Turkey Chili with Creamy Salsa Verde
This turkey chili recipe uses dried chilies and a creamy salsa verde to create a deeply flavored chili with a hint of smokiness and a sublime texture.
A lot of turkey chili recipes start with the idea of making a healthier version of ground beef chili by substituting leaner ground turkey for ground beef. I wanted to go in a different direction with this chili and create a recipe that takes advantage of turkey’s ability to absorb flavors.
The challenge to creating a flavorful turkey chili is that the turkey doesn’t bring much to the party. Knowing this, I decided to use whole dried chilies, which pack more punch than chili powder, to give the chili smoky undertones, complex flavors, and a moderate amount of heat.
What makes this turkey chili stand out is how the dried chilies infuse layers of smoky, southwest flavors, while the creamy salsa verde gives it an almost silky texture. The combination of complex flavors and texture makes this chili special and unique compared to tomato-based or somewhat bland white chilis.
This chili has a medium amount of heat that can be scaled up or down based on personal preference. It can also be easily doubled or tripled to feed large crowds.
How to Make a Delicious Turkey Chili
The best turkey chili recipes take advantage of how ground turkey absorbs the flavors from the other ingredients. With this chili, I wanted to find a balance between the turkey, pinto beans, and chilies to make each bite interesting.
One of the biggest differences in using ground turkey versus ground beef is how the mild flavor from the turkey acts as a blank canvas, allowing cooks to paint with the flavors of their choice.
I wanted to take advantage of the turkey’s openness and use a variety of chilies to drive the chili’s flavors. I love using combinations of dried chilies to build complex layers of flavor in soups, stews, and sauces. I also wanted a chili that had more going for it than the thousands of dump-and-stir recipes popular on the web.
By adding a few extra steps, I found I could create a hearty turkey chili with deeper, more complex flavors with unique textures that tasted delicious. And just in case you find dumping cans into pots as cathartic as I sometimes do, there’s a bit of that as well.
The first trick is to soak the dried chilies in very hot water for 15 to 20 minutes. Soaking the chilies isn’t required, but it does make them easier to work with. I usually do this while I’m prepping the other ingredients.
Using a roux flavored with salsa verde and chicken stock finished with sour cream creates an unusually sublime mouthfeel. Adding the sour cream after the salsa verde has cooled down helps it maintain its creaminess.
Using a creamy salsa verde gives the chili more body, helping to thicken it while building flavor. It’s a technique we use to make amazing Shredded Chicken Enchiladas.
The rest of the cooking process is fairly standard: sauté the veggies, brown the turkey, add in the rest of the ingredients, and simmer. The chili is ready to eat after simmering for 30 minutes, but the meat becomes more tender and flavorful after an hour.
Building Layers of Flavor
Whenever I make this chili, people are always amazed at the different layers of flavor it has without being too spicy. What makes it work is the balance between the taste of the dried chilies, the crunch from the fresh poblano, the creaminess of the salsa verde, and the heartiness of the pinto beans.
Most grocery stores carry two versions of ground turkey: one is 93 percent lean with 7 percent fat, the other is super lean, which is 99 percent lean and 1 percent fat. For this recipe and most other ground turkey recipes, choose the 93 percent ground. The fat is where the flavor comes from, and it’s important for keeping the turkey from drying out.
A common problem when recipes cut out the fat or use very lean cuts is that they end up tasting dried out and having a mealy texture. This is why the addition of the creamy salsa verde is so important. It gives the chili that rich thickness that makes you want to curl up with it on a cold winter day.
All of the flavors in this dish are built around fresh, dried, and canned chilies. The dried ancho, guajillo, and chipotle chilies give the chili a slight smokiness and rich Southwestern flavor profile that is more complex than chili powder can do on its own.
The chilies are rehydrated in hot water, minced, and added at the beginning of the cooking process. Adding the chilies at the beginning infuses their flavors into the other ingredients as everything cooks. Soaking the chilies makes them easier to work with.
Each chile brings something different.
Ancho – Ancho chilies are dried poblanos that have a sweet, smoky flavor that makes them delicious in soups, stews, sauces, and more. The taste of ancho chilies is often described as having notes of raisin, plum, and a hint of earthy tobacco.
Guajillo – guajillo chilies have a slightly fruity taste with a sweet heat. They are often used with ancho and pasilla chilies in Mexican sauces and stews.
Chipotle – Chipotle chilies are red jalapeños that are dried and lightly smoked. They have a deep smoke flavor and are a great way to add heat.
The advantage dried chilies have over ground chilies or chili powder is their complexity. A good chili powder is like listening to a song on AM radio, while using whole chilies is like being in the front row of the concert.
It’s worth saying that using dried chilies is about adding depth of flavor and complexity to a dish, not about adding heat. If you’re new to cooking with dried chilies, this starter pack includes a variety of chilies and is a good place to start.
Poblano – Fresh poblanos have a deep green color and lively crunch that complements the other ingredients.
Roasted Green Chilies – Are made from young green chilies that have been lightly roasted. They help round out the flavors and texture while adding a little more color.
The chili is seasoned with Mexican oregano, chili powder, and ground cumin that act as supporting flavors. It also uses pinto beans in a medium chili sauce with both the beans and sauce added. If you’re using plain canned pinto beans, they should be drained and rinsed before being added.
Whenever I bring this recipe to a chili cook-off or potluck, it’s always one of the most unique chilis and something people really love.
Turkey Chili Toppings
One of the best things about any chili is finding toppings that either complement an element in the dish or provide a contrast.
When this chili is being served as the main course, I like to put a thick layer of tortilla chips in the bottom of a bowl, add a few scoops of chili, and top it with shredded cheese and sour cream. The crunch of the chips is fantastic with the chili’s creaminess.
When the chili is being served as a side dish with burgers, tacos, grilled cheese, etc, top it with a few pieces of sliced avocado and sprigs of cilantro. The contrast between the colors in the avocado and cilantro makes it look dynamite.
The chili pairs wonderfully with the tangy smokiness in Mezcal Margaritas or a pitcher of Fresh Homemade Lemonade.
Turkey Chili Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground turkey
- 1 ancho chile, dried & finely diced
- 1 chipotle chile, dried & finely diced
- 1 guajillo chile, dried & finely diced
- 2 cups poblano peppers, diced
- 1 cup white onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 4 oz can roasted green chilies
- 3 14 oz cans pinto beans in chili sauce
- 1/2 cup cilantro, finely diced
- 4 oz salsa verde
- 4 oz chicken broth
- 1 tbsp Chipotle Tabasco
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tsp Mexican oregano
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1-½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
Creamy Salsa Verde
- 2 tbsp butter, unsalted
- 2 tbsp flour
- 8 oz salsa verde
- 8 oz chicken stock
- 1 cup sour cream
Instructions
Prepping the Dried Chilies
- Place the dried chilies in hot water for 10 to 15 minutes before dicing. The seeds can be left in or removed depending on your heat preference.1 ancho chile, 1 chipotle chile, 1 guajillo chile
Creamy Salsa Verde
- In a medium saucepan, make a roux by whisking the butter and flour together over medium-high heat until it turns a light brown.2 tbsp butter, 2 tbsp flour
- Whisk in the salsa verde and chicken stock and continue slowly whisking as the roux thickens. This usually takes 5 to 7 minutes over medium-high heat. Once the roux has started to thicken, take it off the heat and let it cool for at least 20 minutes before adding the sour cream.8 oz salsa verde, 8 oz chicken stock
- After the salsa verde has cooled, whisk in the sour cream until combined.1 cup sour cream
Turkey Chili
- Sauté the onion, poblano peppers, and garlic in a little oil in a good-sized pot. After a few minutes, add in the dried chilies, roasted green chilies, chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper.2 cups poblano peppers, 1 cup white onion, 2 cloves garlic, 1 4 oz can roasted green chilies, 1 tsp Mexican oregano, 1 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp cumin powder, 1-½ tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper
- Add the ground turkey and brown it on high. After it’s finished browning, drain any excess liquid and add the pinto beans.2 lbs ground turkey, 3 14 oz cans pinto beans in chili sauce
- Add in the lime juice, Tabasco, and cilantro, along with chicken stock and salsa verde, and stir until combined.1/2 cup cilantro, 4 oz salsa verde, 4 oz chicken broth, 1 tbsp Chipotle Tabasco, 1 tbsp lime juice
- Turn the heat down to a simmer, stir in the creamy salsa verde. Simmer the turkey chili for 60 minutes.
Notes
- When available, use the canned pinto beans that come in a medium chili sauce. If using plain, canned pinto beans, drain and rinse them before adding them to the chili.
- The chili is ready to serve after simmering for 30 minutes, but both texture and flavor improve after simmering for 60 minutes.
- Two cups of diced poblano is roughly equal to two medium poblano.
Tips & Tricks
This recipe is easy to double or triple for large groups or to make extra to store in the freezer. In an airtight container, it will last a week to ten days in the fridge and nine to twelve months in the freezer.
A few of our favorite ground turkey recipes include Turkey Sloppy Joes, Turkey Burgers, and Turkey Enchiladas.
Soaking the chilies in hot water is a recommended, but optional step. I usually use 2 cups of hot water, which is enough to cover them, and poke a few holes in the chilies with the tip of my knife to help them stay submerged. Soaking them in hot water makes them more pliable and easier to dice. When they’re very dry, they tend to crumble, even with a sharp knife.
If whole chilies aren’t available, substitute 3 teaspoons of chili powder for the dried chilies.
Most testers would describe the chili as medium for spiciness, but with some kick. Here are a few simple ways to adjust the heat level up or down.
Hotter
- Add a second chipotle; this will add heat and smokiness.
- Add ½ tsp of ground chipotle. This will add some heat, but less than another whole chile.
Less heat
- Use ½ tsp of ground chipotle instead of a whole pepper.
- Use ½ tbsp of Tabasco instead of a whole tablespoon or eliminate it.
Mark is an experienced food writer, recipe developer, and photographer who is also Umami’s publisher and CEO. A passionate cook who loves to cook for friends, he can often be found in the kitchen or by the grill testing new recipes.
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