You deserve an upgrade from that vintage bottle of chili powder lurking in the back of your cabinet. Let this hearty turkey chili recipe guide you. To make it, you’ll blend a robust purée of dried chiles and canned chipotles to serve as the soup’s base.
Building a custom chile blend allows you to create the chili of your dreams, which is to say: don’t worry too much if you can’t find the exact chiles we recommend. (And also, yes, chile and chili refer to different things.) Dark ancho chiles are smoky and have a raisiny sweetness; skinny, wrinkly pasillas a rich jamminess; and smooth-skinned guajillos bring bright red color and acidity. If you need to swap one out, aim for something around the same heat level (read more in our guide to chiles). Feel free to make a double batch and stick half in the freezer (for up to 6 months) to make satisfying your next weeknight chili craving even easier.
We prefer dark meat turkey for its richer flavor and fat content, but if all you have in the fridge is lean ground turkey or ground chicken, it’ll work. Brown it in batches to get a really good sear—the crusty fond that forms on the bottom of the pot is big-time flavor. When you sauté the veg, use a wooden spoon to scrape up all those bits (the steam from the veggies will help release them) and stir them into the mix. We love the flavor a bottle of hard cider or beer adds to chili, but if you’d rather cook without alcohol, substitute fresh apple cider, a can of crushed tomatoes or tomato juice, or add a cup more water instead.
We round out the soup with creamy white beans, but you probably already know any bean will do. Red kidney beans, pinto beans, and black beans are good substitutes. Like many comfort foods, chili is personal: put out bowls of shredded cheddar cheese, thinly sliced green onion, or pickled red onion, if you like. For an extra kick, grab the hot sauce or pickled jalapeños. Serve with broken tostadas or tortilla chips for scooping or cornbread for dunking.
Looking for ground beef chili or chicken chili? We have you covered.
Recipe information
Yield
8 servings
Ingredients
4
3
2
2
2
6
3
2
5
1
2
2
1
1
2
2
3
1
2
Preparation
Step 1
Bring 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth to a simmer on stovetop in a large Dutch oven or other heavy large pot. Meanwhile, remove and discard stems from 3 large or 6 medium ancho chiles, 2 dried guajillo chiles, and 2 dried pasilla chiles. Tear flesh into a few pieces, letting seeds fall out. Transfer to a blender. Add hot broth and cover blender; let sit until chiles are softened, 25–30 minutes. Add 2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo and blend on high speed until smooth, about 1 minute; set aside.
Step 2
Warm 2 Tbsp. oil in same pot over medium-high heat. Season turkey all over with salt. Add half of turkey to pot and smash down with a wooden spoon to flatten against surface of pot and break into smaller clumps. Cook, undisturbed, until underside is browned, top side is no longer pink, and most of the liquid is cooked off, 8–10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate. Repeat with another 2 Tbsp. oil and remaining turkey.
Step 3
Heat remaining 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil in same pot over medium. Add 2 white or yellow onions, finely chopped and 5 garlic cloves, smashed; season with kosher salt and stir to combine. Cover pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent, very soft, and starting to brown around the edges, 10–12 minutes. Add 1 Tbsp. ground cumin and 2 tsp. dried oregano and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant and sizzling, about 1 minute. Add 2 Tbsp. tomato paste and cook, stirring to coat vegetables, until paste darkens slightly, about 1 minute. Add one 12-oz. bottle hard cider or lager-style beer, one 3" cinnamon stick, and 2 bay leaves and scrape up any brown bits stuck to bottom of pot. Bring to a lively simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is mostly reduced, about 5 minutes.
Step 4
Add reserved chile purée, two 15.5-oz. cans cannellini beans, drained, rinsed, and 3 Tbsp. pure maple syrup. Add 4 cups water to blender, swish around to loosen any remaining purée, then pour into pot; season with salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and gently simmer, partially covered and stirring occasionally, until liquid is thickened and very flavorful, about 1 hour. Add turkey and simmer until flavors have melded, about 30 minutes longer.
Step 5
Meanwhile, stir 1 cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream, 2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice (from 1–2 limes), and a handful of cilantro leaves and stems, finely chopped in a small bowl to combine. Season to taste with salt.
Step 6
Taste chili and season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper if needed. Remove from heat and fish out cinnamon stick and bay leaves. Divide chili among bowls. Top with a dollop of cilantro-lime sauce and some broken tostadas.
Do ahead: Chili (without toppings) can be made 3 days ahead and tastes even better the next day. Transfer to an airtight container and chill. Reheat over medium-low.
Editor’s note: This recipe was first printed in January 2020. Head this way for more of our favorite winter soups →
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Reviews (35)
Back to TopI could only find ancho chiles, added a couple more of the chipotle chiles in adobe - thought the heat was perfectly balanced with the other spices!! I did not add the cider, but did add a can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes with juices before adding chile broth. Perfect hearty stew for watching football in the fall / winter. Don't skip the lime yogurt.
Mary P
Washington, DC
1/24/2022
Great taste, easy prep…satisfying savory winter meal
Skye McClure
Phoenix,AZ
1/5/2022
If it's too hot for you somehow, just leave out the chipotle chiles. They are the only ones in the recipe with heat.
Herf
Innsmouth, MA
1/5/2022
This is a great chili recipe! Out of refusal to go to the store, I did the following: cooked 1ish cup of dried white beans in the instant pot (had only 1 can at home) used bean broth to soften chilis (mostly ancho and a few large mystery dried peppers I had) and immersion blended. Also only used 2lbs of turkey (2 store bought packets) and thought it was meaty enough. Used more cumin than called for, and added cumins seeds as well to ground. Agree with other reviewer that is was not greasy which I liked. Still rich and not lacking. In terms of spice level I thought it was nice, just depends on the peppers you use!
Caro
Brooklyn, NY
11/5/2021
We are trying to eat less red meat and I am skeptical of things made with ground turkey but this was fantastic. Made this exactly as written with homemade stock. Thankfully it lacked the greasiness of chili made with beef but had all the flavor because of the complex, flavorful chile sauce. This is going into the regalar rotation.
CookingMom
Nyack, NY
10/16/2021
How has no one mentioned how spicy this chili is? I have a moderate heat tolerance but I was nearly dying after each bite, even after doubling the beans and water. Granted, some family members thought it was fine but for me, it was practically inedible.
Andrea
Brooklyn, NY
8/10/2021
We did not care for this at all. All we tasted was the heat from the peppers and very little else. I ended up adding a huge jar of tomatoes, a pile of mushrooms, celery and sweet peppers, and then it was passable. Won't make this again.
Renee
Victoria
6/14/2021