The Easiest Slow Cooker Turkey Chili That Feeds 8

🔪 Ingredients for slow cooker turkey chili

Full amounts live in the recipe card below. 👇 Here is what to grab and why it matters.

• Lean ground turkey, one pound. Lean means there is almost no fat to render out, so nothing needs draining before it goes into the crock.
• A little neutral oil. Lean turkey has nothing to brown in on its own, and a tablespoon in the skillet keeps it from sticking and steaming.
• White or yellow onion, browned right alongside the turkey so it softens and sweetens before the long cook.
• Half a red and half a green bell pepper. The red brings sweetness, the green brings that grassy bite, and together they hold their shape through the cook.
• Minced garlic, stirred in after the turkey browns so it never has a chance to burn in the skillet.
• Canned kidney beans, drained and rinsed, and canned corn, drained. Rinsing the beans clears off the starchy canning liquid so the chili tastes like chili, not like the can.
• Canned diced tomatoes with their juice. Do not drain these. That juice is part of the cooking liquid.
• Chicken broth and tomato paste. The broth keeps everything loose over eight hours, and the paste gives the pot its body and that deep red color.
• The spice blend: ground cumin, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, cayenne, salt and black pepper. Two tablespoons each of cumin and chili powder is a bold hand on purpose, because a pound of turkey and three cans of vegetables need it.
• Shredded cheddar for the top, and crackers if you want them. Both go on at the bowl, never in the pot.

Equipment

• Large skillet, for browning the turkey and onion before anything goes into the crock.
• Slow cooker, where the chili spends six to eight hours on low.
• Ladle, for serving straight from the crock.

📝 How to make slow cooker turkey chili

1. Brown the turkey and onion. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add the ground turkey and diced onion and cook, breaking the meat up as it goes, until no pink remains and the onion has softened, about 7 minutes.
2. Add the garlic. Stir the minced garlic into the hot turkey and cook just until you can smell it, about 30 seconds.
3. Move the turkey mixture into the slow cooker.
4. Layer the red and green bell peppers, kidney beans, corn, and diced tomatoes with their juice on top of the turkey.
5. Season before the liquid goes in. Add the cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt, black pepper, and cayenne, then stir until every bit of meat and vegetable is coated red.
6. Pour in the chicken broth, add the tomato paste and stir until the paste dissolves into the liquid with no streaks left.
7. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours, until the peppers are soft and the chili has thickened.
8. Ladle into bowls and top with shredded cheddar, with crackers on the side.

🍽️ What to serve with slow cooker turkey chili

• Cornbread, for dragging through the bottom of the bowl.
• Buttermilk biscuits, split and buttered, for soaking up every last bit.
• A crisp side salad or a pile of steamed vegetables to keep the table balanced.
• Crackers, crumbled right over the cheddar.
• Spooned over a split campfire baked potato or piled onto cast iron french fries with chili when there are leftovers to stretch.

🧊 Leftovers and storage

• Cool the chili, then store it in airtight containers in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, per USDA leftover guidance.
• Freeze it in portioned containers or flat freezer bags for 3 to 4 months for best quality. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
• Reheat in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, until it bubbles and reaches 165°F. Add a splash of chicken broth if it has thickened too much in the fridge.

❓ FAQs