Spicy, hearty, and a total bowl of comfort, this Chipotle Turkey Chili is perfect to curl up into your couch with to enjoy a lazy Autumn evening.

“Take some ripe and fresh tomatoes…” Chili Con Carne is one of my favorite a cappella pieces I fondly remember from my high school choir. With an amazingly catchy, syncopated melody that has tight, intricate harmonies, this little jazz ditty makes your mouth water and you long to sink into a heart warming, comforting bowl of Chili. This piece is incredibly exciting because there is such high energy from the trumpet like call at the start to the last ringing notes. The harmonies are a little unconventional which keep your ears on their toes, evoking images of the spicy meat, beans, and tomatoes topped with little flourishes like jalapeño and pickled onions. Chili con carne, better known as simply “Chili”, has many interpretations and forms, but it originated in Texas. Since the creation of this delicious little dish, so many variations have been adapted, but purists will tell you that true Chili only contains Meat and Chilis and some spices.

My husband, who grew up in Texas, laughed at me when I first showed him my version of chili - at the time I was very much into the groove of making a simple Chicken Chili in the Crockpot during those busy graduate days and after when we were both working full time. First, I had the audacity to use beans, which he haughtily informed me are not part of “REAL” Chili, and then, even more blasphemous, I did not use ANY type of beef. With the exception of a few occurrences due to politeness, I have not consumed beef since I was about 14, and unfortunately for my husband, I was not going to convert back to the cow anytime in this lifetime. He liked what I put in front of him, but he did not consider it “true” Chili. For myself, having grown up in New England and intermittently eating Chili from a can and later homemade Chili, it ALWAYS contained beans.So for me, that was “true” Chili.

This recipe makes a ton of Chili, so it is a great dish to make ahead and bring to a Football game at a friends or for meal prep. It freezes really well too, for those emergency freezer meal days.

Sometimes, I like to switch up my normal rotation of what I make so I do not land in a little food rut. This is not to say that I do not get obsessive about a certain food for a while and eat it on repeat, again and again, but it is something I do to ensure I switch up techniques used and learn from different flavor profiles. So after a few years of using the CrockPot for that Chicken Chili, I decided it was time to try a different tactic for approaching this ever evolving dish. I knew I wanted to use ground Turkey, as I wanted to mimic the texture of ground beef but keep the lightness of the poultry in the final dish. Beans, of course, were in, and I wanted to use my own spice blend rather than the much used, tried and true method of using salsa, taco seasoning, and other spices like I had in the past. Part of that was purely from the challenge viewpoint, but the other part was because I have been trying to scratch make the majority of what I eat for health reasons.

So researching different methods, I decided on a few key spices and vegetables. I decided to omit beer or chocolate as I had seen some recipes use, mainly because I wanted to ensure that I had the staple ingredients on hand at most times. I also wanted it to have incredible spice, a nice heat, but not overwhelmingly so - I have a higher spice tolerance than my husband does, and I wanted him to be able to enjoy it. I also challenged myself to create something that he would REALLY love, as it sometimes pains him that I do not eat red meat. I know I have hit a home run dish if he says to me “This is really good…I kind of wish I knew what it would taste like with beef”. It is in no way putting down what he is shoveling into his mouth, but him wondering to what depths those spices would take his beloved cow

This Chipotle Turkey Chili is incredibly versatile, and can be served plain, or with a plethora of toppings, or on rice, whatever your fancy face desires.

This recipe took a while to come up with what I consider a pretty perfect blend of spice, heat, and balance of flavors. This Chipotle Turkey Chili has a thick viscosity, but would be great on nachos, chili dogs, as walking Frito pies, etc. Basically anywhere Beef Chili can be used, this can be too (“Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better”). The ground Turkey is cooked down, long and slow, so it basically melts in your mouth and has that silky quality that beef gets, rather than getting tough from cooking it too quickly. The spices have a long blooming time, about 4 hours on a low simmer, to add layer upon layer of nuance and flavor. The Cumin and Chipotle powder used add so much earthiness and smokiness, while the other spices meld together and harmonize beautifully with one another. Half of the beans are added near the beginning of the cooking process, so they break down and thicken the stew. Later on, at different times, you add in the additional beans, so you end up with a myriad of different textures. The kernels of corn are a sweet pop against the smoky heat, and the red peppers are silkily sweet against your tongue.

I served this final recipe incarnation all week. First, the recipe makes an enormous amount of food for two people, so it is a great recipe for batch cooking/meal prepping/emergency freezer meals. Second, it was THAT good that we wanted to eat it all week even though we had some vegetables that desperately needed to pay attention to and eat. First night, we ate it with Saltines, but it was topped with Avocado, Cheddar, Jalepenos, and Scallions. Second night, I made some awesome little Cornbread Muffins - I have this love of Cornbread with Chili, but only if the Cornbread is not sweet - it must be savory. Same toppings once again. I did not have a Red Onion otherwise I would have made some quick Pickled Red Onions to throw on top, as that would have added a fabulous tangy, acidic element to the Chili. Pickled Jalepenos would also be delicious on this Chili. And the really fantastic thing about dishes like this one is that the longer it sits, the better it gets

I topped my Chipotle Turkey Chili with Jalepenos, Cheddar Cheese, Avocado, and Scallions, then paired it with a savory Cornbread Muffin.

Chipotle Turkey Chili

Author: Iris Anna Gohn

Servings: 8 generous

This Chipotle Turkey Chili is very simple to throw together and simmer all afternoon. It only needs to be stirred once in a while, just to ensure the bottom of the pot does not get anything stuck to it. I imagine that it would translate very well to a CrockPot version if you brown the vegetables and meat first, but I personally have not tried it myself.

This is an extremely thick, non soupy Chili. That is typically how I prefer my Chili, but if you like a looser consistency, I’d say add a bit more Chicken Stock, taste, and adjust Salt and maybe a bit more Cumin and Oregano. The onions and jalapeño melt away to nothing in the final Chili, so they are more there for flavor than anything else.

Serve this with an array of your favorite toppings. Cilantro, fresh or pickled Onions or Jalapeños, chopped Tomatoes, Cheese, Sour Cream, Tortilla Chips, Fritos, Cornbread, etc.

I consider this to be about a 2 1/2 on the spicy factor for hotness, as it has a nice, slow heat that creeps on the palate after you swallow. You can definitely punch up the heat factor by adding another jalapeño with the seeds if you like, or upping the Cayenne Powder. It is spiced really well and balanced in other regards, but I wanted to leave room wither way to make the HOT factor go up or down.

Ingredients

1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Cups Chopped Onion (1 Large)
2 Cups Chopped Red Bell Pepper (2 small or 1 large)
2 Tsp Minced Garlic (3 Cloves)
1 Jalepeno, minced (optional)
2 Pounds Ground Turkey
3 Tbsp Ground Chili Powder
1 Tbsp Ground Chipotle Powder
1 Tbsp Ground Cumin
1 1/2 Tsp Dried Oregano
1/4 Tsp Ground Cayenne (optional)
1 1/4 Tsp Sea Salt
1 28 Oz Can Whole Tomatoes
1 1/4 Cup Chicken Stock
3 Cans Kidney Beans, rinsed and drained thoroughly
1 Can Black Beans, rinsed and drained thoroughly
2 Cups Corn

Directions

Over medium high heat in a Dutch Oven heat the Olive Oil till it shimmers. It will be sheeny and smell grassy and fragrant.
Add the Onions and a sprinkle of salt and sauté for 6-7 minutes until they soften and start to brown ever so slightly. They will smell slightly caramelized and sweet at this point.
Add the Red Pepper and sauté for 2-4 minutes, then add the Garlic and the Jalepeno, if using. Saute for 2 minutes more.
Push the vegetables around the edge so the center of the Dutch Oven is clean. Add the Ground Turkey to the middle of the pot and season the meat with the Chili Powder, Chipotle Powder, Cumin, Oregano, Salt, and Cayenne (if using). Slowly brown the meat and break it into chunks, incorporating the vegetables back into the mixture, for about 10 minutes.
Add in the Chicken Stock, can of Tomatoes, juices and all, 2 cans of the Kidney beans that have been drained and rinsed, and the corn. Stir thoroughly, and bring the mixture to a low boil, uncovered
Once the Chili has hit a boil, reduce the heat down to low and cover the Dutch Oven. Let simmer for about an hour, stirring every so often.
After the hour, add in the can of drained and rinsed Black Beans. Stir in thoroughly and cover, keeping the Chili at a low simmer for another hour, stirring occasionally.
At the end of the second hour, add in the final can of drained and rinsed Kidney beans. Once they are heated through, you may serve, or keep on low for as long as you need, stirring occasionally.
Serve with Desired Toppings. Store Leftovers in an airtight container.