Turkey Chili

It’s cold and brisk outdoors so here’s a delicious way to warm up. Tender bites of turkey tucked into a hearty and spicy mix of peppers, sweet onions, and luscious tomatoes. Turkey chili can be bland. But it doesn’t need to be. This turkey chili delivers a beautiful bowl full of flavor!

In a quest to find a recipe that does justice to both turkey and chili, the first challenge seemed to be with the turkey. Instead of using ground turkey, Italian sausage made from turkey seemed to be one way to step up the volume.

After sorting through a volume of recipes and ingredients, and with a few tweaks I landed on this version that is similar to one of our favorite beef chili recipes, Christmas Chili. Onions are sautéed in butter along with the turkey adding an extra touch of richness and providing a great base for a roux to thicken the chili.

Layers of flavor begin to follow with a combinations of fresh peppers – poblano plus both red and green bells.

Then the base is seasoned with cumin and oregano, spiced with Creole seasoning plus a hint of smokiness from cinnamon.

Stir in tomatoes and you’re well on your way to something wonderful!

And though it’s often considered sacrilegious in Texas to add beans to chili, turkey chili is the perfect place for them. Rich and hearty, full of flavor and quite satisfying – everything a great chili should be!

Turkey Chili

8 tablespoons butter*

1 large sweet onion, about 2 cups, chopped

2-½ pounds turkey Italian sausage, about 10 links, casings removed

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

1 red bell pepper, seeded

1 green bell pepper, seeded

¼ poblano pepper, seeded, about 2 tablespoons, adding more if you like a spicier chili

10 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon dark brown sugar

8 to 10 teaspoons Creole seasoning (you can find Creole seasoning in the spice aisle of your food market)

2 teaspoons cumin

1 tablespoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1-½ teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste

1 large can crushed tomatoes, 28-ounces

1 can chopped tomatoes, 14.5-ounces

1 to 2 cups chicken stock

2 cans red kidney beans, drained, 15-ounces each

2 bay leaves

Grated cheese and sour cream for serving, optional

*You can substitute all butter for 4 tablespoons of butter and 4 tablespoons of olive oil.

Melt the butter in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the chopped onions and sauté for about 7 to 10 minutes until they are tender and somewhat translucent.

Add the turkey, breaking it up and mixing it into the onions. Cook until the turkey is no longer pink. Add the chopped garlic and cook for an additional 3 to 5 minutes.

Toss the red and green bell peppers along with the poblano pepper into the bowl of a food processor. Process until the peppers are finely chopped. Add the peppers along with any of their juices to the turkey and onions.

Stir in the flour until well combined and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the brown sugar, the Creole seasoning, cumin, oregano, cinnamon, and kosher salt mixing together with the turkey and vegetables.

Pour in the crushed tomatoes, the chopped tomatoes, 1 cup of the chicken stock plus the kidney beans and the bay leaves. Reduce the heat to low and continue cooking partially covered for about 1 hour, stirring frequently.

Check for seasoning, adding any additional kosher salt or Creole seasoning to suit your taste plus any additional stock for desired thickness.

Serve the chili hot topped with grated cheese and a dollop of sour cream.

Serves 6 to 8.