Turkey Chili Kidney Beans Corn (Printable)
Hearty turkey chili with kidney beans, corn, and peppers cooked with warming spices for a satisfying meal.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Meats
01 - 1 lb lean ground turkey
→ Vegetables
02 - 1 medium yellow onion, diced
03 - 1 red bell pepper, diced
04 - 1 green bell pepper, diced
05 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
06 - 1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes with juices
07 - 1 cup corn kernels, fresh, frozen, or canned, drained
→ Beans
08 - 1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
09 - 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed (optional)
→ Liquids
10 - 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
→ Spices & Seasonings
11 - 2 tbsp chili powder
12 - 1 tsp ground cumin
13 - 1 tsp smoked paprika
14 - ½ tsp dried oregano
15 - ½ tsp salt, or to taste
16 - ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
17 - ¼ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
→ Garnishes (optional)
18 - Chopped cilantro
19 - Sliced green onions
20 - Shredded cheese
21 - Sour cream
# How-To Steps:
01 - Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the ground turkey, breaking it up with a spatula. Cook until browned and fully cooked, about 5 to 6 minutes. Drain excess fat if necessary.
02 - Add diced onion, red and green bell peppers, and minced garlic to the pot. Sauté for 4 to 5 minutes until vegetables soften.
03 - Stir in chili powder, ground cumin, smoked paprika, dried oregano, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper if using. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
04 - Add diced tomatoes with juices, kidney beans, optional black beans, corn kernels, and chicken broth. Stir well to combine.
05 - Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to blend flavors.
06 - Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Serve hot with optional garnishes such as chopped cilantro, sliced green onions, shredded cheese, or sour cream.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- It comes together in under an hour and tastes like you've been simmering it all day.
- Ground turkey keeps it lean but the spices and beans make it so satisfying you won't miss anything heavier.
- One pot means less cleanup, which matters more than you think on a Tuesday night.
- It freezes beautifully, so you're always one reheating away from dinner.
02 -
- If you skip rinsing the beans, the chili will taste metallic and cloudy—don't skip this step even though it feels like busywork.
- Blooming the spices in fat for a full minute makes the difference between a chili that tastes assembled and one that tastes intentional.
- This chili is thinner than you might expect after thirty minutes of simmering, and that's right—it's meant to be pourable, not stew-like, but if you want it thicker, simmer uncovered for the last ten minutes.
03 -
- Cook the spices in the turkey fat for a full minute before adding liquid—this is the invisible difference between good and great.
- Taste constantly in the last five minutes; the longer it simmers, the more the salt becomes concentrated, so wait until the end to adjust.