Chili is one of my go-to meals when the cold weather hits. Not only is it a healthy and hearty dish, but it’s easy to make and there are so many different ways to make chili, giving you endless options to choose from. This white bean turkey chili version is made with ground turkey, white kidney beans, and green tomatoes for a high-protein, fresh, and flavor-packed meal.
Turkey and White Bean Chili
Ground turkey is often used in chili recipes as a low-fat alternative to ground beef and, although there is certainly nothing wrong with that, I personally think turkey has its own flavor and, therefore, deserves to be the star of its own chili show. This white bean turkey chili recipe is a bit of a blend of a classic green chicken chili recipe and a vegetarian white chili recipe. Green chili variations are built on a green chili sauce, while white chili usually goes light on the chili peppers and contains some form of white bean, so this white bean turkey chili really fits somewhere in between the two.
For this recipe, I opted to use ground turkey (although chicken would also work well), a mixture of white kidney beans and pinto beans, a can of crushed tomatillos (or green tomatoes), and a light mixture of spices. Depending on your grocery store, canned tomatillos can be hard to find, but a jar of tomatillo salsa (or green salsa) would arguably work just as well.
More Healthy Chili Recipes:
- Chili Con Carne
- Vegetarian Lentil Chili
- Butternut Squash Turkey Chili
- Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili
White Bean Turkey Chili
Made with ground turkey, tomatillos and white beans, this white bean turkey chili is a hearty, healthy, high-protein and high-fibre meal.
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Prep Time: 10 minutes -
Cook Time: 50 minutes
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Total Time: 1 hour
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Yield: 6 servings
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Category: Main
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Method: Stovetop
Prep Time:
Yield:
Category:
Method:Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground turkey
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 green bell pepper, seeded diced
- 1 jalapeño, seeded and diced
- 1 tablespoon cumin, ground
- 1 teaspoon coriander, ground
- 1 teaspoon chilli powder
- 1 bay leaf
- 15 oz can tomatillos, crushed*
- 15 oz can white kidney beans, strained and rinsed
- 15 oz can white pinto beans, strained and rinsed
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 handful cilantro, roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
To Serve (Optional):
- Sour Cream
- Avocado, diced
- Cilantro, roughly chopped
- Green onion, sliced
- Lime, cut into wedges
Instructions
- In a large pot on medium-high, warm the olive oil.
- Add the onion, bell pepper and jalapeño to the pot and cook, stirring often, for 4-5 minutes until the vegetables soften.
- Add the garlic, cumin, coriander, chilli powder and a pinch of salt and cook for another 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add the ground turkey and cook, breaking up the meat with a spoon until no longer pink, approximately 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add the crushed tomatillos, broth and bay leaf, reduce heat, cover with a lid and simmer gently for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, add the beans, stir to combine and simmer for an additional 20 minutes.
- Once cooked, remove from the heat, add cilantro, season with salt and pepper to taste, and stir to combine.
- To serve, spoon into bowls and top with sour cream, avocado, and cilantro as desired.
Notes
Tomatillos: If you can’t find crushed tomatillos, tomatillo salsa would work equally well.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 247 calories
- Sugar: 4 grams
- Fat: 10 grams
- Carbohydrates: 20 grams
- Fiber: 6 grams
- Protein: 21 grams
This was delicious! Wish I could give it a higher rating! Super easy to make and a lot leftover for the week:)
I am so impressed with your recipes! This is the first one I have made, and I absolutely loved it. I’ve had to eat low saturated fat for awhile, and your recipes make that possible without feeling I am missing out on flavor! This one is a go-to for me, and I will be making it often this winter! I changed nothing about the proportions and felt it came out perfectly!
Loved this Chili – very healthy. Sour cream, green onion, and Avocado added great flavor. Another keeper
Really enjoyed this. The flavours were great. Will make again soon.
This was delicious. I wasn’t sure what my husband would make of a turkey chilli but he loved it and has asked for me to make it again.
This turkey chili is delicious! I have made it many times and my family loves it. With Fall coming soon it will be on a regular rotation in my house because it never gets old.