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I couldn’t think of a better chili recipe to kick the month off than this healthy slow cooker turkey and white bean chili. Nothing beats a slowly simmered chili on a cold October day. Made with ground turkey, bell peppers, smoky chipotle peppers, white beans, and served with sharp cheddar cheese and avocado. This bowl of chili is a hearty, healthy and cozy dinner that you can feel good about eating.
Happy October first! It’s the month of all things Halloween and as you can tell from Saturday’s “spooky” Poison Apple Martini I am very, very excited! I love the month of October so much, and I’m looking forward to all that is to come!
I spent the weekend finally getting caught up with work. And while I’m still not where I’d like to be, I am entering the month feeling a little more on top of things and a little more confident. It feels good. My goal for this month is just to take things one day at a time. In an effort to not feel like I’m being pulled in a million different directions, I also want to focus my energy on one project at a time. I put my new mantra into practice over the weekend and so far so good. Fingers crossed I can’t stick with this. My mom always says it’s best to take things one day at a time, so I’m listening to her words of wisdom. After all, it’s true what they say, moms know best.
No real reason in sharing all that, other than a little positive Monday pep talk for us all…
Ok, I’ll go back to writing about what I am good at now, the food.
How much do you guys love chili?
It’s always been one of my favorites come the fall, but growing up the only chili I ever knew was Cincinnati style chili. If you’ve never experienced Cincinnati chili, it’s just a thicker chili served over angel hair pasta. It is my mom’s favorite. To this day, the only way she will eat chili is over pasta and topped with cheddar. The only way…so yes, when I gave the family this chili to try, she indeed ate it over pasta.
Anyway, point is, I didn’t grow up eating bowls of chili. So making a soupy style chili feels like something completely new and different to me. I’ll always love Cincinnati chili, but I also love today’s healthier turkey chili probably just as much.
On to the details…
To start, you’ll want to brown the ground turkey on the stove-top. You can also use ground chicken, both will work equally great. I know that this extra step is a bit of a pain, but trust me, when working with ground meat it’s a step you have to take. On that note, I recently got a slow cooker that can also brown meat before you begin slow cooking. It’s a game-changer. I highly recommend investing in an all in one browning slow cooker if you love slow cooking.
Brown the meat, add all the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker and set for six or so hours. Then come home to the most delicious smells and dinner that’s ready for eating. Does not get better than that.
To bump up the flavors of my chili, I used a mix of chipotle chili peppers, chili powder, and my secret ingredient, apple butter. I know it may seem weird to use apple butter in chili, but the sweetness balances out the spice of the chili. Go with me on this, promise it takes the chili to a who would have known delicious level.
Finish each bowl off with a sprinkle of cheddar cheese, sliced avocado, and green onions. AND serve with the 5 Ingredient Honey Butter Beer Bread from the cookbook. A bowl of chili is not complete without beer bread.
Also, while I am providing you guys with Instant Pot directions, I much prefer this recipe to be made in the slow cooker if time allows. No matter how much pressure cooking you do, nothing will be the same as slow cooking a chili all day long. It gives the chili time to develop flavor and creates the most wonderful smells throughout your house.
I highly recommend making this for Sunday night dinner and then enjoying the leftovers throughout the week. Perfection.
If you make this Healthy Slow Cooker Turkey and White Bean Chili, please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Healthy Slow Cooker Turkey and White Bean Chili
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 849 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 small yellow onions, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 2 pounds ground turkey or chicken
- 2 red peppers, seeded and chopped
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo, finely chopped (use 1 pepper for less heat)
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2-3 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 can (28 ounce) crushed tomatoes
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon apple butter
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 can (14 ounce) white beans, drained
- cheddar cheese, avocado, green onions, and cilantro for serving
Instructions
Slow Cooker
- 1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the onion and cook about 5 minutes or until it begins to caramelize around the edges. Stir in the garlic and cook another minute. Add the turkey and brown all over, breaking up the meat as you go, about 5 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat.2. Transfer the turkey to the bowl of your slow cooker. Add in the red bell peppers, chipotle peppers, chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in 2 cups chicken broth, the tomatoes, tomato paste, apple butter, and bay leaves, stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours. During the last hour of cooking, stir in the beans. If your chili is too thick, add the remaining broth to thin as desired. 3. Remove the bay leaves and ladle the chili into bowls. Top with cheddar cheese, avocado, and green onions. Eat!
Instant Pot
- 1. Set the instant pot to sauté. Add the olive oil and onion and cook about 5 minutes or until it begins to caramelize around the edges. Stir in the garlic and cook another minute. Add the turkey and brown all over, breaking up the meat as you go, about 5 minutes. Turn the instant pot off.2. Add in the red bell peppers, chipotle peppers, chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in 2 cups chicken broth, the tomatoes, tomato paste, apple butter, and bay leaves, stir to combine. Cover and cook on soup/chili for 25 minutes.3. Once done cooking, use the quick release and release the steam. Stir in the beans. Remove the bay leaves and ladle the chili into bowls. Top with cheddar cheese, avocado, and green onions. Eat!
This post was originally published on October 1, 2018
Tried it, loved it! I had to substitute the chipotle peppers with fresh jalapenos, the apple butter with brown sugar, added a piece of dark chocolate, and it was an amazing flavour. Thank you so much for this great recipe!
Made this tonight..it was so good & so easy!
Thank you Meghan!
Really pleasant chili, especially on a cold blustery night like it, is tonight where I live. I followed the recipe exactly and I feel like I don’t really taste the apple butter so much. If I were to make this recipe again, I think I’d double the amount of apple butter in the recipe so I could taste it a bit more. Perhaps its because the adobo/chipotle pepper was a bit more flavor forward. Having said all that, I really like all the level of spices and the taste is super comforting and definitely hits the spot!
Thank you so much Lindsay! I am so glad you loved this recipe!
Hi there! would this freeze well??
HI! Yes, this freezes really well! Just freeze in a freezer container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much! xTieghan
I had trouble finding apple butter today. I have fig butter- would that be awful to substitute?
Hey Angelina! I am sure fig butter will be great (it’s my favorite spread!). You could also just omit the fruit butter all together, Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thanks! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan – I’ve used the same chili recipe for over 20 years and it’s always gotten good reviews. This past weekend, my son asked me to make a healthier chili so I made your slow cooker turkey and white bean recipe and it is now our new favorite chili! Everything about it was fabulous but especially the heat and hint of chipotle. I made it with your beer bread and pumpkin butter, which were both awesome accompaniments to the chili (I might have embarrassed myself a little by attempting to lick the pumpkin butter directly from the saucepan – it was that good!). Thanks for a great new chili and for all your amazing recipes!
I am so glad you loved this Donna! Also, so awesome you loved this enough to lick the pan. I would totally do the same! Thank you!
Making this tomorrow, I can’t wait! After adding the turkey to the slow cooker, did you also transfer the onion? Thanks!
HI! Yes, add both the turkey and onions to the slow cooker at the same time. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much! xTieghan
This looks amazing. I REALLY don’t want to omit the chipotles in adobo, but I come from a family who basically can’t handle any spiciness, so if I was to make this for them, would one chipotle give it noticeable heat or do you think it would be best to omit them altogether? (Sorry to be annoying, I hate asking questions like this.)
Hey Jeff! I don’t personally feel like 1 chipotle will be spicy…but that is me. I say try it becasue they add so much flavor! Or maybe just start with 1/2 the chili and see how that goes first? I think 1/2 chili will just add a smoky flavor a no spice. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much! xTieghan
Oh yum, looks delicious! This kind of warm pot foods are perfect for the upcoming cold winter days. I also love the concept of putting some spices in there. Those will make the food even more warming and uniquely delish. 🙂
Thank you so much Nora!
My family doesn’t care for apple butter…how would you feel if I substituted it with a spoonful of applesauce?! I hate to buy a big jar of apple butter for 1 tablespoon called for in the recipe 🙂 I don’t want to compromise the recipe per say.
Apple sauce will be great or you can just omit the apple butter all together. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much! xTieghan
We made this for dinner last night and it was delicious! We loved the smokey/sweet flavor combo. So good and a great change-up from our typical chili flavors. Thanks!
Also, my husband is from Cincinnati and loves Skyline, but agreed that this is so much better (and better for us!)
I am so happy to hear that! Thank you so much Lisa!
This Chili is amazing. I love the apple butter addition – it makes all the difference in the world. It really sets this chili apart from all the other recipes I’ve used and found online. I had to double the recipe to make more so we could have it during the week! My ten year old likes it too, which never happens. Ha! Thumbs up to you, my friend!
I am so glad your family enjoyed this Jamie! Thank you!!
Just made this and I must say, this is the best turkey chili that I’ve ever made (and that’s a lot). The flavors are on point. I served it with your beer bread from the cookbook. Can’t wait to eat leftovers tomorrow!
YUM! I am so glad you loved this Holly!
Made this in the crock pot tonight..oh my goodness! So dang good everyone loved it. Kids too! I left out the chipotle peppers because I forgot to pick them up while at the store. Still so so tasty. Best chili I have ever eaten!
Thanks for another bomb recipe. I have made lots of your brilliant recipes and have loved them all. Cheers!
Wow that is so amazing to hear! I am so glad you loved this chili recipe and it turned out amazing for you Shannon! Thank you!
I hate to be this person, but do you have any suggestions for what to substitute the turkey with to make this vegan friendly? The base just sounds mouthwatering amazing.
HI! I would use 2 cans of your favorite cooked beans or 1 1/2 cups of uncooked lentils (add at the beginning of cooking). Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much! xTieghan