Turkey Chili (Three Bean Turkey Chili Recipe) | Valerie's Kitchen (2024)

This flavorful Turkey Chili recipe will satisfy even the heartiest of appetites. It’s packed with lean ground turkey, three kinds of beans, and a variety of Mexican spices. Serve it with the toppings of your choice for a delicious, comforting meal.

This Turkey Chili recipe is the result of over twenty years of tweaking and modifying. It is quite a departure from where it started. As my boys grew and became fans of Mexican food, I started changing it up, adding in a variety of beans and Mexican spices and it has become a solid family favorite.

I like to serve it with lots of toppings for everyone to choose from – cheese, sour cream, cilantro, chopped bell pepper, chopped tomato, the possibilities are endless. This lean, low calorie chili is a meal we can all feel good about. Hearty enough for my athlete sons but light and healthy for the rest of us.

Ingredient Notes

• Ground turkey – I use 93% lean ground turkey and drain any excess grease after browning.
• Crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce – I try to stock up on San Marzano crushed tomatoes when they go on sale but any unseasoned variety will work just fine in this recipe. You’ll also need a can of plain tomato sauce.
• Beans – This three bean Turkey Chili includes a can of kidney, pinto and black beans.
• Onion and garlic – You’ll need a sweet yellow onion and minced garlic.
• Red wine – I will use any bottle of red we happen to have open when I make this chili. Ideally, you want a mid to full-bodied red like pinot noir or cabernet sauvignon. Use a wine you would drink and avoid anything labeled as “cooking wine”.
• Seasoning – A blend of chili powder, cumin, parsley, oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, and black pepper create amazing Mexican-inspired flavor. I love simmering stews and chilis with dried bay leaves to add a slight herby flavor. Remove the bay leaves before serving.

How to Make Turkey Chili

1. Coat the bottom of a large pot or Dutch oven with nonstick cooking spray and place over medium heat. Add the ground turkey and cook, stirring to break up the meat until fully cooked. Drain off any excess grease and return the pot to the heat.
2. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, kidney beans, pinto beans, black beans, onion, garlic, and red wine. Season with the chili powder, cumin, parsley, oregano, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and bay leaves.
3. Bring the chili to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 ½ to 2 hours. Stir the chili occasionally as it simmers.

Lights, Camera, Action!

This recipe brought a film crew from Seattle to my house about this time last year. It’s that good. Really, I kid you not. They dropped by to film a webisode of What’s Cooking for Allrecipes.tv featuring little ole’ me cooking up a pot of this Turkey Chili in my kitchen. Goodbye comfort zone! Three of my four boys got in on the action too.

The What’s Cooking shoot came at a particularly busy and chaotic time. I was in the process of planning our end of the season water polo banquet, Thanksgiving was days away, and we were just a couple of weeks away from a major re-haul of our kitchen. Although I consider myself a behind the camera kind of gal, it was a blast and a nice distraction from the chaos. The video will serve as a record of our old, original white tile counter which is now history.

Michael Ketchum (pictured above) and David Albright from Allrecipes really know their stuff and the experience was so much fun. Thanks guys. Come back to San Jose any time.

FAQ’s and Valerie’s Tips

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve made this chili. It has been on regular rotation on our menu since my boys were very young and has become a year-round staple. I love to serve it on a cold winter night with Rustic Sweet Cornbread and it’s a great way to bulk up the menu for a summer cookout.

More Ground Turkey Recipes

For more delicious ways to use ground turkey, check out theseTurkey Meatballs, The Best Turkey Burger Recipe,Turkey Black Bean Enchilada Bake, and a huge reader favorite – myItalian Stuffed Zucchini Boats.