Go Back
+ servings
A bowl of turkey chili topped with sour cream, grated cheese, and green onions with corn bread muffins.
Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Turkey Chili With Black Beans Recipe

Turkey Chili with Black Beans can be made in a slow cooker, crockpot, or stovetop. An all-time family favorite with years of rave reviews!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time4 hours
Total Time4 hours 15 minutes
Course: Dinner & Main Dishes
Cuisine: American
Keyword: slow cooker turkey chili, turkey chili, turkey chili recipe, turkey chili with black beans
Servings: 10
Calories: 206kcal

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 2 cups diced yellow onions 2 medium onions
  • 3 lbs ground turkey
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne
  • 3 tablespoons chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 28 oz organic tomatoes undrained
  • 1 tomato paste
  • 1 small can green chilis low heat
  • 2 organic black beans drained
  • 12 ounces good lager beer

Toppings:

  • grated cheese - Mexican 4 cheese blend
  • sliced green onions
  • sour cream
  • tortilla chips

Instructions

  • In a regular slow cooker, simple add the butter and onions. If you have a slow-cooker with the saute setting or are using a large pot, saute diced onions in butter until just turning brown. This is not necessary, but adds great flavor
  • Next add all 7 spices (cayenne, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, crushed red pepper, black pepper, sea salt) to the onions, and stir for 2-3 minutes.
  • Add ground turkey, tomato paste, beer, tomatoes, green chiles, and black beans. Stir to combine.
  • Cook for 4 hours on low in Slow Cooker. Stir once an hour. Or cook on high for 2 hours, stir once an hour.
  • Stovetop: In a large pot, saute onions and 7 spices, brown ground turkey, add tomato paste, beer, tomatoes, green chilis, and black beans. Cover and cook 1 hour on medium-low heat.
  • Stir and serve in bowls with grated cheese, sour cream, green onions, and tortilla chips.

Video

Notes

ground turkey: Lean ground turkey is healthier than ground beef and gives a lighter flavor to the chili. You can swap in ground beef or ground chicken if you wish. You can also turn this into a vegetarian chili, just leave out the meat.

jalapenos: Can add a lot of heat..so go easy if you use a fresh jalapeño. I recommend finely diced canned jalapeños into very small pieces, taste them before adding. Watch the heat scale on the side of the can. Add just a tablespoon or so. You could also swap in chipotle peppers in adobo sauce for some smoky flavor. Another idea is to add ancho chili powder, but it can run really spicy so taste it first and add tiny small amounts. If the whole family doesn't like it spicy, you could just add some sweet orange bell pepper or red bell peppers.

butter: It is one of my top cooking secrets to building a winning flavor profile when sauteing onions, but you can swap in a tablespoon vegetable oil or olive oil in its place.

beer: Is optional, if you don't want beer in the chili, it will be just as delicious. But a pub-style lager beer adds something special and might just be my secret ingredient. You can leave it out or add an equal amount of chicken broth or stock.

black beans: Drain the beans, you don't have to rinse them but can if you wish. I prefer the size of black beans in this recipe, but you can substitute other types of canned beans like pinto beans, navy, or kidney beans.

 

freezing chili

Cool the chili down safely in the refrigerator and scoop into serving portions in freezer zip-top bags or containers. Defrost in the refrigerator or pop into a pan with some water and reheat on medium-low. 

serving ideas

Serve with toppings of grated cheese, green onions, sour cream, and tortilla chips. Other sides to serve with chili are Jalapeño Cornbread Muffins are simple to make with only 3 ingredients. The BEST Macaroni Salad with chopped eggs, pickles, and pickle juice in this old-fashioned recipe loved by all. Make a huge batch, it's always a hit! Or the VERY BEST Potato Salad with crispy bacon, blue cheese, crisp celery and green onions.

thicker chili

The best way is to remove the lid of the slow cooker or pot on the stove while on a heat source to reduce the liquid. Another way is to add a can of refried beans! It brings in more flavor and thickens your chili.
 
 

Nutrition

Serving: 10g | Calories: 206kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 70mg | Sodium: 404mg | Potassium: 632mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 924IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 45mg | Iron: 3mg