Healthy Turkey Chili Recipe (Stove Top, Slow Cooker or Instant Pot)

March 13, 2018 2 Comments »

This Healthy Turkey Chili Recipe can be made on the stove top, or in your slow cooker or Instant Pot! Everyone who tries it says this is the best turkey chili!

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Do you love the prep ahead convenience of your slow cooker? Or do you like the convenience of the Instant Pot for getting dinner on the table quickly after work? Maybe you don’t have a slow cooker or an Instant Pot and prefer to cook your meals on the stove. Stove, slow cooker or Instant Pot… all three will work to make this Healthy Turkey Chili Recipe for your family.

This chili recipe is based off of the chili that my sister always makes. I’ve made just a few changes to her recipe, as well as tested it in the Instant Pot and slow cooker. I want you to have options when it comes to making chili!

We recommend mixing pasta into the chili leftovers for a new meal the next day. Add some shredded cheese and you have chili mac!

It’s going to be cold and rainy here for the rest of the week… perfect chili weather! If you try this recipe, leave a comment below to let me know how you like it. Or share a photo on Instagram and tag me. I love to see what you’re cooking!

This Slow Cooker Turkey Chickpea Chili is my other favorite healthy turkey chili recipe. You can also make it on the stove top or in the Instant Pot using the methods in the recipe card below.

To make this Healthy Turkey Chili Recipe on the stove top:

• If you don’t have a slow cooker or Instant Pot, or you just prefer to have a pot of chili simmering away on your stove, the stove top method is for you!
• You’ll cook everything in one pot, so clean up is easy.
• Simmer your chili for 1-2 hours before serving, depending on how much time you have.

To make this Healthy Turkey Chili Recipe in the slow cooker:

• If you prefer to prep dinner early in the day, the slow cooker method is for you.
• I have this 5 quart slow cooker and highly recommend it.
• The chili cooks on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours. You can let it cook for up to 10 hours on low if you’ll be out of the house all day for work.
• You will need to brown the turkey in a pan on the stove before you can cook the chili in your slow cooker. You’ll cook the onion in the same pan.
• Before transferring the onion and meat to your slow cooker, add the garlic, spices and tomato paste. Then stir in the broth and scrape up any bits from the bottom of the pan.
• You might also like my Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili.

To make this Healthy Turkey Chili Recipe in the Instant Pot:

• My favorite way to make this Healthy Turkey Chili Recipe is in my Instant Pot because it really develops the flavors of the chili in a short amount of time.
• Since Instant Pots have a saute setting, you can soften the onion and brown the meat right in the Instant Pot!
• The first time I made this chili in my Instant Pot, I got a “burn” warning. I don’t want this to happen to you, so I did more recipe testing to find some tricks to avoid it: (1) After adding the broth, stir the ingredients well, scraping up any bits from the bottom of the pot. You don’t want any pieces of meat stuck there to burn. (2) Add the tomatoes and beans last and do not stir them in. High starch foods like beans can cause your Instant Pot to give a “burn” warning, so we don’t want them near the bottom of the pot.

Other tips and tricks for making this Healthy Turkey Chili Recipe:

• You can make this recipe even healthier by adding more veggies. I recommend chopped bell peppers (add them with the onion) or chopped spinach (fresh or frozen, stir it in at the end, after cooking).
• Use your favorite kinds of beans. The recipe calls for black, pinto and kidney beans. Chickpeas or cannellini beans are other good options.
• Stir in cooked pasta and shredded cheddar cheese to make an easy chili mac. Or, for a vegetarian chili mac try my Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili Mac recipe.
• You can make this chili up to two days ahead and store it in the refrigerator. It also freezes well for up to two months.

Print Recipe

Yield: 6 (1.5 cup) servings)

Healthy Turkey Chili Recipe (Stove Top, Slow Cooker or Instant Pot)

Prep:20 mins

Cook:1 hour (stove top)

Total:1 hour 20 mins

This Healthy Turkey Chili Recipe can be made on the stove top, or in your slow cooker or Instant Pot! Everyone who tries it says this is the best turkey chili!

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 pound lean ground turkey
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 cups (or one 14.5 ounce can) low sodium chicken broth
• 28 ounce can fire roasted crushed tomatoes
• 15 ounce can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 15 ounce can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• For topping: shredded cheese, sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, as desired

Directions:

To Make on the Stove Top:

1. Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook 2 minutes, until onion starts to soften. Add the ground turkey and cook, stirring to crumble the meat, until turkey is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.
2. Add the brown sugar, chili powder, cumin, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and tomato paste. Stir to combine. Add the broth and stir, scraping up any bits from the bottom of the pot.
3. Stir in the crushed tomatoes and beans.
4. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 1-2 hours, stirring occasionally.
5. Serve chili with toppings, as desired.

To Make in the Slow Cooker:

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook 2 minutes, until onion starts to soften. Add the ground turkey and cook, stirring to crumble the meat, until turkey is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.
2. Turn off the heat and add the brown sugar, chili powder, cumin, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and tomato paste. Stir to combine. Add the broth and stir, scraping up any bits from the bottom of the pot. Pour the mixture into your slow cooker insert.
3. Add the crushed tomatoes and then beans to the slow cooker and stir.
4. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours.
5. Stir and serve chili with toppings, as desired.

To Make in the Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker):

1. Turn Instant Pot on saute setting. Add the olive oil and onion and cook 2 minutes, until onion starts to soften. Add the ground turkey and cook, stirring to crumble the meat, until turkey is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Turn off the Instant Pot and stir in the garlic.
2. Add the brown sugar, chili powder, cumin, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and tomato paste. Stir to combine. Add the broth and stir well, scraping up any bits from the bottom of the pot.
3. Add the crushed tomatoes and then beans on top of the meat mixture and DO NOT stir in.
4. Seal the Instant Pot lid and turn the valve to sealing. Pressure cook on high pressure (manual) for 12 minutes.
5. Allow the Instant Pot to naturally release for 10 minutes (by leaving it off after it finishes cooking). Then, carefully do a quick pressure release (use a potholder or the handle of a long spoon to carefully turn the steam release valve to venting) to release the remaining steam and pressure. Once the float valve drops down, carefully open the Instant Pot away from you, as the steam will be hot.
6. Stir and serve chili with toppings, as desired.

Nutrition information calculated using an online calculator and will vary based on ingredients/brands used.

Nutrition Information

Yield: 6 (1.5 cup) servings), Serving Size: 1.5 cups

• Amount Per Serving:
• Calories: 459 Calories
• Total Fat: 13g
• Saturated Fat: 3g
• Cholesterol: 79mg
• Sodium: 834mg
• Carbohydrates: 49g
• Fiber: 18g
• Sugar: 12g
• Protein: 38g

All images and text ©Kristine for Kristine's Kitchen

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