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.
Looking for another chili recipe? Try this no bean turkey chili or this vegetarian white bean chili.
Hands off
Beginner-Friendly
Quick Look: Slow Cooker Turkey Chili
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 15 minutes
- 👩🍳 Cook Time: 6 hours
- 🕖 Total Time: 6 hours 15 minutes
- 🍲 Servings: 6 servings
- ⚡️ Calories: 375 calories per serving (based on nutrition panel)
- 🔥 Cooking Method: Cook in slow cooker
- 🛒 Main Ingredients: Ground turkey, homemade chili seasoning, and two types of beans
- ⭐️ Difficulty: Extremely easy! The slow cooker does most of the work!
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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.
Ingredients You’ll need
Here’s a quick look at the ingredients you need to make this delicious slow cooker turkey chili. For a full list of ingredients and amounts please head to the full recipe.
- 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.
If you want to use similar ingredients but enjoy chili in pie form, try this chili pie recipe. If you want to do a chili with no beans, try this easy no bean turkey chili.
How to make Slow cooker turkey chili
Step 1: Brown and season the meat. Then, add it to the slow cooker with diced onion, diced tomatoes, beans, green chiles and chicken broth.
Step 2: Stir to combine and set to low. Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours. Serve with your favorite chili toppings.
Mad’s Expert Tips for the Best slow cooker turkey chili 🍲
- Don’t skip browning the turkey – Browning the turkey with all the seasoning adds so much depth of flavor to this meal.
- Drain the liquid from the beans – Slow cookers don’t really evaporate liquid so it is important to not add any extra liquid to this recipe.
- Let it rest – If you can, let it sit for 30 minutes after you turn the heat off. All the flavors come together even better after it sits for a little while. This is why chili sometimes tastes even better the next day!
For a different type of chili, try this tasty beef sweet potato chili.
Recipe FAQs
Can I put raw meat in a crockpot for chili?
No, the meat should be browned beforehand with seasoning.
How long do you cook chili in a slow cooker?
You can either cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours.
What are popular toppings for slow cooker turkey chili?
There are so many options! Some of my favorites are sour cream, shredded cheese, avocado, pickled onions, and corn chips.
Storage and Reheating Slow cooker turkey chili
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.
Other Delicious 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!
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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.
Recipe Notes
- Make sure to brown the turkey. Browning the turkey with all the seasonings adds so much depth of flavor to this meal.
- Drain the beans before adding to the slow cooker. Slow cookers don’t really evaporate liquid so it is important to not add any extra liquid to this recipe.
- If you can, let it sit for 30 minutes after you turn the heat off. All the flavors come together even better after it sits for a little while. This is why chili sometimes tastes even better the next day!
- This is a very customizable recipe. Feel free to use a different type of grounded meat of your choice, a different type of broth, or beans.
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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