This Smoky Chipotle Turkey Chili is loaded with delicious savory flavor, and easy enough to make on a weeknight.
I make chili on a somewhat regular basis, but it took me a very long time to come up with a chili recipe that I was happy to make on a regular basis, and call my chili recipe.
I wanted the recipe to be all or mostly ground turkey as opposed to ground beef. I wanted it to be loaded with lots of flavor, but not be too spicy. And I wanted it to be easy enough to make on a weeknight without having to start it at lunchtime.
Friends, I am happy to report that I finally have that recipe. This Smoky Chipotle Turkey Chili ticks all the boxes, and doesn't come with a miles-long ingredient list some some chili recipes do. There is minimal prep, and not a lot of hands-on cooking time. And while you do have to simmer it for a while, it doesn't take hours like some chilis. I hope you enjoy it as much as my family does.
How to Make Smoky Chipotle Turkey Chili
Making this chili starts with some minimal prep. All you have to do is mince a couple of onions. If you're really in a rush to get started, feel free to use frozen minced onion, which is a huge time-saver that I sometimes turn to (does anyone actually like chopping onions? I know I sure don't.)
Cook those onions in a little oil until they're soft, then add the ground turkey. Cook the turkey until it's no longer pink (it will be a very unappetizing pale grey at this point), then stir in the tomato paste, garlic, minced chipotle, and spices. Keep cooking this mixture until any excess moisture from the turkey has cooked off.
Stir in the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken broth, and beans and bring to a boil. Reduce the temperature and simmer, uncovered until the chili reduces a little and thickens. Garnish with cheddar cheese or any other toppings of your choice and serve with cornbread or tortilla chips.
Smoky Chipotle Turkey Chili Ingredients
- Canola oil - or use another neutral-flavored cooking oil.
- Yellow onions
- Ground turkey - see below for substitution ideas.
- Tomato paste - pro-tip: spread any leftover tomato paste from the can into a silicone freezer tray, and use those cubes in future recipes (it helps if you know the portion of each cube).
- Garlic
- Minced chipotle in adobo - find this in small jars or cans in the Latin American aisle of a well-stocked grocery store.
- Chili powder
- Cumin
- Smoked paprika - while this was once uncommon, it is pretty widely available now and you should be able to find it in the spice aisle of any well-stocked grocery store.
- MSG-salt or kosher salt - I prefer using MSG-salt in this recipe to enhance the savory flavors in the chili, but using kosher salt works too.
- Chipotle pepper powder - Find this in the spice aisle or Latin American aisle of a well-stocked grocery store. See below for substitution ideas.
- Canned diced tomatoes - no need to drain the tomatoes - just dump the whole can in. Use a no-salt-added version if you need to cut back on sodium.
- Chicken broth - I used regular, but you can also use a reduced or low-sodium version if you're looking to cut back on sodium.
- Canned tomato sauce
- Canned white kidney beans - see below for substitution ideas.
- Canned red kidney beans - see below for substitution ideas.
- Shredded cheddar cheese - this is optional, for serving only.
Smoky Chipotle Turkey Chili Substitutions
- If you prefer beef, feel free to substitute ground beef for the ground turkey. You can also use ground chicken, or a combination of any.
- If you happen to have a different variety of canned beans on hand, feel free to switch the beans up. When I made the chili for these photos, I used red kidney beans and pinto beans. Black beans work well too, or a can of mixed beans. I don't think you can really go too wrong with any canned beans.
- If you don't have any chipotle powder on hand, you have a couple of options. You can substitute cayenne (I recommend reducing the amount to ¼ teaspoon or less if you don't want it too spicy). Or you can add extra minced chipotle in adobo (up to another Tablespoon).
- Feel free to use no-salt-added, reduced-sodium or low-sodium versions of the diced tomatoes, chicken broth, and canned beans if you need to cut back on sodium.
Want more ground turkey recipes?
Smoky Chipotle Turkey Chili Nutrition Notes
The nutrition information in the recipe below is for a fairly large bowl of chili (⅛th of the recipe). If your portion is larger or smaller than this, the nutrition information will vary accordingly.
To reduce the sodium content of your chili, you can use reduced-sodium chicken broth, low-sodium canned beans and/or diced tomatoes, and/or reduce the amount of salt you add to the chili by half.
This chili is gluten-free and dairy-free as written.
Smoky Chipotle Turkey Chili
Equipment
- Dutch Oven or large saucepan
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons canola oil or another neutral-flavored cooking oil
- 2 medium yellow onions minced
- 2 pounds ground turkey
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 2 Tablespoons minced chipotle in adobo
- 1 Tablespoon chili powder
- 1 Tablespoon cumin
- 1 Tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 Tablespoon MSG-salt or kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon chipotle pepper powder
- 28 ounce canned diced tomatoes
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 24 ounce canned tomato sauce
- 19 ounce canned white kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 19 ounce canned red kidney beans drained and rinsed
- shredded cheddar cheese optional, to serve
Instructions
- Heat 2 Tablespoons (30 ml) canola oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the minced onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Increase the heat to medium-high and add 2 pounds (907 g) ground turkey breaking up any large pieces with your spoon. Cook until the turkey has lost its pink color, stirring often, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in 2 Tablespoons (30 ml) tomato paste, the minced garlic, 2 Tablespoons (30 ml) minced chipotle in adobo, 1 Tablespoon chili powder, 1 Tablespoon cumin, 1 Tablespoon smoked paprika, 1 Tablespoon MSG-salt, and ½ teaspoon chipotle pepper powder. Continue cooking, stirring often, until any excess moisture has been cooked off, about 10 minutes.
- Add 28 ounce (796 ml) canned diced tomatoes, 3 cups chicken broth, 24 ounce (680 ml) canned tomato sauce, and the drained, rinsed kidney beans. Increase the heat to high to bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer. Continue to simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally until the chili has reduced slightly and is thickened, about 30 minutes. Serve topped with shredded cheddar cheese, if desired.
Nutrition
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