Make Slow Cooker Turkey Chili for a healthy and comforting weeknight dinner. Brown and season the meat then prep the slow cooker and let it cook on its own. This crockpot turkey chili is a set it and forget dinner that the whole family is sure to love.
Hands off
beginner-friendly
You’ll Learn: An easy set it and forget it dinner
Worth It: It is comforting while also being high in protein and fiber
Bonus: Add any toppings you like to change up the flavor with each serving!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Healthy and cozy – this chili is the perfect combination of nutritious and comforting. The protein and fiber will keep you full and satisfied for hours after eating.
- Meal prep favorite – the large batch of chili makes it ideal for meal prep and leftovers. I like to change up my leftovers by adding different toppings or pairing it with something like homemade cornbread.
- Make ahead dinner – since its a set it and forget it meal, this turkey chili requires very little hands on cook time. It is great for busy nights when you don’t have time to stand over the stove.
Serving suggestions
I love to serve this slow cooker turkey chili with all of my favorite chili toppings like fritos, green onion, pickled jalapeños, sour cream, cheddar cheese, and cubed avocado.
Sometimes I will make a simple box of cornbread, but if i want to spice things up I make a batch of cast iron green chili cornbread.
Add some extra protein to your meal by topping it with a scoop of cottage cheese or greek yogurt instead of sour cream.
Ingredients and Ingredient Substitutions
- Ground turkey – I like to use a lean ground turkey to keep this recipe high in protein. You can also use another type of ground meat like ground beef, ground chicken or even ground pork.
- Chili powder, ground cumin, kosher, salt, garlic powder, oregano, cayenne pepper – mix these spices together to season the ground turkey. You can also made a premixed taco seasoning to save time.
- Yellow onion – roughly diced yellow onion adds depth of flavor.
- Fire roasted diced tomatoes – you can use fresh chopped tomatoes or regular canned diced tomatoes.
- White beans and kidney beans – I like to use 2 types of beans for taste and texture, but you can also use 2 cans of the same type of bean. You can also fully omit the beans and use something like cubed butternut squash or sweet potato
- Diced green chiles – add more spice and flavor with a can or diced green chiles. I usually use mild green chiles, but you can use hot green chiles or even fresh chopped spicy peppers for even more spice. Omit completely along with the cayenne pepper powder for a more mild chili.
- Chicken broth – a couple of cups of chicken broth adds the perfect amount of liquid to this chili while still keeping it thick enough. You can use vegetable broth, turkey broth or beef broth instead.
How to make
Step 1: Brown and season ground turkey
To begin, heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the ground turkey to the pan.
Then, brown and crumble the meat. Next, season the meat with the chili powder, cumin, salt, garlic powder, oregano and cayenne. Mix in the seasonings and sauté for a couple more minutes.
Step 2: add ingredients to slow cooker and cook on low
Pour the browned and seasoned meat into slow cooker.Add diced onion, diced tomatoes, beans, green chiles and chicken broth to the slow cooker. Stir to combine and set to low.
Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours. Serve with your favorite chili toppings like sour cream, green onions, pickled jalapenos, avocado or corn chips.
Storage and Reheating
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
To reheat, put the chili in the microwave until warmed through or heat in a shallow pan on the stovetop. Add toppings after warming.
Check out these Crockpot Dinners
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
Email Recipe for Later
Recipe
Slow Cooker Turkey Chili
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 ½ lbs ground turkey
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp oregano
- ½ tsp cayenne optional
- ½ a large yellow onion or 1 small yellow onion diced
- 1 can fired roasted diced tomatoes (15oz)
- 1 can white beans (15oz) drained and rinsed
- 1 can kidney beans (15oz) drained and rinsed
- 1 can diced green chiles (4oz)
- 2 cups chicken broth
Instructions
- Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the ground turkey to the pan.
- Brown and crumble then season with the chili powder, cumin, salt, garlic powder, oregano and cayenne. Mix in the seasonings and saute for a couple more minutes then pour into slow cooker.
- Add diced onion, diced tomatoes, beans, green chiles and chicken broth to the slow cooker. Stir to combine and set to low.
- Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours.
- Serve with your favorite chili toppings like sour cream, green onions, pickled jalapenos, avocado or corn chips.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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