Name: Ground Turkey Chili
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 3 ribs celery (diced); 1 medium sweet onion (diced); ¼ cup water; 1 pound ground turkey; 2 teaspoons cumin; 1 teaspoon paprika; 1 teaspoon chili powder; 1 tablespoon oregano; 1 teaspoon salt (I start with a teaspoon and taste, adding more if necessary); 1 teaspoon ground pepper (I start with a teaspoon and taste, adding more if necessary); 29 ounces canned diced tomatoes (29 ounces is two 14.5 ounce cans or about 4 cups of diced tomatoes with juices); 2 cups chicken broth (low sodium); 46.5 ounces kidney beans canned but drained ( 46.5 ounces equals 3 15.5 ounce cans, or about 5 1/2 cups of canned kidney beans); 1 whole bay leaf (dried); 2 tablespoons parsley (optional)

This super easy kid-friendly chili with ground turkey is an easy staple weeknight meal that cooks in 30 minutes. This chili is hearty, packed full of tomato, beans, and veggies in every spoonful. Mild enough for picky eater, this chili is so cozy and delicious!

Looking over a of a bowl of turkey chili topped with cheese and sour cream.

Quick for any night of the week! This easy turkey chili recipe is lean and delicious, especially for a cold night.

Table of Contents

Why We Love Ground Turkey Chili Recipe

This award-winning turkey chili recipe that has won several family cookoffs, is kid-friendly and is definitely a family favorite dinner recipe. The leftovers can also be reinvented into so many different meals with just a few simple additions, and the recipe is also very freezer and meal-prep friendly.

I think I’ve made this recipe at least five billion times, and it’s very adaptable to what you happen to have on hand. This recipe is filling, and also great for lunchboxes the next day. Simply heat up a thermos and fill it full of warm chili. Perfect for cold days when you just want to warm up a bit. If you have chicken on hand, try the slow cooker creamy white chicken chili too which has a cream base instead of tomato.

Ingredients For Ground Turkey Chili

Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements and directions below in the recipe card.

celery diced
sweet onion diced
water
ground turkey
cumin
paprika
chili powder
oregano
salt I start with a teaspoon and taste, adding more if necessary
ground pepper taste and add more at the end if necessary
diced tomatoes diced tomatoes with juices
chicken broth I prefer low sodium
kidney beans canned but drained I also prefer to rinse the beans well
bay leaf dried, make sure to remove this before enjoying the chili
parsley optional

How To Make The BEST Turkey Chili

Dice sweet onion and celery into bite sized pieces small enough to fit on a spoon.
Heat up a large pot on medium-high heat Add a little pan spray or olive oil, then add the celery and onion. Sautee for 1-3 minutes. Add water and cook another 2-3 minutes until vegetables are soft.

A cooking pot with chopped onions and celery being stirred and cooked with a wooden spoon.

Place the ground turkey into the pan and break up the turkey with a wooden spatula. Add cumin, paprika, chili powder, oregano, salt and pepper. Continue sauteeing the ground turkey for 5-7 minutes or until the turkey is cooked through all the way and has no pink.
Add the canned tomatoes, broth, drained kidney beans and bay leaf to the pot. Turn the temperature on the stove up to high and bring the pot to a rolling boil. Once the entire surface of the chili is bubbling, cover the pot with a lid and turn down the heat to medium to simmer

A measuring cup pouring chicken broth into a pot of turkey chili.

Allow the pot to simmer covered for 20-30 minutes. Remove the bay leaf before serving. Add fresh parsley and your favorite toppings, then enjoy!

A hand holding a ladle filled with turkey chili being scooped from a pot.

What Toppings Should I Add To Turkey Chili?

We’ve served all of these combinations on top of our chili at home! Feel free to add your favorite toppings too.

Shredded cheese- cheddar is great, or monetary jack is a favorite too!
Diced avocado or a scoop of guacamole
Sour cream
Diced green onions
Fresh parsley

What To Serve With Ground Turkey Chili

Cornbread Muffins– this is my family’s favorite side, or make a whole pan of tender and fluffy buttermilk cornbread.

Crispy Baked Potato or Sweet Potatoes- We often do this when we have chili leftovers, and we’ll add the chili right on top. You can also put the chili on top of potato wedges.

Taco Salad– Pour a ladle full over hearty salad greens, then add your favorite taco toppings like corn, cheese or cilantro with some crushed up tortilla chips. We often have this on night two of chili.

Try With Pasta – This makes it more Cinnicanti style, and is a great hearty dish.

Tortilla or Corn Chips– perfect for dipping, or sometimes I’ll use the little bits at the bottom of the bag for a great crunchy garnish. Leftovers are also pretty tasty over nachos.

My Chili Is Too Spicy For Me, Can I Fix It?

My favorite trick when any homemade chili or soup is too spicy is to throw in a small potato or two and let it cook until soft. You can chop the potato up into a few large pieces or simply toss in a whole potato.

Not only does this make the chili less spicy fast, but you also then have a delicious potato to have as a side or the next day that isn’t spicy either. The potato always seems to soak up just enough of the heat.

How Do I Make This Turkey Chili Spicier?

Throw in a pinch of red pepper flakes into your bowl of ground turkey chili for an extra kick without making the whole pot spicy.

My kid is a picky eater and my husband has a bit of acid reflux, so my bowl is always a bit spicier then I make for them.

Side view of a big scoop of kid-friendly chili with turkey and beans over a pot.

Why Is Turkey Chili Bland Sometimes Compared To Other Chili?

Turkey meat is leaner without much fat when compared to beef or pork. You need the flavors of the herbs to bring out more flavor than if your chili is made from ground beef or ground pork.

The important thing when making a turkey chili is to include enough herbs and spices. I know when you’re thinking about making a kid-friendly chili, many people go easy on the spices. The trick though is to use more of spices like oregano, paprika, cumin or even parsley. You want to add more of the spices that have a lot of flavor, but aren’t too spicy for the kids.

Taste the chili at the end of cooking, and don’t be afraid to add a little more spices to your batch a little at a time for your own taste.

Can I Put Vinegar In Homemade Turkey Chili?

Yes, you can put a tablespoon of vinegar in chili to give it a zing. I prefer balsamic and I recommend only adding a teaspoon or two at a time in the end.

Add a little at a time and taste as you go to make sure it is enough. Sometimes I’ll add a squeeze of lime juice at the end to give it a little more zing.

Close up overhead of a bowl of mild chili full of turkey, tomatoes and beans.

Can I Make Turkey Chili Without Beans?

Sure, but if you are leaving out the beans on this recipe I would add something in its place like doubling the ground turkey and more onion and celery.

I would also start with only one cup of the chicken broth to make sure it wasn’t too liquidy and add more as needed to get the right consistency.

Recipe Substitution Ideas For Turkey Chili

Precooked And Leftover Meat Shortcuts

You can also use leftover pieces of turkey, like from Thanksgiving or rotisserie chicken. If the meat is already cooked, you can skip browning it in the pan.

What Veggies Can I Add For A Kid-Friendly Chili

I add celery, onion and kidney beans to my healthy turkey chili but you can add more veggies to your own tastes, to clean out the fridge or just to bulk it up. Here are a few ideas.

Light, Dark or White Kidney beans

Cannellini Beans

Black Beans

Chickpeas

Great Northern Beans – These tend to have a softer overall texture after cooked

bell pepper – diced

green chilis– I sometimes will throw a 4 ounce can of diced green chilis into this recipe. Watch the labels carefully, they are available in mild and hot!

corn – Frozen works fine if you add it after you brown the meat, I like roasted corn ( I usually find this at Trader Joe’s)

riced cauliflower– My family doesn’t even notice it’s there usually! Start out with about 1/2 a cup if it’s your first time adding riced cauliflower, but I’ve used up to a cup in this recipe. Frozen works just fine, add it after you brown the meat.

How Do I Make This Turkey Chili In The Slow Cooker?

This turkey chili can easily be made in the slow cooker. Start following the recipe as it is on the stovetop to sautee the onions, celery and brown and flavor the turkey with spices. Then put the meat and vegetable mixture in the slow cooker. Add all the rest of the ingredients like the diced tomatoes and the beans to the slow cooker, then cook on high for at least four hours or on low for at least six hours.

Chili is a dish that becomes more flavorful the longer you cook it. You can cook this chili for up to about 8 hours on low, but after that, I recommend switching it to keep warm. This is handy if you know you will be away from the house for a while.

I have also prepped this chili the night before in my crockpot and it turns out great, or the day of. It takes about 4 hours on high temperature or 6 hours on low temperature to cook in the crockpot.

Try the quick-roasted chicken apple sausage and veggies for another fast and easy dinner.

Can I Freeze Leftover Turkey Chili?

Leftover turkey chili freezes really easily, just put in a freezer friendly container. When you’re ready to reheat, simply run the container under a little hot water to release it, then add to the pan to reheat.

You can portion turkey chili in muffin tins, then pop them out and save in the freezer for easy single-serve portions. Two to three muffin tins of chili make a quick bowl of turkey chili and one or two works over a salad or potato!