This Ground Turkey Chipotle Chili has a little bit of heat and a little bit of smokiness. In about 45 minutes, you can have a fabulous dinner ready that your family will love.
When I sampled this ground turkey chili recipe, I thought I would have to fix my daughter something else for dinner. However, she said she wanted to try it, and I knew this recipe was a keeper when she asked for seconds.
We like to top our chili with red onion and shredded cheese. However, this easy turkey chili is loaded with flavor, and the extra toppings are unnecessary!
If you are looking for more ground meat recipes, you might try some tacos made with ground turkey and topped with pineapple salsa or maybe a bell pepper casserole. Bell Pepper Casserole can be prepared with either ground turkey or ground beef.
Table of contents
Ingredients needed
I have made this recipe with Chipotle Chili Powder and Chipotle Peppers with Adobo Sauce. Both versions are delicious, but I prefer to use the Chipotle Peppers with Adobo Sauce.
Try some red onion, green onion, and shredded cheese for additional toppings. This chili is delicious and served with a slice of French bread and a small dinner salad.
How to prepare this recipe
For this recipe, you can either use ground beef or ground turkey. If you use ground turkey, you will want to add olive oil to the pan.
Step 1 - Heat a large pan over medium to medium-high heat. Drizzle in about one tablespoon of olive oil if you use ground turkey. Add the meat, chopped onion, and chopped green bell pepper.
Stir and crumble the meat until it has browned. At this point, you can drain off any excess grease if necessary.
Step 2 - Add the red pepper flakes, garlic, salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, and chipotle pepper with the adobo sauce.
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Step 3 - Stir the ground turkey chili to mix in the spices and let them warm up for a moment or two.
Step 4 - Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and a bit of sugar. Turn down the heat and let the Chipotle Chili simmer.
You can simmer the ground turkey chili for 10 minutes or over an hour. It is up to you. Just keep an eye on the pot and stir it now and then.
Step 5 - Finally, add some black beans to the Chipotle Chili. Heat for a few minutes until the beans are warm.
Step 6 - Shred some cheese, chop some red onion and - or green onion, and slice some french bread if you like. No doubt this ground turkey chili will fill you up. Yum!
This Ground Turkey Chipotle Chili is simple to prepare, and because of the little bit of heat and a touch of smokiness, it is guaranteed to warm you up on a cold day.
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Recipe Faq's
I haven't found it necessary to thicken this chili. If you want to you can add a little bit of cornstarch to some water and make a slurry, then blend it into the chili and cook until thickened.
Absolutely. I add black beans since that is what my family prefers. You can also use kidney beans, your favorite beans, or leave them out entirely!
Honestly, I prefer using ground turkey. This recipe is full of so much flavor you won't miss the beef. However, use which ever ground meat you and your family prefer.
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Printable Recipe
Ground Turkey Chipotle Chili
Ingredients
To make the chili
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 pound Ground Turkey or ground beef
- 1 Onion chopped
- 1 Green Bell Pepper chopped
- ¼ teaspoon of Red Pepper flakes
- 1 Chipotle Pepper with about 1 teaspoon of adobo sauce or 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- 2 tablespoons Chili Powder
- ½ teaspoon Cumin
- 2 teaspoons Garlic chopped
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Pepper
- 15 ounces Diced Tomatoes canned
- 28 ounces Tomato Sauce canned
- 2 teaspoons Sugar
- 15 ounces Black Beans or beans of your choice
Optional toppings
- Cheese optional
- Red Onion optional
- Green Onions optional
Instructions
- Heat a large pan over medium heat.
- If using ground turkey, drizzle the pan with olive oil.
- Add the ground meat, onion, and green bell pepper. Cook and stir until the meat is completely cooked.
- Drain off any excess grease if necessary.
- Add the red pepper flakes, Chipotle Powder, or Chipotle pepper with adobo sauce, cumin, chili powder, garlic, salt, and pepper. Stir and cook a minute or two to bring out all the flavor in the spices.
- Next, add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and sugar. Stir well. Reduce the temperature and simmer for a while. The sauce will thicken up as it cooks.
- Add the beans if you are using them and heat through.
- Serve with your favorite toppings.
John
Great way to get ride of some of those turkey leftovers. Added a slight bit more heat than specified in the recipe but still tasty.