RESET360 with Camille McLaughlin
October Pick: Crockpot Meals

Turkey Chili with Peppers

Browned ground turkey slow-cooked with red bell peppers, poblanos, jalapeños, tomatoes, and warm chili spices, topped with avocado and sour cream.

Why you'll love Turkey Chili with Peppers

This is the chili for the first cold Saturday of October, the one you start in the morning and ladle out after the game. Ground turkey simmers for hours with three kinds of peppers, crushed tomatoes, and a spice blend of chili powder, cumin, sweet paprika, oregano, and a spoonful of cocoa, until it turns thick, deep red, and rich. Cool avocado, sour cream, scallions, and lime go on top.

Most of the flavor is built before the slow cooker lid goes on. The turkey browns in two batches in a hot skillet, because a crowded pan steams the meat gray while a roomy one browns it, and browned meat is what gives chili its savory depth. The onion, garlic, spices, and tomato paste then cook together in the turkey's fat for a minute, which wakes up the spices' aromatic oils and caramelizes the paste; raw spice stirred straight into a slow cooker tastes dusty. A cup of broth lifts every browned bit off the skillet and into the chili.

The peppers do the work of filling the bowl. Sweet red bell peppers melt into the sauce, poblanos bring a gentle, earthy heat, and jalapeños bring a brighter one. It makes six generous bowls and freezes well, so one Saturday covers a few weeknight dinners.

Quick overview: This Turkey Chili with Peppers takes 25 min of hands-on time and about 6 hr 25 min in all and makes 6 servings, each about 1 1/2 cups with toppings. You'll need a slow cooker and a skillet.

Jump to recipe

Turkey chili topped with avocado, sour cream and scallions
Prep 25 minCook 6 hrTotal 6 hr 25 minServes 6Serving about 1 1/2 cups with toppingsYou'll need Slow cooker, Skillet

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp avocado oil, divided
  • 2 lb ground turkey (thigh meat or a mix of thigh and breast if you can find it)
  • 1 1/2 tsp fine sea salt, divided
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 tbsp chili powder
  • 1 tbsp ground cumin
  • 1 tbsp sweet paprika
  • 2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne, or to taste
  • 2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder Label: cocoa, and nothing else
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste Label: tomatoes, and salt if any
  • 1 cup chicken broth Label: chicken, water, vegetables, herbs, and salt, with no sugar, natural flavors, or oil
  • 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes Label: tomatoes, and salt if any
  • 2 red bell peppers, diced
  • 2 poblano peppers, seeded and diced
  • 2 jalapeños, seeded and minced
  • 1 tbsp fresh lime juice, plus lime wedges to serve
  • 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
  • 2 ripe avocados, diced, to serve
  • 1/2 cup sour cream, to serve Label: cream and cultures
  • 3 scallions, thinly sliced, to serve

Instructions

  1. Brown the turkey: Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add half the turkey and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, press it into a flat layer, and leave it for 3 to 4 minutes, until the underside is well browned. Break it up and cook for about 4 minutes more, until no pink remains and it reads 165°F. Transfer it to the slow cooker and repeat with the rest of the turkey and another 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Two batches keep the skillet hot enough to brown the meat, and cooking it through first means the slow cooker starts with fully cooked turkey.
  2. Bloom the spices: Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and the onion to the skillet and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, until soft. Add the garlic for 1 minute, then add the chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, cayenne, cocoa, and tomato paste and stir for 1 minute, until the paste darkens and the spices smell toasty. Spices release their flavor into hot fat, and the paste caramelizes, deepening the color of the chili.
  3. Lift the browned bits: Pour the broth into the skillet and scrape up everything stuck to the bottom, then pour it all into the slow cooker. Those browned bits are concentrated flavor.
  4. Load the slow cooker: Add the crushed tomatoes, bell peppers, poblanos, jalapeños, and the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt to the slow cooker and stir well.
  5. Cook: Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours, until the peppers are very tender and the chili is thick. If it is thinner than you like at the end, cook it uncovered on high for 30 minutes.
  6. Finish: Stir in the lime juice and cilantro and taste for salt. A little acid at the end brightens flavors that mellow over a long cook.
  7. Serve: Ladle the chili into bowls and top with avocado, sour cream, and scallions, with lime wedges on the side.

Storage and leftovers

Cool the chili within 2 hours, dividing it into shallow containers so it chills quickly, and refrigerate it for up to 4 days. Reheat it on the stove or in the microwave until it is steaming hot all the way through, 165°F, and add fresh toppings.

Freeze the chili, without toppings, for up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.

Variations

  • Ground beef or bison: Use ground beef or ground bison in place of the turkey and cook it to 160°F when you brown it.
  • Ancho chile: Toast 2 dried ancho chiles in a dry skillet for 30 seconds a side, soak them in the hot broth for 15 minutes, and blend them together before adding for a deeper, fruitier chili.
  • Zucchini: Stir in 2 diced zucchini for the last hour of cooking for more vegetables.
  • More heat: Leave the seeds in one jalapeño, or add a minced serrano with the peppers.
  • Over cauliflower rice: Serve the chili over riced cauliflower sautéed in a little oil, or spooned into roasted bell pepper halves.

Notes and tips

  • Choose thigh meat: Ground turkey with some thigh meat in it stays moist and tender over a long cook.
  • Read the chili powder label: Choose a chili powder that lists ground chiles and spices, with salt if any.
  • Fill the cooker right: A slow cooker works best half to two thirds full. A 6-quart cooker is the right size for this recipe.
  • Keep the lid on: Every time the lid comes off, the cooker loses heat and the chili needs longer to cook. Stir only at the end.

Nutrition and mindful eating

  • Ground turkey is the protein here, with zinc, selenium, and B vitamins, and browning it first gives the chili its savory depth.
  • Red bell peppers are among the richest sources of vitamin C in the produce aisle, and the poblanos and jalapeños bring capsaicin, the compound behind their heat.
  • Tomatoes cooked with fat release more of their lycopene, the red plant compound your body absorbs best from cooked tomatoes.
  • Avocado and sour cream are the real fats on top, cooling the heat and helping the bowl stay with you.
  • As you eat, notice the slow warmth of the chiles building with each bite, and check in through the evening: a bowl of protein, peppers, and fat should hold you a comfortable 4 hours or more.

Frequently asked questions

Have a question about this Turkey Chili with Peppers? Start here, with the questions people ask most.

Does chili need beans?

Chili began in Texas as meat and chiles, and plenty of cooks still make it that way. RESET360 leaves out beans because they are legumes, so three kinds of peppers give this chili its body.

Can I put the turkey in raw?

Brown it first. Browning builds the flavor, and starting the slow cooker with fully cooked meat keeps the turkey out of the temperature range where bacteria grow while the cooker slowly heats up.

Can I make it on the stove?

Yes. Brown the turkey and bloom the spices in a Dutch oven, add everything else, and simmer it partly covered over low heat for 1 hour, stirring now and then.

How spicy is it?

Medium. Seeded jalapeños and poblanos bring a gentle heat. Leave out the cayenne for a milder pot, or add a serrano for more.

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Tags: October Pick, Crockpot Meals, Tex-Mex