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.
Cindy
It was a chilly day in Florida so I made this chili last night. It was the best slow cooker chili recipe I ever made. My friend asked for the recipe.
I did double the recipe, thus doubling the other ingredients, omitted the onions (hubby can’t eat plus didn’t miss it) and used only 1/2 cup of broth. Did not use the chipotle’s in Adobe because the canned tomatoes had jalapeños. Added a can of chick peas.
Sounds like I made a lot of changes, but I adjusted ingredients to make it my own.
Nathan
Hi Cindy,
Thank you for trying out the chili and making it your own!
Nathan
@chefsavvy
Rick
I’ve made this multiple times when we’re hosting. What a fantastic recipe! Just wanted to give a proper shoutout thank you for this chili. Unreal.
Nathan
Hi Rick,
Thank you for the shout out, and for using this as your go-to chili recipe! We appreciate your comment! Have a great day!
Nathan
@chefsavvy
Brandi
I love this chili recipe. It has been our go-to meal on Halloween for the last 3 years. So perfect to come home from trick-or-treating to a nice warm meal.
Nathan
Hi Brandi,
We are so glad you liked the Chili! I hope you had a great time trick-or-treating! Thanks for the comment!
Nathan
Lynn
This is the 5th time I am making this recipe and it is absolutely fantastic!! We don’t like corn so I eliminate that but everything else is a winner!!
Kelley Simmons
So glad to hear you enjoyed this Lynn! Thank you so much for sharing!
Lee Bellamy
Worst chili I’ve ever made. It tastes like tomato sauce. WAY too much tomato.
Vee
Hi there… thank you for this recipe, I’ve made it several times before and it’s always delicious. Just wanted to know if you ever tried doing this in a instant pot? If so, do you have the directions?
Kelley Simmons
Hi Vee,
So glad you enjoy this turkey chili! To make this in the Instant Pot simply brown the turkey as directed on the SAUTE option then add in the rest of the ingredients (except for the toppings). Cook on HIGH pressure for 10 minutes then let it quick release the steam.
Hope you enjoy!
Kelley
Carolanna Cooper
How much chili is one serving?
Kelley Simmons
Hi Carolanna,
The serving size is based off of 1/6 of the recipe. I am not sure exactly how many cups per serving though. You can divide the soup between 6 or 8 containers and would have everything perfectly portioned out!
Thanks and Enjoy!
Kelley
Larissa
This is my go-to chili recipe! A family favourite! I’ve made it about four or five times now, and we absolutely love it. I usually brown the turkey and then sauté the onion and garlic in the pan when the turkey is nearly browned. Also, I make it the day before we actually want to eat it and the only change I make to the recipe is to omit the chicken stock, as we find it perfectly saucy without the additional liquid.
Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Kelley Simmons
I am so happy to hear you and your family enjoy this chili recipe so much Larissa! It means so much!
Mary Potter
This is a great chili recipe..I won the “chili cook off”at our retirement community in Ohio.
Kelley Simmons
Aww yah I love this!! So glad you enjoyed it and won congrats!!
Jeff
Made this for poker night it was a hit. Making it again for the family, this time cutting down the Chipotle peppers and chili powder for the kids.
Great easy recipe.
Kelley Simmons
So happy to hear you enjoyed this Jeff thank you!!