Name: Turkey Chili
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 6 h 15 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil; 2 cloves Garlic, minced; 1 lb Ground Turkey, Beef, or Chicken; 1 med Onion, diced; 5 strips Bacon, chopped and cooked; 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce; 1 packet Chili mix; 1 Tbsp chili powder; 12 oz Beer, sub Ginger Ale, or White Wine; 28 oz Crushed tomatoes; 8 oz Tomato sauce; 1 large Green pepper, chopped; 1 large Red pepper, chopped; 1 large Poblano peppers, charred and chopped; 15 oz Black beans, drained and rinsed; 15 oz Black eyed peas, drained and rinsed; 15 oz Corn, drained, or frozen; 4 oz Jalapeños with juice

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If you are looking for a delicious instant pot turkey chili recipe – this is it! Using your Instant Pot or slow cooker, it’s the perfect comfort meal, game day meal, or great for dinner any night of the week!

This recipe has been updated from its original posting way back in 2012 when my blog was just a bitty baby! So there may be a few changes if you ever saw that one. I think you’ll like this just as much – maybe even better! Because pssst…there’s bacon in it 😉

Slow Cooker/Instant Pot Turkey Chili

Do you have a favorite chili recipe? This is probably mine. I love that it’s so easy – just chop everything up and then using the sauté function on my Instant Pot to brown the meat, voilá, a one-pot meal!

If you are making this on a weeknight, just toss everything into your slow cooker or Instant Pot for the day and it’ll be ready by the time you get home. I also like the long cooking time on this recipe because it allows all of the flavors to come together so nicely and the meat is so tender.

Can I Make Chili With Beef?

You sure can! In fact, I do it all of the time. It’s delicious with either ground beef, or turkey. I haven’t made it with ground chicken, but I bet it would be just as great.

Can I Leave Out the Beer?

You certainly can leave out the beer in this recipe, and if you still want that bite of a little something special, but want to keep things alcohol-free, try using Ginger Ale. If you’d rather use wine, white wine would be great.

What’s in Instant Pot Turkey Chili?

The ingredients in my turkey chili are your typical ingredients but I have added a smoked poblano pepper for a bit of something extra. Try not to leave this delicious addition out because I think you’ll really love it (see below).

The rest of the ingredients are simple: Ground turkey, bacon, canned black beans, canned black-eyed beans, canned crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, beer, onions, peppers, corn, jalapeños, and spices.

Substitution Ideas

As I mentioned you can leave out the beer in this recipe and substitute it with ginger ale. If you are not a fan of jalapeños, leave those out, too.

For the beans, feel free to use kidney beans, great Northern beans, chili beans, or any combination of your favorites.

How Do You Blister a Pepper?

If you have a gas stovetop, this is very easy. In fact, this is all I do, just place the pepper right over the flame, flipping it a few times so that you get some nice char:

Then I take it off the flame, let it cool a bit and take a damp paper towel and wipe off the charred bits.

Now, you have a smoky pepper to use in your chili! If you don’t have a gas range, just simply broil the pepper in your oven until each side has some charred pieces.

How do you make Instant Pot Turkey Chili

For this easy recipe, we’re making it all in the Instant Pot. So you’ll brown your ground meat, then add the rest of the ingredients and cook! Quick and easy.

If you are using your slow cooker, you’ll just need to brown the meat in a skillet first, and then add all of the ingredients to slow cook for a few hours.

Turkey Chili

Yield: 8

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Slow Cooking: 6 hours

Total Time: 6 hours 15 minutes

Using your Instant Pot or slow cooker, it's the perfect comfort meal, game day meal, or great for dinner any night of the week!

Ingredients

1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 lb Ground Turkey, Beef, or Chicken
1 med Onion, diced
5 strips Bacon, chopped and cooked
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 packet Chili mix
1 Tbsp chili powder
12 oz Beer, sub Ginger Ale, or White Wine
28 oz Crushed tomatoes
8 oz Tomato sauce
1 large Green pepper, chopped
1 large Red pepper, chopped
1 large Poblano peppers, charred and chopped
15 oz Black beans, drained and rinsed
15 oz Black eyed peas, drained and rinsed
15 oz Corn, drained, or frozen
4 oz Jalapeños with juice

Instructions

Set your Instant Pot to Saute.
Add the diced bacon, brown, then remove to a paper towel.
Add olive oil and scrap the bottom of the pot to remove the bits of bacon left.
Add the garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds.
Add the ground turkey and onions, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon. Drain the extra juices in the pot if needed by removing with potholders and carefully tipping to drain.
Add the Worcestershire sauce and continue to cook the turkey until it’s no longer pink and beginning to brown.
Sprinkle with the chili packet and extra chili powder.
Add the beer, ginger ale or wine. Stir to incorporate and simmer for about 2-3 minutes to burn off the alcohol.
Add the peppers, stir.
Add the beans, tomatoes and tomato sauce, and half of the bacon. Save the rest to top when ready to eat.
Cancel the Sauté function, then press Slow Cook low/medium for 4-6 hours.

Notes

Slow Cooker Instructions:

In a large skillet, add the diced bacon, brown, then remove to a paper towel.
Add the olive oil and garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.
Add the garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds.
Add the ground turkey and onions, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon. Drain the extra juices if needed.
Add the Worcestershire sauce and continue to cook the turkey until it’s no longer pink and beginning to brown.
Add the beer, simmer for about 2-3 minutes.
Remove from heat, then add all of the ingredients to the slow cooker, saving some of the bacon to top when ready to eat.
Cook on low for 4-6 hours.

Top with fresh jalapeños, sour cream, shredded cheese, tortilla chips, and avocado.

Nutrition Information

Yield 8 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 742Total Fat 29gSaturated Fat 8gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 17gCholesterol 120mgSodium 1194mgCarbohydrates 72gFiber 14gSugar 22gProtein 47g

Nutrition calculation is offered as a courtesy and no guarantee that the information will be completely accurate. The data provided are a product of online nutrition calculators and should be considered an estimate only. I am not a registered dietician nor a certified nutritionist. For more accurate information, or if you have dietary restrictions, please consult a trusted professional. A Healthy Makeover strongly supports Intuitive Eating, body trust, and Health at Every Size.