Simple Turkey Chili
This is a very simple and hearty chili with plenty of flavor. It's even better the second day! I serve this with lowfat Cheddar cheese and lowfat sour cream. It's also delicious with crackers.
This is a very simple and hearty chili with plenty of flavor. It's even better the second day! I serve this with lowfat Cheddar cheese and lowfat sour cream. It's also delicious with crackers.
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 (28 ounce) can canned crushed tomatoes
- 1 (16 ounce) can canned kidney beans - drained rinsed, and mashed
- Carbohydrate 4.84238024681845 g
- Cholesterol 36.8543800625 mg
- Fat 2.07691879646238 g
- Fiber 0.510427253056672 g
- Protein 12.6071402055305 g
- Saturated Fat 0.608780402527074 g
- Serving Size 1 1 serving (122g)
- Sodium 52.4560864037332 mg
- Sugar 4.33195299376177 g
- Trans Fat 0.31140124017869 g
- Calories 90 calories
Step-by-step
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Place turkey in the pot, and cook until evenly brown. Stir in onion, and cook until tender.
- Pour water into the pot. Mix in tomatoes, kidney beans, and garlic. Season chili powder, paprika, oregano, cayenne pepper, cumin, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 30 minutes.
Has the liquid reduced enough or does this pot need twenty more minutes uncovered? Ground turkey lacks the high fat content of beef, meaning it requires careful moisture management during the initial browning phase so the lean protein does not dry out in the skillet. Olive oil added to the pot coats the base, preventing sticking while the meat renders its minimal natural juices over medium heat. Cooking continues until all pink color completely disappears from the turkey and the chopped onions turn translucent, signaling that the aromatics have softened and released their sugars into the fat.
Visual cues dictate doneness entirely in the absence of a probe thermometer. Simmering the mixture covered for thirty minutes allows the crushed tomatoes to break down further while the spices hydrate. Stirring periodically prevents the mashed kidney beans at the bottom from scorching against the metal. Once the surface displays a thick, cohesive consistency rather than a watery separation of tomato juice, the pot should be removed from the heat source.
Adjusting quantities upward or downward requires proportional scaling of the liquid components rather than a straight doubling or halving. Water quantities must decrease slightly when scaling down because less evaporation occurs in smaller vessels over the same cooking duration. Doubling the batch requires a wider Dutch oven to maintain adequate surface area for proper moisture reduction during the thirty-minute simmer.
Resting the finished dish for twenty-four hours before serving allows the ground spices to fully meld with the tomato base. Chilling the pot overnight transforms the texture by letting the starches from the mashed beans absorb excess moisture, yielding a thicker final consistency upon reheating.
