It's officially cozy food season, and my unofficial way to celebrate the "ber" months is by making this hearty slow cooker turkey chili recipe. I've been testing chili in my slow cooker for a while, and this one takes the win. Hearty, healthy, and irresistibly delicious.
Slow cooker recipes like my pot roast sliders or my beef and bean chili can be made time and time again, and I promise you won't ever get sick of it.
TL; DR Chili Recipe Summary
- 👩🏼🍳 Cook Level: Beginner/Easy
- ⏱️ Cook Time: Between 1-2 hours
- 😋 Taste: Sweet, savory, umami, creamy.
- 🍽️ Best Served With: I love this chili over some oven roasted delicata and acorn squash or over a bed of rice. You can also make this chili to pair with herby crusted garlic bread or with a light salad of shaved Brussels sprouts.
Jump to:
Trusted Chili Tips and Reminders
- Finding the right combination of seasoning - Paprika, chili powder, and cumin are my go to for chili.
- Cooking "low and slow" - cooking on a low setting allows the ingredients to get to a simmering point at a slower pace rather than quickly cooking. This actually allows for the meat the get tender too.
- Adding too much liquid - This will cause the chili to get runny and thin. If you like a thinner, soupier chili, go for it. Otherwise, stick to the 15oz of tomato sauce and just ½ cup of stock. That's all the liquid you need!
- Choosing the right beans - beans like kidney, black, or my personal favorite, cannellini beans are great because they have added nutritional value, and can give the chili a thicker, creamier texture and mouthfeel.
Key Ingredient List
- Ground Turkey - Ground turkey is such a great swap for protein in a chili if you are someone who is trying to cut down on red meat. I actually love using a combination of white and dark meat ground turkey from my local butcher. It gives the entire dish such incredible flavor.
- Red Kidney Beans - kidney beans bring a lot of flavor and color to the chili, plus kidney beans give more protein to the dish (WebMD, resource).
- Cannellini Beans (or white kidney beans) cannellini beans bring a lot of richness to the dish, so these are must.
- Sweet Potato - adding sweet potato to this chili gave it a creamier texture, a sweeter flavor, and I simply love biting into a soft chunk of sweet potato in each bite. It's truly so yummy.
- Tomato Sauce - the base liquid of this dish. We don't use any stock, broth, or water, so tomato sauce helps it cook and become nice and thick.
- Chicken Stock - while not included in the ingredient picture above, just ½ cup is enough liquid to help the chili cook and simmer.
- Seasonings: We want this dish to be flavorful, so we include cumin, paprika, chili powder, salt and pepper.
Be sure to check out the recipe card at the end of this post for more information about quantities, measurements, and specific cooking instructions.
Turkey Chili Swaps and Substitutions
- Beans: you can opt in any beans you'd like here. Garbanzo, black beans, even some lentils will work too.
- Vegetarian: completely omit the ground turkey and add in the veggies you love to make it hearty. I love potatoes, zucchini, or garbanzo (chickpea) beans.
- Vegan: need a meatless option? use plant-based meats and add to the recipe following the steps provided.
- Spices: if you love chili, but don't really love the spice, leave out the chili powder and it will still be just as yummy.
How to make turkey chili in slow cooker
Step 1: In a large frying pan, add the ground turkey and begin to brown on a medium flame. Cook until the meat is 90% of the way cooked, as it will continue to cook as it is in the slow cooker. Season the meat with a little paprika, chili powder, and garlic powder.
Step 2: In the slow cooker, pour in the ground turkey and layer in the other ingredients: kidney beans, sweet potato, and cannellini beans.
Step 3: Pour in the can of tomato sauce, then add in another layer of seasonings (paprika, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, salt and pepper).
Step 4: Add in the chicken stock then stir. Close the lid to the slow cooker and cook on a low setting for up to 5 hours. Stir occasionally.
Slow Cooker Turkey Chili FAQs
This turkey chili recipe is perfectly fine added to the freezer for another day. This recipe doesn't call for any ingredients that would compromise flavor and texture, so feel free to add any leftovers to a freezer-proof container and store for up to 2 months. For thawing: place in the fridge overnight.
Add the leftovers to an air-tight container and place in the fridge for up to one week. This is a great option for lunch throughout the week, or pairing with other menu items for the week to make sure none goes to waste.
No worries if you don't have (or would prefer not to use) a slow cooker or crockpot. I always have my trusty Staub cocotte (or dutch oven) on hand for this purpose. A dutch oven allows you to literally do everything in one pot, including browning the ground turkey. I always have one on my stove!
Check out these other yummy easy, cozy recipes:
Did you love this recipe? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you're just as in love with this recipe as I am, please share a comment below and rate it! Better yet, share this recipe with family and friends!! Thank you!
Slow Cooker Turkey Chili Recipe
Equipment
- slow cooker
- frying pan
- wooden spoon
- ladle
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 15 oz tomato sauce 1 15oz can
- ½ can cannellini beans
- ½ can red kidney beans
- 1 medium sweet potato peeled then diced into small cubes
- ¼ cup chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- In a large frying pan, add the ground turkey and begin to brown on a medium flame.
- Cook until the meat is 90% of the way cooked, as it will continue to cook as it is in the slow cooker.
- Season the meat with a little paprika, chili powder, and garlic powder.
- In the slow cooker, pour in the ground turkey and layer in the other ingredients: kidney beans, sweet potato, and cannellini beans.
- Pour in the can of tomato sauce, then add in another layer of seasonings (paprika, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, salt and pepper).
- Close the lid to the slow cooker and cook on a low setting for up to 5 hours. Stir occasionally.
Tabatha Whyte says
This was just such an easy and yummy chili recipe that I have made it three times since Halloween. I love that it's turkey, and it has so much flavor!!
Maryann says
Best chili I ever made! When I was putting in the spices by the tbsp as the recipe said, I thought it might be way too much but it was so perfect! Highly recommend!
Morgan Peaceman says
Yay! This makes me so happy. Chili is one of those recipes where we go generous on the seasonings as it cooks low and the slow, the flavors all marry together! Thank you again for sharing your thoughts!