Turkey chili with kidney beans (Print Version)
Lean turkey, kidney beans, corn, and peppers meld with spices to create a warm and filling dish.
# What You'll Need:
→ Meats
01 - 1 lb lean ground turkey
→ Vegetables
02 - 1 medium yellow onion, diced
03 - 1 red bell pepper, diced
04 - 1 green bell pepper, diced
05 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
06 - 1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes with juices
07 - 1 cup corn kernels (fresh, frozen, or canned, drained)
→ Beans
08 - 1 can (15 oz) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
09 - 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed (optional)
→ Liquids
10 - 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
→ Spices & Seasonings
11 - 2 tbsp chili powder
12 - 1 tsp ground cumin
13 - 1 tsp smoked paprika
14 - ½ tsp dried oregano
15 - ½ tsp salt, or to taste
16 - ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
17 - ¼ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
→ Garnishes (optional)
18 - Chopped cilantro
19 - Sliced green onions
20 - Shredded cheese
21 - Sour cream
# How-To Steps:
01 - Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add ground turkey and cook, breaking up with a spatula, until browned and fully cooked, about 5 to 6 minutes. Drain excess fat if needed.
02 - Add diced onion, red and green bell peppers, and minced garlic to the pot. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes until vegetables soften.
03 - Stir in chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, salt, black pepper, and optional cayenne pepper. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
04 - Add diced tomatoes with juices, kidney beans, optional black beans, corn, and chicken broth. Stir thoroughly to combine.
05 - Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to blend flavors.
06 - Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Serve hot with optional garnishes such as cilantro, green onions, shredded cheese, or sour cream.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- It comes together in under an hour, which means you can have dinner on the table before the evening gets away from you.
- Ground turkey keeps it lighter than traditional beef chili, but the spice blend makes it taste just as satisfying and deeply flavored.
- This is the kind of dish that tastes even better the next day, so you're actually building yourself tomorrow's lunch while you cook.
02 -
- Draining your canned beans properly matters more than you'd think—that starchy liquid can make your chili taste tinny and watery if you don't rinse them under cold water.
- If you're craving a thicker chili, simmer it uncovered for those last ten minutes and watch it transform into something almost stewlike, with the flavors concentrated and deepened.
03 -
- Brown your turkey until it's actually caramelized and not just cooked through—those browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot are liquid gold for flavor.
- Taste and adjust your seasoning at the very end rather than guessing at the beginning, because flavors concentrate as the chili simmers and what seemed right at the start might be too much by the end.