Slow Cooker Turkey Chili made with black beans, kidney beans, corn and lots of spices. Hearty, thick, filling and full of flavor! The really is the BEST turkey chili made healthier and in the slow cooker!
Looking for more Slow Cooker Soup Recipes? Then try my Slow Cooker Chicken Tortellini Soup or my Copycat Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup.
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Slow Cooker Turkey Chili
When I think of comfort food I can’t help but think of Chili. It’s hearty, warm and loaded with so much flavor. Sitting down to a large bowl of chili is one of my favorite things to do in the Fall and Winter!
This recipe is similar to my original crockpot chili recipe however I lightened it up a bit using lean ground turkey and adding a lot more veggies and beans! It’s loaded with fiber and protein thanks to the black beans and kidney beans! This recipe can easily be made into a vegetarian chili. Simply omit the ground turkey and swap the chicken broth for vegetable broth. That’s it!
Serve this healthy chili with a side of corn muffins or a crusty dinner roll to dip! Hope you guys enjoy this chili as much as my family does!
Chili Ingredients
- Lean Ground Turkey: Feel free to use ground chicken or beef instead. To keep this chili lighter make sure to use 93% ground beef and make sure to drain the beef after browning.
- Beans: I use both black beans and red kidney beans in my chili. You could also use pinto beans as well. Black beans, kidney and pinto all hold their shape well when slow cooking making them a good choice for using them in this crockpot chili.
- Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes: Add another layer of flavor to this chili. Fire roasted tomatoes are roasted over a flame before being canned giving them a smokier flavor then traditional diced tomatoes.
- Green Chilies: Are more sweet and vinegary than they are spicy so don’t worry about them making this chili too spicy.
- Spices: Chili powder, ground cumin, paprika and canned chipotles in adobo are added for tons of flavor! The chipotles in adobo give the chili a nice smokey flavor!
How to make Healthy Turkey Chili
- Heat a large skillet with olive oil. Add in ground turkey and cook until browned and no longer pink.
- Add the turkey to the slow cooker along with the rest of the ingredients (except for toppings)
- Cook on low for 6 hours, or on high for 4 hours, until the soup is cooked through.
- Serve warm with the suggested toppings above! My favorite way to serve this chili is with tortilla chips, lots of shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream and hot sauce!
Variations
- Make it on the stovetop. Simply brown beef then add in the onions, garlic and seasoning. Brown then add in the beans, tomatoes and stock. Simmer for 15 minutes then voila your chili is done!
- Change up the beans! Pinto beans can be used in place of the kidney beans or black beans. You could also just do all black beans too!
- Make this chili even healthier with more veggies! Diced bell pepper, zucchini or carrots would all be delicious in this chili.
- Make it vegetarian. You can omit the ground turkey and chicken stock to keep the chili vegetarian. I love adding quinoa to my vegetarian chili!
I love to serve this easy turkey chili with my Easy Homemade Cornbread. They go perfectly together!
Optional Toppings
I think my favorite part of chili is loading up my bowl with as many toppings as possible! If you are serving this crockpot chili for guests its fun to make a chili bar with lot’s of topping options for each guest to customize their perfect bowl of chili!
- Cilantro
- Green Onions
- Sour Cream or Greek Yogurt
- Shredded Mexican Cheese
- Diced Red Onion
- Tortilla Chips
- Diced Avocado
- Hot Sauce
Can you freeze this Slow Cooker Turkey Chili?
Yes! This is the best turkey chili! It makes tons of leftovers and is freezer friendly! Simply freeze leftovers in a ziplock bag and store for up to 3 months. Alternatively you can freeze everything uncooked and take it out of the freezer and put it straight into the slow cooker when you want a quick and easy meal!
Can this be made in the Instant Pot?
Yes! Simply brown the turkey on the saute option then add the rest of the ingredients and pressure cook for 18-20 minutes. That’s it! Perfect for when you want a healthy dinner on the table in under 30 minutes!
more Slow Cooker recipes to enjoy!
- Slow Cooker Chicken Tortellini Soup
- Tortellini Sausage and Kale Soup
- Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup
- Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup
- Easy Slow Cooker Chili
Slow Cooker Turkey Chili
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound lean ground turkey
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 15 ounce cans tomato sauce
- 2 14.5 ounce cans fire roasted garlic diced tomatoes
- 1 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 15 ounce can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 1/2 cups frozen corn, (no need to thaw)
- 1 4 ounce can chopped green chiles
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1½ tablespoons ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 2 whole chipotles in adobo, diced (can add some sauce too for some more heat)
- salt and pepper
For serving
- shredded cheddar cheese
- sour cream
- green onions, cilantro or parsley
- tortilla chips
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet with olive oil. Add in ground turkey and cook until browned and no longer pink.
- Add the turkey to the slow cooker along with the rest of the ingredients (except for toppings)
- Cook on low for 6 hours, or on high for 4 hours, until the soup is cooked through.
- Serve warm with the suggested toppings above!
Nutrition Information
Did you make this?
I’d love to hear your feedback! Leave a review and make sure to share your pictures on social media! Don’t forget to follow @thechefsavvy.
Eileen
Made this yesterday, just in time for the Nor’easter! We lost power for a few hours last night, so didn’t get to eat it until today and the whole family loved it. It was so easy….this will go in the regular dinner rotation and I will definitely bring to work for lunch!
Kelley
So glad you enjoyed this!
Thanks!
Kelley
Nicole Johnson
Made this tonight and I can’t even begin to tell you how amazing it was. I even went for seconds which I never do. I followed the recipe pretty close, the only thing i did different was I left out the corn ( to make it extra low carb) , and after browning the turkey meat I also sautéed the onions with the garlic to really soften them up, it turn out amazinggggg… will be putting this on rotation in my house 😉
Kelley
So glad you enjoyed this! Thanks for sharing!!
Meag
Is the nutritional information for the entire recipe? Thank you
Kelley
It should be per serving.
Thanks!
Kelley
Shannon
Hi,
I cannot find the nutritional information. How many calories in a serving? And a serving is a cup?(read in the comments)
Thank you!
Kelley
Hi Shannon,
Under the recipe there is a nutrition information button. You can click there for the calories. You can also plug the recipe into a calorie calculator, I like this one: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
Thank you!
Kelley
Raegan
Can you make this on the stove? I want to make it tonight for dinner, but I won’t get home in time to make it in the slow cooker! Thanks! <3
Kelley
Hi Raegan,
Yes of course!
Thanks & Enjoy!
Kelley
Thomas Schamens
Thank you for your recipe. As a quality “wing it” cook, this recipe paralleled many ingredients I have used in the past. I will say, added a little red wine, and fresh baby spinach leaves at the end. Good stuff!
Kelley
Glad to hear you enjoyed this! Thank you!
Tonia Cameron
They now have no salt added beans, tomatoes, etc. Major game changer in cutting down on the sodium intake!:)
Lauren
Add cilantro to your ingredient list
Ray A. Nancarrow
Hello Kelley I cooked your Slow-Cooker Turkey Chili but I had to top up the broth ever 1/2 hour. I used a Multi cooker which has slow and high. I chose high but I set it to 115 celcius. Did I cook to hot? I had the the same trouble with the slow cook and brought it down 90 celcius. I am a way amatuer cook second slow cooker attempt. Its a Kogan 12 in one.
Kelley
Hi Ray!
This chili should be pretty thick so it does not sound like you did anything wrong. You can always add more broth if it is too thick for your liking.
Thank you & Enjoy!
Kelley
debbie
mine came too thin
Chris
Thanks for posting in the comments that pre-browning the meat is optional, makes this even easier to cook, but how does that impact cook time on the low setting?
Kelley
Hi Chris,
It should not impact the cook time by much. I would keep it in for the same amount of time.
Thanks & Enjoy!
Kelley
Chrissy
Delish! I added some salt with the turkey as I browned it and the onion too. I used garlic salt instead of garlic cloves, as I didn’t have an on hand, as well. Served with cornbread -yum!
Nathan
Hi Chrissy,
Thanks for trying out the chili recipe and for commenting!
Have a great day!
Nathan
@chefsavvy