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Want a cozy meal that you can cook on repeat all winter long? This Turkey and White Bean Chili is hearty, healthy, and packed with flavor!
This is one of those simple weeknight dinners that the entire family will devour. While it does need some time to simmer, the recipe is mostly hands-off and all made in one pot, which makes for easy clean-up. Plus, the leftovers are delicious throughout the week because the flavor really does get better with time!
Ground turkey is definitely the star in this recipe. I love incorporating this lean, high-protein staple into meals throughout the week. I also love to use boneless turkey breast when possible, as it is one of the leanest meats available with one of the highest amounts of protein. It actually has a whopping 12 percent more protein than the same serving size of boneless skinless chicken breast!
And if you’re worried that it will taste bland or dry, this chili recipe will immediately prove otherwise.
ingredients:
- Avocado Oil
- Yellow Onions
- Garlic Cloves
- Ground Turkey
- Kosher Salt
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- Ground Cumin
- Ground Coriander
- Chili Powder
- Dried Oregano
- Cayenne Pepper
- Canned Mild Diced Green Chiles
- Canned Cannellini Beans
- Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
- Bay Leaves
- Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese, For Serving
- Pico De Gallo, For Serving
- Pickled Jalapeño Peppers, For Serving
- Fresh Cilantro, For Serving
- Sour Cream, For Serving
- Lime Wedges, For Serving
step-by-step:
step one: cook the onions and garlic
Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven set over medium heat. When hot, add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.
step two: cook the turkey
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, about 5 minutes.
step three: add the dried spices
Add the cumin, coriander, chili powder, oregano, and cayenne pepper, tossing until the spices are well combined with the meat. Cook, toasting the spices, for about 2 minutes.
step four: build the chili
Add the green chiles, beans, broth, and bay leaves. Bring the mixture to a boil, then immediately reduce the heat to low and cook, lightly simmering and stirring occasionally to allow the flavors to meld and the chili to thicken, about 25 minutes.
step five: garnish and serve
Ladle the chili into bowls and top with desired toppings! Enjoy!
recipe faqs:
I haven’t made this particular recipe in a slow cooker, but here’s what I’d recommend: brown the meat in a skillet on the stovetop, then place all of the ingredients in the slow cooker (other than the garnishes) and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.
Let the chili cool completely, then transfer it to a few airtight containers and store in the fridge for up to four days. If you want to freeze it, be sure to leave about an inch of room at the top to allow the chili to expand. Use it within a month or two for the best flavor!
If you are like me and are looking to incorporate more turkey into your diet, try this easy White Bean and Turkey Chili! Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments below!
want more chili recipes? try these!
Turkey and White Bean Chili
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons avocado oil
- 2 cups diced yellow onion
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 pounds lean ground turkey
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1½ teaspoons chili powder
- 1½ teaspoons dried oregano
- 1/4 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 jalapeño peppers
- chopped 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!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Food Photography and Styling by Modern Food Stories.
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!
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?
My favorite chili I’ve ever had! And such a simple recipe. Was hoping for leftovers but the pot was licked clean!
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!
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!
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.
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.
I’d love this info
Too! Same WW ☺️
This is so very good. Simple, few ingredients but lots of GREAT flavor!
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!
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!
Thank you, Brooke!
This was DELICIOUS! My whole family loved it. This recipe is a keeper!
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!
Thank you so much for the love, Randi! Glad it was a hit xoxo