02.03.21

Turkey and White Bean Chili

Please note that I only work with companies and products that I feel passionately about and that align with The Defined Dish’s views and that this post contains sponsored content for Honeysuckle White®. While I am compensated for the work I do, my opinions are always 100% my own.

This Turkey and White Bean Chili is hearty, healthy, simple to make and packed with flavor!!

Turkey and White Bean Chili

Here is one of those simple weeknight dinners to make that the entire family will devour and everyone will leave the table satisfied. It’s so cozy and so easy to make. While it does need some time to simmer, the recipe is mostly hands-off and all made in one pot. 

Ground turkey is definitely the star in this recipe, which is such a great, lean, high-protein staple that I love to incorporate in meals throughout the week. I also love to incorporate boneless turkey breast when possible as it is one of the leanest meats available with one of the highest amounts of protein (a 4-ounce serving contains 26 grams of protein, about 1 gram of fat and 0 grams of saturated fat!) — 12 percent MORE protein than the same serving size of boneless skinless chicken breast! When choosing turkey, I love Honeysuckle White® Lean Ground Turkey because of the high-quality product that they produce, raised without growth-promoting antibiotics by independent family farmers.

Turkey and White Bean Chili

Without compromising quality and taste, turkey is such a versatile protein and Honeysuckle White® has a wide variety of products — ground turkey, meatballs, patties and breasts — to make your weekly meal planning easier and more exciting! 

Turkey and White Bean Chili

If you are like me and are looking to incorporate more turkey into your 2021 diet, definitely kick it off with this easy White Bean and Turkey Chili! It’s so perfect to make on Sunday and enjoy the leftovers throughout the week for lunch because the flavor just keeps getting better with time! Enjoy!

Turkey and White Bean Chili

Turkey and White Bean Chili
Serves: 6 People
Print
5 from 24 votes
Total Time45 minutes

Ingredients

  • 3 tbsp avocado oil
  • 2 cups diced yellow onion
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 pounds Honeysuckle White Lean Ground Turkey
  • 2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 ½ teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 2 [4-ounce] cans mild diced green chiles undrained
  • 2 [15-ounce] cans cannellini or great northern beans undrained
  • 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 2 bay leaves

Optional Toppings:

  • Shredded monterey jack cheese
  • Pico de gallo
  • Pickled jalapenos
  • Fresh cilantro leaves
  • Sour cream
  • Lime wedges

Instructions

  • Heat the oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat. When hot, add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.
  • Add the ground turkey, salt, and pepper and cook, breaking up the meat with the edge of a spoon into smaller pieces and the turkey is cooked through, or no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
  • Add the cumin, coriander, chili powder, oregano, cayenne tossing until the spices are well combined with the meat. Cook, toasting the spices, for about 2 more minutes.
  • Add the green chiles, beans, broth and bay leaves and bring the pot to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, lightly simmering, uncovered, and stirring occasionally to allow the flavors to meld and the chili to thicken, about 25 minutes.
  • Ladle the chili into bowls and top with desired toppings! Enjoy!

Food Photography and Styling by Modern Food Stories

46 Comments

  • Reply
    Helen
    January 16, 2023 at 6:40 pm

    5 stars
    I add cream of chicken soup to thicken it. And anahe8m chili’s instead of canned. My family loves this chili!!!

  • Reply
    Emily k
    October 18, 2022 at 1:43 am

    5 stars
    So easy and delish! My whole family loved

  • Reply
    sue costanzo
    February 8, 2022 at 7:32 pm

    Hi Alex….I really want to make this for our chil cookoff party in a few days, can I use my slow cooker? 6 hours appropriate? or too long? I can also start high and adjust to low after a couple of hours, please let me know….I am so excited to try it and share with all our neighbors!! (p.s. I’ll let you know if your recipe wins the cook off) haha.

  • Reply
    Jane
    January 21, 2022 at 10:56 pm

    5 stars
    Love this! I am making it again this week! The white chili is always bland when I make, but not this one! I also soaked my beans and sprouted them and cooked them in Olive oil and garlic and oregano, so they were a nice flavor and addition – nice layering with the Chili flavors. Thanks!

  • Reply
    Kairle Oaks
    January 4, 2022 at 12:54 am

    5 stars
    I think this is probably my first time making white chili, but it definitely won’t be my last. What great flavors! Thanks for the wonderful recipe.

    • Reply
      Catherine
      January 16, 2022 at 3:13 am

      5 stars
      Super yummy! I left the cayenne on the side and all my kiddos loved it!

  • Reply
    Katie
    November 15, 2021 at 12:33 am

    5 stars
    Another winner! I’m not the biggest fan of chili but I’ve loved everything Alex creates so figured I’d give this a try. I followed the recipe except didn’t have coriander so added another TSP of cumin. Turned out delicious and satisfying. Will be making again for sure

    • Reply
      DAVID WISSINGER II
      January 13, 2022 at 5:12 pm

      I used a turkey breast diced up, but was fantastic!

  • Reply
    Diana
    October 19, 2021 at 11:07 pm

    Made this tonight as a practice run for our church chili cook off!! DELICIOUSLY AMAZING!!! My 4 yr old and 16 month old loved it, too!!
    It was perfection but I have one question. How would I make it thicker?

    • Reply
      Janet Medlin
      January 3, 2022 at 12:39 am

      Add shredded Monterey Jacki cheese to the recipe to make it thicker and creamier!

  • Reply
    Cynthia
    October 19, 2021 at 5:26 pm

    5 stars
    Oh WOW!!! This chili is DELISH!! And the garnishes take it to the next level! Loved it! Yet another DD recipe that will be added to my rotation! Thank you, Alex!

    (For those asking about WW – I used extra lean ground turkey at it was 6 pts on Green).

  • Reply
    Lisa
    September 6, 2021 at 9:06 pm

    Just made this and it’s so good…I didn’t have any Cayenne pepper still so good!!

  • Reply
    Kendalyn
    August 28, 2021 at 5:26 pm

    Hi! Any recommendations for freezing/reheating this? Thanks!

  • Reply
    Dawn
    June 13, 2021 at 1:05 am

    5 stars
    This was so delicious and easy to make!

  • Reply
    Kate
    June 8, 2021 at 2:12 pm

    We love love this chili! Just wondering if you have any recommendations to make it a bit more friendly for a Midwestern palate? Asking for a friend…;) Thanks, Alex!

    • Reply
      Alex
      June 11, 2021 at 12:17 pm

      haha, meaning it’s too spicy?

  • Reply
    Bill
    April 24, 2021 at 10:58 pm

    Made this for the third time. It’s the best chili I ever made. I use the hit instead of mild hatch Chili’s. Love this!

  • Reply
    Erin
    March 23, 2021 at 3:02 am

    5 stars
    Super delicious!!! It was a hit for my whole family. Definitely going to keep this recipe in the rotation. Thank you!

  • Reply
    Cristina F
    March 18, 2021 at 2:34 am

    5 stars
    The easiest and most delicious turkey chili! Already looking forward to making this again!

  • Reply
    Melissa
    March 15, 2021 at 6:13 pm

    5 stars
    This is soo good! I made it exactly the way written here the first time (halving the recipe because I’m one person). The second time I subbed ground chicken and added two small diced zucchini. This is such a delicious, solid recipe. I also like to stir in greek yogurt upon serving.

  • Reply
    Princy Gobran
    March 3, 2021 at 11:44 pm

    5 stars
    Made it in the instant pot because I had soaked dry northern beans. Turned out excellent!

  • Reply
    KJ
    February 20, 2021 at 10:43 pm

    I can’t wait to make this! Is there anything I could substitute for the coriander? Seems to be the one spice I don’t have in my pantry 😆

    • Reply
      Alex
      February 21, 2021 at 1:39 pm

      You can omit and sub in an extra dash of cumin

      • Reply
        Carolyn
        October 30, 2021 at 4:08 pm

        Thank you! I too have no coriander!

    • Reply
      Jamie Martin
      January 2, 2022 at 2:24 am

      5 stars
      This is my go to white chili! I have made it countless times, and is also great for meal train/food drop offs for friends! Why I love this:
      1) it has so much flavor, so delicious!
      2) browning ground turkey is so much quicker and easier than cubing and cooking chicken!
      Love, love, love! Everyone in my house loves as well! Thank you Alex!

  • Reply
    Lindsey S
    February 15, 2021 at 6:51 pm

    5 stars
    WOW. I first tried this chili on Super Bowl Sunday and couldn’t get over how delicious it was. I mashed one of the cans of beans to make it a little thicker, and loved how that turned out. I’m making my third batch now and love eating it for lunch or dinner on chilly days!

  • Reply
    Rachel Mahan
    February 10, 2021 at 11:01 pm

    5 stars
    WOW! My first defined dish recipe and I’m hooked! I can’t believe how delicious this chili is – thanks for such a great recipel. Looking forward to trying others!

  • Reply
    Stephanie
    February 9, 2021 at 7:52 pm

    5 stars
    So good! Used hot green chiles instead of mild, and a squeeze of lime at the end really made the dish.

  • Reply
    Alan
    February 9, 2021 at 1:33 am

    I was also inspired by your Instagram post . Made this for dinner tonight and it was a huge success. So simple and so delicious! Thanks for all your great recipes.

    • Reply
      Alan
      February 9, 2021 at 1:35 am

      5 stars
      Forgot to give this a star rating. Five stars, of course!

  • Reply
    Catherine
    February 9, 2021 at 12:47 am

    5 stars
    Delicious!! It almost seems creamy without any cream. I get worried that ground Turkey will end up dry but this was perfect. Thanks for another delicious, healthy and relatively simple meal!

  • Reply
    Adrienne
    February 8, 2021 at 2:10 pm

    Hi Alex! So excited to try this recipe, I’ve been looking for a great white bean chili recipe and was pumped when you posted this. I’m hoping to do this in a slow cooker instead, any tips for adjusting the cooking instructions?

  • Reply
    Nicole
    February 7, 2021 at 3:02 pm

    5 stars
    My favorite chili I’ve ever had! And such a simple recipe. Was hoping for leftovers but the pot was licked clean!

    • Reply
      Lauren
      August 25, 2021 at 11:52 pm

      This had great flavor! It was simple to bring together and serves well with chips and cheese. I am going to take the advice of another commenter and mash one can of beans next times to make it creamier!

  • Reply
    Amanda
    February 7, 2021 at 2:39 am

    5 stars
    I’m not a big fan of traditional chili but my husband is. I decided to compromise and make this for both of us. So glad I did. It’s delicious! I only had hot green chilis, so I halved the portion and used mild green enchilada sauce for the other half. Worked like a charm and now my kids can eat it. Lol. I also shredded a zucchini for a little bump of veggie. Topped with cilantro, avocado, and lime. This is a winner! Thanks, Alex!

  • Reply
    Sue
    February 7, 2021 at 1:34 am

    Delicious- and I usually don’t like ground turkey ! Do you post the nutritional info? We are on weight watchers and I would like to enter into their app.

    • Reply
      Alex
      February 7, 2021 at 7:54 pm

      Glad you enjoyed it! I do not calculate the nutrition on any of my recipes but someone else may have. You can often search on My Fitness Pal as well.

    • Reply
      Rachel J
      February 24, 2021 at 10:20 pm

      I’d love this info
      Too! Same WW ☺️

  • Reply
    Emily
    February 5, 2021 at 5:27 pm

    5 stars
    This is so very good. Simple, few ingredients but lots of GREAT flavor!

  • Reply
    MellieMariee
    February 5, 2021 at 5:18 am

    5 stars
    Holy moly, love ittt.
    I took the liberty of switching out the ground Turkey for ground Lamb & that was awesome! Also, used Whole Fat Greek Yogurt instead of Sour Cream because I’m not a fan of Sour Cream and I thought Yogurt went well with the Lamb. & without cilantro on hand, I used parsley! (Still felt like the same recipe to me!)
    Stoked on this super easy pantry/fridge foraging recipe! I had all ingredients on hand! As always, you killed it Alex!

  • Reply
    Brooke
    February 5, 2021 at 1:28 am

    5 stars
    As soon as I saw this posted on your Instagram, I KNEW I needed to make it ASAP! Just had it for dinner, PHENOMENAL! So flavorful and filling! I loved your suggestion of adding jalapeno/cilantro! Chef’s kiss perfection! Thanks Alex!

    • Reply
      Alex
      February 5, 2021 at 12:18 pm

      Thank you, Brooke!

  • Reply
    Linda Letlow
    February 5, 2021 at 12:20 am

    This was DELICIOUS! My whole family loved it. This recipe is a keeper!

  • Reply
    Randi
    February 4, 2021 at 10:28 pm

    5 stars
    OMG! I’m not a big soup/chili person and let me tell you.. Alex knocked it out of the park! I mean all of her recipes are incredible… so I knew this one would be worth it! It’s the most delicious chili I’ve ever had! I love that not only is it delicious, it’s healthy and has clean ingredients which is most important. Do yourself a favor and RUN to the store to get what you need to whip this up! 🤍 Thank you Alex for sharing another incredible recipe!

    • Reply
      Alex
      February 4, 2021 at 10:54 pm

      Thank you so much for the love, Randi! Glad it was a hit xoxo

    Leave a Reply & Rating

    Recipe Rating




    You Might Also Like

    SDC Instagram