (like from Thanksgiving).
- Beans Good source of protein and fiber. Black beans also provide folate, magnesium, and antioxidants.
- Broth Added for flavor.
- Cilantro Added for flavor.
- Lime Added for flavor.
- Onion Added for texture and flavor.
- Spices Added for flavor.
- Tomato - optional. Tomatoes are high in many nutrients, most notably lycopene.
- Avocado - optional. Avocados are full of fiber and monounsaturated fats. They also provide vitamins and minerals.
step-by-step instructions
Here's a quick overview of the steps to make this easy turkey chili. For the full list of ingredients and instructions, scroll down to the recipe.
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, sauté onion over medium heat until tender.
- Add chili powder, cumin and garlic. Stir to combine. Then, add oregano and beans. Stir to combine.
- Add broth and bring to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes.
- Place two cups of bean mixture in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth (see picture down below). Return bean mixture to pan. Stir to combine.
- Add cooked ground turkey (or chopped cooked turkey) and cook until heated through.
- Add chopped cilantro, lime juice, salt, and pepper. Stir well.
- Top with fresh avocado and/or tomato pieces (optional). Enjoy!
serving suggestion
Serve this delicious chili with a piece of hearty bread and a side salad. Or, make a batch of my homemade guacamole and serve it with this chili and tortilla chips. It's so good!
Notes and tips
- Do not add the turkey before the recipe calls for it. Blending the turkey with the bean mixture (in the blender) will result in a very grainy consistency that your kids will not like.
- Pieces of leftover roasted turkey (think Thanksgiving leftovers!) can be used in place of ground turkey.
- If you don't have turkey, cooked ground or roasted chicken can be used instead.
- Be sure to use a blender that is made to blend hot foods (check the manufacturers instructions). My Vitamix works well for this recipe.
questions you may have
Can this be made without meat? Yes, you can easily turn this into a vegetarian, vegan chili. Simply use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth and a meat substitute (like Beyond Meat) in place of turkey.
Or you can leave the 'meat' out altogether, as you will still get protein from the beans. It's as easy as that! So great!
Can I stick my emersion blender into the pot instead of removing some of the bean mixture first? I do not suggest doing this. I tried it myself and was not pleased with the texture.
Turkey Chili
Equipment
- Blender or food processor. Large pot or dutch oven.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
- 2 onions Yellow onion, diced (about two cups).
- 4 tsp chili powder
- 3 cloves of garlic minced (about one tablespoon)
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp oregano
- 2 15oz can black beans rinsed and drained
- 1 15oz can Great Northern beans white kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 4 cups low sodium chicken stock or broth to make this vegan, use vegetable stock
- 1 pound lean ground turkey Cooked. Or about 3 cups cooked turkey, chopped. (To make this vegan, use a meat substitute or leave the meat out)
- ⅓ cup cilantro chopped
- 1 lime juiced (2 tablespoons)
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper freshly ground
- 1 avocado sliced and cut into pieces (optional for topping)
- 1 tomato cut into pieces (optional for topping)
Instructions
- Heat oil in large pot over medium or medium-high heat*
- Add onion and sauté until tender.
- Add chili powder, garlic, and cumin. Saute for another 2 minutes.
- Add oregano and beans. Stir into mixture.
- Add broth and bring to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes.
- Using a measuring cup or ladle, place two cups of bean mixture in a blender or food processor.* Blend until smooth.
- Return bean mixture to pan.
- Add cooked ground turkey (or chopped cooked turkey) and cook until heated through. About 5 minutes.
- Add chopped cilantro, lime juice, salt, and pepper.
- Stir well. Top with fresh avocado and/or tomato pieces (optional). Enjoy!
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