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Finished slow cooker turkey chili in the crock with a ladle, set out with biscuits, bowls and shredded cheddar.
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5 from 1 vote

Slow Cooker Turkey Chili

A thick, brick-red pot of chili built on one pound of browned ground turkey, kidney beans, sweet corn and a bold hit of cumin. Ten minutes at the stove gets you eight bowls waiting in the crock when you walk in the door.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time9 hours
Resting Time10 minutes
Total Time9 hours 20 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8 (1 hearty bowl per serving)
Calories: 411kcal
Author: Kita Roberts

Equipment

Ingredients

For the Chili

  • 1 tablespoon neutral oil avocado or your favorite cooking oil
  • 1 pound lean ground turkey
  • 1/2 cup white or yellow onion diced
  • 1/2 red bell pepper diced
  • 1/2 green bell pepper diced
  • 2 teaspoons garlic minced
  • 15 oz can kidney beans drained and rinsed
  • 15 oz can diced tomatoes undrained
  • 15 oz can corn drained
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste

Spices

  • 2 tablespoons ground cumin
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

For Serving

  • 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
  • Crackers optional

Instructions

Brown the Turkey:

  • Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the turkey and onion and cook, breaking up the meat, until no pink remains, about 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook 30 seconds.
    Garlic stirred through the browned ground turkey and onion, ready to go into the slow cooker.

Load the Slow Cooker:

  • Transfer the turkey mixture to the slow cooker. Layer the bell peppers, beans, corn and tomatoes with their juice on top.
    Red and green bell peppers, corn, diced tomatoes and kidney beans layered over the ground turkey in the slow cooker.

Season:

  • Add the cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt, pepper and cayenne. Stir until everything is coated.
    Ground spices sprinkled over the peppers, corn, tomatoes, beans and turkey in the slow cooker before stirring.

Add the Liquid:

  • Stir in the chicken broth and tomato paste until no streaks of paste remain.
    A dollop of tomato paste on top of the stirred turkey chili mixture in the slow cooker, ready to cook.

Slow Cook:

  • Cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours or high 3 to 4 hours, until the peppers are soft and the chili has thickened.
    A ladle lifting thick slow cooker turkey chili with kidney beans and corn from the crock, with biscuits and shredded cheddar nearby.

Serve:

  • Ladle into bowls and top with cheddar. Serve with crackers.
    Close up of a bowl of slow cooker turkey chili with kidney beans and shredded cheddar, biscuits in the background.

Notes

  • Swap in ground chicken, beef or pork. With beef or pork, spoon off the rendered fat before it goes into the slow cooker.
  • Serve with cornbread, buttermilk biscuits, a side salad or steamed vegetables.
  • Refrigerate in airtight containers up to 4 days or freeze up to 4 months. Reheat in a saucepan to 165°F.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 411kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 944mg | Potassium: 589mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 48g | Vitamin A: 1328IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 163mg | Iron: 3mg