White turkey and poblano chili packs protein and veggies in each and every bite.
Roasted poblanos add plenty of flavor. Great Northern beans bulk up the chili and act as a thickener. This chili recipe is about to become a new favorite!
Why you'll love this turkey and poblano chili
My goal with this recipe was two-fold: make a high-protein, healthy chili that packed in a ton of flavor.
A recipe I spotted in Country Living magazine inspired me to combine turkey and poblanos in a chili. (I often get recipe inspo from cooking magazines!)
First, I made the recipe basically as written (with a couple tweaks) on a busy weeknight, but was pretty bummed out at the results - huge lack of flavor, and I could hardly taste the poblanos.
I'd think the poblano flavor should be pretty prominent if it's in the title of the recipe!
A few new iterations of the recipe led to this: a delicious chili that's high in lean protein and has lots of poblano flavor shining through.
Jump to:
Ingredients for turkey and poblano chili
Ground turkey: Lean ground turkey works great for this recipe!
If you can get your hands on turkey breast or turkey tenderloins, feel free to substitute that.
Otherwise, you can swap in ground chicken or boneless, skinless chicken breasts, too.
Leftover turkey from Thanksgiving also shines in this recipe! If you're using pre-cooked turkey, simply add it towards the end, when you add the blended beans and poblano.
Baking soda: Baking soda in a chili recipe?! While this is optional, its purpose here is tenderize the turkey and prevent it from getting dry.
There's a little science at play here. Baking soda raises the meat's pH level, helping it to retain moisture.
All you have to do is add ½ teaspoon of baking soda, along with the other spices, to the ground turkey and mix it in. You won't taste a metallic flavor unless you add too much, so measure accurately!
Spices: A blend of chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper adds a little flavor to the turkey - nothing overpowering.
Poblano peppers: When I cook with poblanos, I'm looking to bring a load of flavor to the table with a little, but not too much, spice.
The original version of this recipe just called for softening the poblanos with the onions and celery. To be honest, I couldn't taste the poblano at ALL.
So I tripled the number of poblanos (from 1 to 3) and utilized my secret weapon for adding more depth of flavor: roasting.
Popping the poblanos under the broiler for a few minutes is all it takes. And the results? Flavor that deserves a spot in the recipe title.
Great Northern beans: 2 cans of Great Northern beans bulk up this poblano chili, and one will be used to help thicken the whole concoction.
Chicken stock/broth: And obvious necessity for any soup or chili! My favorite brand is Kettle & Fire.
How to make this chili
If you are well-versed in making soups, stews, and chilis, this turkey and poblano chili won't trip you up.
But in case you're not as experienced in the kitchen, here's the breakdown:
Season the turkey
Sprinkle the baking soda, chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper on the ground turkey and mix with your hands until the spices are incorporated.
If you're confused about the baking soda - it raises the meat's pH level, helping it to retain moisture, so the chili doesn't become dry.
Soften the onion and celery
Most soups, stews, and chilis start this way - by softening the aromatics.
Simply sauté over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, until softened and onions are somewhat translucent.
Then add the garlic and oregano, continuing to cook for a couple minutes.
Brown the turkey
Add the turkey and cook until mostly browned, breaking it up with a spatula into small chunks as it browns.
Don't worry about cooking it through - it'll be fully cooked by the time the chili is done.
Add beans and broth
Add 2 cans of beans (drained and rinsed), and all but ½ cup of the chicken broth.
Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. You'll let the mixture simmer for 20-30 minutes, while you prepare the poblanos.
Broil the poblanos
To help bring smoky poblano flavor to this chili, roast the poblanos! Set the broiler to high and move an oven rack to the top-most position.
Put the poblanos - whole - on a baking sheet and broil for 3-5 minutes until blistered and blackened in spots. Then flip and broil for another 3-5 minutes.
At this point, I like to transfer the hot poblanos to a heat-safe bowl and cover with plastic wrap. This creates a steamy environment for the poblanos and helps with removing the skin.
After the poblanos have cooled enough to handle, peel off the skin, remove the stem and seeds, and chop 2 of the poblanos. Add the chopped poblanos to the chili.
Blend remaining beans, poblano, and broth
Add the remaining can of beans, remaining broth, and last roasted poblano to a blender and blend until smooth.
This mixture will be our thickener for the chili!
Pour the mixture into the chili and stir until incorporated. Keep simmering for about 10 minutes, until the chili is heated through.
Serve with toppings as desired
Various toppings can add zest to this turkey and poblano chili.
A few ideas:
- Salsa verde
- Sour cream
- Chopped red onion
- Pickled red onion
- Spritz of lime juice
- Diced avocado
- Shredded cheese
FAQs and other questions
Yes, feel free to use ground chicken or leftover roasted or rotisserie chicken!
Yes, go for it. Use 2-3 cups of leftover turkey.
For the best flavor? Yes. But if you are tight on time and simply want to chop up the poblanos and soften them with the onion and celery, go for it.
You've got two options: you can mash up the remaining can of beans + broth as best you can before adding to the chili and chop up the third poblano with the rest, OR
You can simply skip the step and add the remaining beans, broth, and poblano to the pot. It'll end up more of a soup than a chili, but still delicious.
Substitutions and alterations
Change up the protein
Feel free to use ground chicken, skinless chicken breasts, or skinless turkey breasts in this chili.
If you found this recipe post-Thanksgiving or Christmas and you have leftover turkey, you can use that too!
Add more veggies
Kale makes a great addition to this chili!
You can also crank up the spice level by roasting a jalapeno alongside the poblano, dicing it, and adding it to the chili.
More soup and chili recipes
- Chicken Cabbage Soup with Apples
- Dairy Free Potato Leek Soup w/ Roasted Red Pepper
- Easy Stovetop Hamburger Soup (Whole30, Gluten Free)
- Creamy Leftover Turkey Wild Rice Soup
Did you make a batch of White Turkey & Poblano Chili? I'd love to hear what you think! Comment below or tag me on Instagram.
Print📖 Recipe
White Turkey and Poblano Chili
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 50
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 servings 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds ground turkey
- ½ teaspoon baking soda (optional, but recommended)
- ½ tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 3 poblano peppers
- 2 ribs celery, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 3 (15-oz) cans Great Northern beans, rinsed and divided
- 4 cups chicken broth, divided
- Salsa verde, sour cream, lime wedges, chopped avocado, and/or shredded cheese, for serving
Instructions
- Season turkey with baking soda, chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper, stirring to incorporate throughout the meat.
- Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and celery and cook, stirring frequently, for 4-6 minutes. Add the garlic and oregano and continue to cook for 2 minutes, until garlic is fragrant. Add the seasoned turkey and cook, using a spatula to break up the turkey as it browns, for another 4-6 minutes or until the turkey is mostly browned.
- Stir in 2 cans of beans and 3 ½ cups broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes until slightly thickened.
- Meanwhile, set the oven to broil and move oven rack to top-most position. Place poblanos on a baking sheet and place under the broiler. Broil for 2-3 minutes on each side, until poblanos have blistered and blackened in spots. Remove from the oven. Move the poblanos to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap to help the skins steam for easy removal. When cool enough to handle, gently peel the skins off the poblanos, then remove the stem and seeds. Set 1 poblano aside, then dice the remaining peppers into 1-inch pieces.
- Add remaining ½ cup stock, remaining can of beans, and reserved poblano to a blender and blend until smooth. (Alternatively, you can mash the mixture with a fork until as smooth as possible.) Stir into soup. Continue to simmer for about 10 minutes, until thickened. Serve with desired toppings.
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