The Best Easy & Healthy Ground Turkey Chili Recipe

This Healthy Ground Turkey Chili recipe is easy, spicy and comforting. It makes a clean-eating, one-pot meal that is naturally gluten-free, low in fat and packed with protein. Learn how to make the best homemade turkey chili on the stovetop with this quick and simple recipe!

UPDATE: This post was originally published in November 2018 and has been updated and improved to reflect new information and helpful content.

Ground Turkey Chili: An Easy Stovetop Meal

You are going to love this Healthy Ground Turkey Chili recipe, because it not only tastes amazing, but is made entirely with low-fat, nutritious ingredients! Instead of beef, which is traditionally used in classic chili con carne, this recipe uses lean ground turkey. This chili recipe is also packed with a variety of vegetables, which add a ton of vitamins and nutrients to the dish.

This recipe is great for entertaining (it is ideal for tailgating or a football party) or meal prepping at the start of the week. You could also freeze a batch into smaller portions for quick dinners during extra-busy weeknights.

How to Make Healthy Turkey Chili

As always, the full instructions are listed in the recipe below. But here are a few notes about each of the steps we will take to make this ground turkey chili recipe:

1. Make the flavor base: Sauté the onion, jalapeno, bell pepper and garlic in a hot, oiled pot until softened and fragrant.
2. Cook the meat and spices: Add the ground turkey to the pot. Once the turkey is cooked through, stir in the chili powder, cumin and oregano.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients: Stir in your broth, kidney beans, pinto beans, corn, crushed tomatoes and tomato paste. Let everything simmer for 20-ish minutes.
4. Taste, garnish and serve: Taste the chili and season with salt and pepper as desired. Ladle the chili into bowls, top with garnishes (if you want) and serve.

That’s it! This is truly a healthy dinner recipe that is absolutely packed with flavor.

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Possible Chili Recipe Variations

There are endless ways to customize this turkey chili recipe to your liking, so please have fun and get creative! For example, feel free to…

• Make it spicier/milder: If you would like your chili to have more of a spicy kick, feel free to add in an extra jalapeño pepper or some cayenne. If you would like it to be milder, just omit the jalapeño altogether. If you’re serving this chili to a varied group of eaters, I recommend keeping it on the milder side. Then you can always offer hot sauce if people would like to spice up their individual bowls.
• Add extra veggies: If you would like to add in some additional vegetables, there are so many options. Anything from carrots to celery, mushrooms, zucchini, kale or sweet potatoes would be delicious. Keep in mind that if you add in more vegetables, you may need to also add in some extra broth/seasonings to compensate.
• Stir in cocoa powder: For a subtle yet rich undertone, try adding a few teaspoons of cocoa powder to your chili. I promise it won’t make the whole batch taste like chocolate, it simply rounds out all the flavors nicely.
• Make it smoky: If you would like to add some smoky flavor to your chili, you can add in one or two chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.

For this Turkey Chili recipe, I Recommend:

Here are a few kitchen tools I suggest using to ensure this recipe comes out perfect every single time:

1. Ultra Chef Express Food Chopper – This is the one I have and it is one of my most-used kitchen tools. I use mine all the time to quickly chop up vegetables. I especially love using it to dice onions, because it saves me from all the tears!
2. Lodge 6-Quart Dutch Oven – This one is super affordable and the quality is excellent. I love using it to make soups, stews and of course, chili!
3. Prep Naturals Glass Meal Prep Containers – These are perfect for meal prepping and storing leftovers. I love that they are freezable, microwavable and oven-safe.

More Healthy Dinner Recipes

Looking for more clean-eating dinner inspiration? Here are a some of my favorite recipes on the blog:

• Chicken Broccoli Quinoa
• Coconut Chickpea Curry
• Asian Spicy Noodle Soup
• White Chicken Chili
• Shrimp Zucchini Noodles

If you make this Healthy Ground Turkey Chili recipe, let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating ★ below, because I love hearing from you! ♡

The Best Healthy Ground Turkey Chili

Alia | Everyday Easy Eats

This Healthy Ground Turkey Chili recipe is so easy to make. Learn how to make the best homemade turkey chili with this stovetop recipe!

5 from 8 votes

Print Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Course Main

Cuisine Tex-Mex

Servings 6 servings

Calories 386 calories

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, stemmed and chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 (15-ounce) can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup corn (fresh, frozen or canned)
• 1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Optional toppings: Tortilla chips, chopped fresh cilantro and avocado

Instructions

 

• Heat the oil in a large pot set over medium heat. Add the onion, jalapeno and bell pepper. Cook for about 4 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute further until fragrant.
• Add the ground turkey to the pan and cook, stirring constantly to break up meat, for about 5 minutes or until cooked through.
• Stir in the chili powder, cumin and oregano.
• Add the broth, kidney beans, pinto beans, corn, crushed tomatoes and tomato paste.
• Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm, garnished with optional toppings if using.

Notes

1. The chili can be served on its own or with cornbread, tortilla chips or rice.
2. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to five days or in the freezer for up to three months.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

The Best Healthy Ground Turkey Chili

Amount per Serving

Calories

386

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

6

g

9

%

Saturated Fat

 

1

g

6

%

Cholesterol

 

42

mg

14

%

Sodium

 

602

mg

26

%

Potassium

 

1348

mg

39

%

Carbohydrates

 

54

g

18

%

Fiber

 

16

g

67

%

Sugar

 

9

g

10

%

Protein

 

34

g

68

%

Vitamin A

 

2404

IU

48

%

Vitamin C

 

42

mg

51

%

Calcium

 

109

mg

11

%

Iron

 

7

mg

39

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Keyword Ground Turkey Chili, The Best Turkey Chili, Turkey Chili

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