Quick Turkey Chili
Published October 23, 2025
Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 20 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
Advertisement
Ingredients
Grapeseed or canola oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
3 Hatch or Cubanelle peppers, seeded and diced
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 serrano or jalapeño chile, seeded for mild if desired, finely chopped
Salt and black pepper
1 pound ground turkey, preferably dark meat
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 pound frozen kale, thawed
2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chiles
2 cups chicken broth, plus more if needed
1 (15-ounce) can lentils, drained and rinsed
1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped (including stems)
Lime wedges, sour cream or yogurt, cheese and rice (optional), for serving
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 to 8 servings)
27 grams carbs; 38 milligrams cholesterol; 280 calories; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 11 grams fat; 12 grams fiber; 974 milligrams sodium; 23 grams protein; 7 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered by
Preparation
- Step 1
Heat a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over high until hot. Add a very thin sheen of oil and swirl to coat. Add the onion and spread in a single layer. Cook, without stirring, until the bottoms are deeply charred, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Step 2
Drizzle more oil into the pan. Add the peppers, garlic and serrano. Season lightly with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring often, until the onion is translucent, 1 to 2 minutes. Push the vegetables to one side of the pot.
- Step 3
Coat the empty side of the pot with oil, and then add the turkey and spread it over that half of the pan. Sprinkle the turkey and vegetables with the chili powder, coriander and cumin. Cook, smashing the spices and aromatics into the meat and breaking the meat into tiny pieces, 2 to 3 minutes. The spices should smell toasted.
- Step 4
Add the kale and cook, stirring, until any liquid has evaporated, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and chicken broth and bring to a boil. For a thicker chili, smash the lentils a bit. Stir in the lentils and return to a boil. Turn the heat down to maintain a simmer and stir in half of the cilantro. At this point, the chili is ready and will taste light and fresh with crisp green vegetables. You also can keep simmering it for hours over the lowest heat setting for a softer, stewier chili. If the mixture dries out, add more broth or water.
- Step 5
Serve the chili with the lime wedges, sour cream, cheese and remaining cilantro, over rice if you’d like.
Private Notes
Comments
About a tsp of cocoa powder adds depth to any chili and it won't taste like chocolate, I promise! I also like to add a little dollop of spicy brown mustard if my chili starts to taste too "brown" and needs a little balancing acidity.
@Gary V. Those meat substitutes are full of junk
Perfect for a vegetarian. Swap the Turkey for Beyond Meat crumbles, vegetarian broth for the chicken broth, and we are done. If the Chiles are too mild, swap for some "heartier" Chiles...
Very tasty. My only complaint is that this is one of those "easy, quick recipes" that starts the 30 minute timer after your onions, garlic, cilantro, and peppers have all been chopped
3 tablespoons of chili powder might be too much for some powders. Mine was gritty from the amount of powder. This can also be too hot depending on the ingredients, mine ended up on the edge of my tolerance and I eat very spicy food.
I just made this today used garlic salt instead of regular salt for savage flavor I added corn instead of kale. Since I didn't have it in my fridge and I used boolean paste with water to create the broth. Overall, it was delicious.