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A wooden bowl of turkey apple chili with shredded cheese, sliced jalapeno, parsley and a wedge of cornbread.
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Turkey Apple Chili

Turkey apple chili is the fall recipe you make once and then end up making every other week all season long. Ground turkey and turkey sausage, a fire-roasted poblano, two kinds of apple, and a cinnamon stick working a little magic. One Dutch oven, 35 minutes of simmering, and it tastes even better on day two. Save it for the first crips night. 🍎
Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 30 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6 servings (about 1 1/2 cups per bowl)
Calories: 328kcal
Author: Dee Broughton

Ingredients

For the Chili

  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil
  • 1 pound ground turkey
  • 1 pound ground turkey sausage
  • 1 large red onion diced
  • 1 large poblano pepper broiled, peeled, and diced
  • 1 medium Granny Smith apple cut into 1/2-inch dice
  • 1 medium Pink Lady apple cut into 1/2-inch dice
  • 4 garlic cloves minced
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 to 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce finely chopped
  • 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
  • 1 tablespoon Better Than Bouillon chicken base
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 (28-ounce) can fire roasted crushed tomatoes
  • 1 (15-ounce) can dark red kidney beans drained and rinsed
  • 1 (15-ounce) can black beans drained and rinsed

To Finish

  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

Char the Poblano

  • Set an oven rack about 6 inches under the broiler and heat to high. Broil the poblano on a foil lined sheet 4 to 6 minutes per side, turning as needed, until the skin is blistered and blackened.
    A whole poblano roasted until the skin blisters and blackens, on a foil-lined pan beside apples, parsley and cinnamon sticks.
  • Cover in a bowl for 10 minutes, then peel, stem, seed, and dice.
    Chopped roasted poblano on a wooden board with a paring knife, apples and cinnamon sticks alongside.

Brown the Meat

  • Heat the avocado oil in a Dutch oven over medium high. Add the ground turkey and turkey sausage, press into an even layer, and leave undisturbed 3 to 4 minutes until browned underneath. Break into medium crumbles and cook until almost fully browned with a few pink spots left.
    Ground turkey browning in a white Dutch oven, red and green apples and cinnamon sticks on the counter nearby.

Add the Onion and Poblano

  • Cook 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the meat is cooked through and the onion is soft and translucent at the edges.
    Chopped roasted poblano and diced red onion added to the browned ground turkey in the Dutch oven.

Add the Apples

  • Cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the edges just turn glossy. They should still be firm.
    Diced red and green apples added over the browned ground turkey and onion in the Dutch oven.

Bloom the Paste and Spices

  • Add the garlic and cook about 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper, and chipotles. Cook 30 seconds to 1 minute, stirring constantly, until the paste darkens a shade and the spices smell toasted.
    The spices stirred through the ground turkey and apples so everything is coated before the liquid goes in.

Deglaze

  • Stir the chicken base into the broth until mostly dissolved. Pour into the pot and scrape the bottom clean.
    Chicken broth poured from a Ball jar into the pot of ground turkey and apples.

Add the Beans and Tomatoes

  • Add the cinnamon stick, crushed tomatoes, kidney beans, and black beans. Stir well and bring to a gentle boil.
    Crushed tomatoes with black and kidney beans added to the simmering turkey apple chili.

Simmer

  • Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer uncovered 30 to 35 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the liquid coats the back of a spoon and the apples are tender but still holding their shape.
    A cinnamon stick resting on top of the turkey apple chili as it simmers with apple chunks and beans.

Finish Off the Heat

  • Remove the cinnamon stick, stir in the apple cider vinegar and cilantro, and let it sit 5 minutes. Taste for salt now, not before. Serve with your favorite toppings.
    A wooden ladle resting in the pot of finished turkey apple chili.

Notes

  • Add extra salt only at the end, after everything has come together. 
  • Like all chilis and braises, this tastes better the next day. 
  • Use a sweet and a tart apple (Granny Smith) for the best flavor without making this chili taste too much like applesauce. 
  • Pull the cinnamon stick before serving.
  • Store in the fridge for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat over medium-low with a splash of broth.
  • Substitutions: red bell pepper for the poblano (milder - do not broil), cannellini for black beans, ground chicken for the ground turkey.
  • How to roast the poblano: oven or range. Oven: set a rack 6 inches under the broiler, heat to high, and broil the pepper on a foil-lined sheet 4 to 6 minutes per side, turning as needed, until the skin is blistered and blackened all over. Gas Range or Grill: Set the pepper directly on a gas burner over a medium-high flame or direct heat on a grill, and turn it with tongs every minute or so, 5 to 8 minutes total, until it is charred and collapsing. After roasting until blistered on all sides (range or oven), cover in a bowl for 10 minutes so the steam loosens the skin, then peel, stem, seed, and dice. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 328kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 98mg | Sodium: 1188mg | Potassium: 775mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1145IU | Vitamin C: 30mg | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 3mg