Slow cooker turkey mince chili can be left to cook all day ready for a delicious, fuss-free evening meal. This rich and spicy comfort-food recipe is ideal for batch cooking and tastes even better the next day or from the freezer.
Slow cooker turkey chilli
This slow cooker ground turkey chili is a dream to come home to – deep and rich and satisfying, it makes good use of turkey mince, a lean and affordable meat option that is great at taking up all those fabulous chilli flavours.
Unlike the whole birds turkey mince is generally available all the year round make this a perfect dish to feed a crowd.
See also
- Slow cooker beef chili (mince), the classic Tex-Mex dish made easy.
- For a great alternative accompaniment, try my easy slow cooker cornbread.
- If you are cutting down on fat, this no fat slow cooker vegetable soup is easy and delicious.
- Slow cooker chicken curry is another great recipe for those who like a little spice.
This is an easy twist on the more traditional ground beef chili. While it may not seem immediately obvious, I think it makes perfect sense. After all, if it grows together, it goes together. Turkeys are native to Mexico as well as the US, and their light, lean meat is great at absorbing other flavours.
Packing your chili with beans and vegetables helps keep this dish relatively frugal, as well as adding to your daily fruit and veg quota. Adaptable and easily customized, you can use up what you have.
The secret to the richness and depth of this slow cooker ground turkey chili is the cocoa, which lends a turkey dish all the warmth and complexity of a beef stew. It balances the acidity of the tomato and produces a really well-rounded dish.
This turkey mince chili is perfect for batch cooking or feeding a crowd. Like most chilies and curries, the flavour actually improves with keeping, so you can leave it overnight or with freeze, defrost and reheat with no worries about spoiling the dish.
This recipe will feed 10 people. It’s great for parties or for filling the freezer.
Serve it as part of a spread for people to help themselves, with lots and lots of toppings and sides. Try it with rice, baked potatoes, tortillas or wedges, salads, guacamole, sour cream dips and salsa, grated cheese… whatever you love.
Why make slow cooker turkey chili?
- easy and fuss free in the slow cooker
- rich, delicious and spicy
- satisfying but low in fat and calories
- frugal and full of extra veg!
- Ideal for batch cooking
Slow cooker turkey mince chili – ingredients
- Onion and garlic
- Red peppers – for colour as well as flavour, but you can use green, yellow or orange if you prefer.
- Olive oil – for frying
- Turkey mince – This is a low fat meat. Don’t go looking for an extra low fat version – you need some fat for flavour.
- Dried mixed herbs – an ordinary supermarket mix, nothing fancy
- Spices – I have tried keep these to a minimum to balance flavour without the need for an over flowing spice cupboard. You can vary them or adjust quantities to taste.
- Cocoa – for depth of flavour
- Canned tomatoes – You don’t have to pay top price for these but choose a decent one with a flavour that you like. Some of the cheap versions can have a nasty metallic flavour. Obviously if you know a brand that’s both cheaper than the rest and really tasty, that’s perfect (please share!).
- Black beans – also known as turtle beans, and not to be confused with the various Asian black beans. I like these for the depth of colour and they taste great, but you can use other types of canned beans. Just drain and rinse.
- Kidney beans – I love the ones that come in a chilli sauce for a fuss free “cheat ingredient”. If you can’t get them, use a regular can of kidney beans, give them a good rinse and add a generous glug of your favourite chili sauce to the pot.
- Tomato puree
- Pickled jalapenos – I always have a jar of pickled jalapenos in the fridge. They add some heat and crunch (and are also always delicious in a cheese toastie).
How to make slow cooker turkey chili – step by step
Before you start, read my step-by-step instructions, with photos, hints and tips so you can make this perfectly every time.
Scroll down for the recipe card with quantities and more tips at the bottom of the page.
Step One – Start by preparing the vegetables. Peel and chop the onion and garlic. Deseed, trim and chop the pepper.
Step Two – Put a little oil in the pan, fry the turkey until it starts to brown, seasoning with salt and pepper halfway though. If any liquid comes off the turkey, pour it out of the pan and set to one side for later.
This will take a good 5-10 minutes. A little extra tome here pays dividends in the final flavour.
When the turkey is cooked, transfer it to the slow cooker.
There will probably be some little bits of turkey stuck to the pan. Those brown bits have lots of flavour thanks to the Maillard reaction, so it is well worth taking the time to capture them. Use a spatula to scrape it all out into the slow cooker.
Step Three – Fry the onion and peppers in the pan you used for the turkey. Add a little oil if needed. Once the vegetables are fragrant and growing soft, add the garlic and cook for a further minute.
Step Four – Add the spices (but not the herbs and cocoa), stir in and fry for another minute.
Now add to the slow cooker. Again, try to catch everything in the pan.
Step Five – Add the rest of the ingredients (including any liquid that came off the turkey) to the slow cooker. Stir well and add a little water if needed to loosen the chili.
Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook for 3–4 hours on high or 6–7 on low. I usually start on high for half an hour and then switch to low.
If your turkey mince chili needs to thicken when you are getting towards the end of cooking, either leave the lid ajar for 20 minutes, or mix a teaspoonful of cornflour/cornstarch with a little cold water to form a slurry, before stirring it into the chili until it thickens.
Step Six – Check the seasoning and serve.
Serving suggestion
Serve as a chili bar so that everyone can choose their own favourite toppings.
Try baked potatoes or potato skins, nachos, tortillas, tacos, sweet potatoes or rice as a base, and offer salad, guacamole, sour cream dip, grated cheese, extra jalapenos, lime wedges, radishes, chopped avocado, onion rings … everything you usually enjoy with your chili.
Variations
- Add any extra vegetables that you like. Leftovers are great for adding to this dish. Baby corn would be great.
- Ramp up the heat with a little extra chili powder if you like it really hot, but add it slowly and check as you go. If you add extra chili you may want to add extra salt for balance. A smoked salt can be used to boost the smoky flavours.
- A smoked salt can be used to boost the smoky flavours.
Storage
This slow cooker ground turkey chili actually benefits from a little extra maturation!
Fridge – Allow to cool and then store in a covered container in the fridge, where it will keep well for up to three days.
Freezer – Pack into portions in stackable, sealable boxes and once cool, transfer to the freezer. Keeps well for three months. Defrost and reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.
Hints and tips
- Don’t leave anything in the pan! Any dark caramelized bits that stick will only add to the flavour, so get your spatula out and grab them all.
- Leaving the chili in the fridge overnight will only help the flavour so don’t hesitate to prepare in advance. This will leave more time for last minute jobs like grating cheese and preparing dips and salads.
- Make the most of your freezer. This recipe is great for batch cooking, and it’s great to have a warming, homemade meal waiting in the freezer for those days when it takes forever to get home.
FAQs
It depends on what you like but I think it’s just as good. The turkey meat takes on the flavours really well, it’s a good lean, affordable protein and it just makes sense.
Yes. Use a good flame-proof casserole dish on the hob. Fry the meat and then set it aside. Continue to follow the recipe but add the meat back to the casserole along with the final ingredients. Simmer on the lowest heat for 90 minutes to two hours.
Yes. If you don’t have a slow cooker, simply follow the recipe using a good flame-proof casserole dish as a substitute for both the pan and the slow cooker. When you need to take the turkey out, set it aside on a plate and return it with the last ingredients.
Transfer to the oven at 160°C / 140°C fan / Gas 3 / 325°F and cook for two hours.
More turkey recipes
- Savoury turkey mince – a delicious alternative to the usual beef
- Leftover turkey fajitas – a great way to use up leftovers, with a twist of Tex-Mex spice
- Easy leftover turkey curry – how to make the most of a Boxing Day classic
- Explore more poultry recipes.
Slow Cooker Turkey Chili
Ingredients
- 1 onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 red bell peppers
- 1 tsp oil
- 450 g turkey mince (not too low in fat)
- pepper and salt (to season)
- ½ tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp dried mixed herbs
- 2 tsp cocoa
- 1 can tomatoes
- 1 can black beans (turtle beans, rinsed and drained)
- 1 can kidney beans in chili sauce (or 1 can kidney beans and generous slug of chili sauce)
- 2 tbsp tomato puree
- 2 tbsp pickled jalapenos
Optional
- 1 tsp cornflour/corn starch (optional, to thicken at the end of cooking)
Instructions
- Peel and chop the onion and garlic. Deseed, trim and chop the peppers.1 onion, 2 cloves garlic, 2 red bell peppers
- Heat a little oil in a frying pan and add the turkey mince. Season with salt and pepper, and fry gently until browned. If liquid comes out of the turkey, pour it off and reserve it for later.1 tsp oil, 450 g turkey mince, pepper and salt
- When the turkey is cooked, transfer it to the slow cooker. Scrape the sides of the pan well with a spatula and add the scrapings too, as they will be full of flavour.
- Now cook the onion and peppers in the same frying pan, adding a little extra oil if necessary. Cook gently.
- When the onion is translucent and softening, add the garlic and cook for a further minute. Then add all the spices, and stir, cooking for another minute or two.½ tsp chili powder, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp ground coriander
- Transfer to the slow cooker together with all the remaining ingredients and any liquid that you reserved from the browning turkey mince. Stir well and add a little water to loosen if needed.1 tsp dried mixed herbs, 2 tsp cocoa, 1 can tomatoes, 1 can black beans, 1 can kidney beans in chili sauce, 2 tbsp tomato puree, 2 tbsp pickled jalapenos
- Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook for 3–4 hours on high or 6–7 on low. I usually start on high for half an hour and then switch to low.
- If your turkey mince chili needs to thicken when you are getting towards the end of cooking, either leave the lid ajar for 20 minutes, or mix a teaspoonful of cornflour/corn starch with a little cold water to form a slurry, before stirring it into the chili until it thickens.1 tsp cornflour/corn starch
- Serve your chili hot with all the usual toppings and accompaniments.
Notes
Variations
- Add any extra vegetables that you like. Leftovers are great for adding to this dish. Baby corn would be great.
- Ramp up the heat with a little extra chili powder if you like it really hot, but add it slowly and check as you go. If you add extra chili you may want to add extra salt for balance. A smoked salt can be used to boost the smoky flavours.
- A smoked salt can be used to boost the smoky flavours.
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