Spicy Turkey Habanero Chili, with the sweetness of crushed tomatoes, healthy vegetables, and cannellini beans, this recipe is for the spice lovers!
I had been missing chili since we stopped eating red meat (for the most part), and up until this past week this was the winter that wouldn’t quit. I still love the chili recipe I’ve been making for years, but wanted to make something similar, yet different with ground turkey instead of beef. I didn’t want to just make the same thing substituting ground turkey, that wouldn’t be any fun! So Turkey Habanero Chili is it! I added crushed tomatoes, since I hate lots of diced tomatoes in chili, and used cannellini beans. The cannellini beans were almost a mistake. I’m used to using canned kidney beans in chili, but chose to use dried cannellini beans that I soaked according to the package directions before adding to the chili to finish cooking. Next time I will use frozen beans. I soaked them for an hour and cooked them in the chili for over two and a half hours and they still were not tender.
I ate the chili anyway, after simmering it for two and a half hours I knew the beans weren’t going to get any softer anytime soon. Lesson learned, use canned or frozen in this recipe! Other than that, it was really good. Spicy, yes, but also a hint of sweetness, lots of great vegetables too. Tomatilloes, onions, garlic, bell pepper, carrots, crushed tomatoes, and of course the habaneros! I didn’t seed them, either. I wanted the heat without having to add any additional pepper or pepper sauce.
Before I give you the recipe, I have an announcement: I’ve teamed up with World Foodie Fair to develop a limited edition Rants From My Crazy Kitchen spice blend! Here is the description from the website, Square Up, where you can purchase it.
“An immense depth of flavor, this complicated blend of Buttermilk powder, garlic, onion, black peppercorn, celery seed, red wine vinegar, hondashi, sugar, mushroom and soy sauce will wake up taste buds you never knew you had.”
I would love for you to give it a try, and give me your feedback on the taste, price, everything! Check it out here: Square Up Market.
- 3 pounds 85% lean ground turkey
- 1 pound cannellini beans ,frozen or canned (drained and rinsed if using canned)
- 3 tomatillos ,chopped
- 3 small habaneros ,finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves ,minced
- 1 large yellow onion ,chopped
- 1 orange bell pepper ,chopped
- 1 large carrot ,finely chopped
- 2- 28 ounce cans crushed tomatoes
- 1 can beer (domestic)
- 5-6 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
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Brown the ground turkey in a large stock pot over medium-high heat, drain. Add in the chopped vegetables, beans, crushed tomatoes, and beer. Stir in the chili powder and thyme.
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Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 2 1/2 hours. Serve with reduced fat tortilla chips and sour cream, if desired.
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