As I mentioned earlier, we chose to have our turkey this Thanksgiving in the form of turkey chili. We thought it would be a low-key way of incorporating the traditional bird into the meal, plus we are just big fans of chili. I’m happy to say that it worked out really well – delicious and virtually no stress in working with ground turkey, compared to a whole bird.
I actually made this with beef a while back, and I remember us liking it that way, too. So, if turkey isn’t your style, beef works well.
For a long time, now, I’ve been searching for a simple and tasty chili recipe, and I’m thrilled to have developed one that works well for our tastes. This isn’t a blow-your-head-off spicy chili, though you could probably add enough heat with chiles to make that happen if you’d like. It’s not a super thick chili (which has its appeal), and it’s not an overly soupy chili (a style of chili I find utterly unappealing) – for me, it’s just right.
My boyfriend loves it, and has been singing its praises on a daily basis since Thursday. I expect this will make its way into the monthly rotation, especially now that it’s getting cooler (though today it was 70 degrees in NYC!). I could also see doubling this recipe and freezing a bunch of it for quick meals after a long day.
I love adding sour cream to my chili bowl and I am forever enamored with cilantro in chili. When I attended the NYChili Festival last January, I remember really enjoying the chilis that used cilantro. It’s really one of my favorite herbs, which is funny because when I first tasted it as a teenager, I hated it. I’m so glad I got over that!
1 tbs healthy animal fat – bacon drippings, lard, or tallow from pastured animals, preferably
1/2 large onion, diced
1/2 tsp fresh thyme
1.5 pounds ground organic turkey – a mixture of plain ground turkey and turkey sausage in 2:1 ratio works just fine
2 tbs ground cumin
1 tbs smoked paprika
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 c. cooked black beans
32-35 oz crushed tomatoes
1 tsp red pepper flakes
6 oz light colored beer (I use Corona)
salt to taste
sour cream and chopped cilantro for garnish
Directions
Sauté the onions in the fat until they are translucent and start to brown. Add thyme and a sprinkle of salt.
Add the ground turkey – break it up and let it cook thoroughly.
Add the dry spices – cumin, smoked paprika, chili powder, and black pepper. Then add the beans and tomatoes. Then add the red pepper flakes – more if you like it spicier.
Let the chili cook for a 30-45 minutes, then add the beer. Let that cook another 10-15 minutes.
Ladle into bowls and top with sour cream and chopped cilantro, if desired.
Makes approximately 8 cups.
This post is participating in Real Food Wednesday, hosted by Kelly the Kitchen Kop.
I recently made homemade chili for the first time and really loved it. I’ll have to give your recipe a try.
The recipe I tried has you mix some masa with water and add to the chili near the end for a little thickening and a flavor that I think is key but wouldn’t necessarily be able to name. I really enjoyed it.
…oh and I loved making a large batch and having it frozen for lunches later