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Slow-Cooker Turkey Chili

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on September 3, 2013

Time

4 to 6 hours on low

Yield

Serves 8 to 10

Slow Cooker Size

5 to 7 quarts

Slow-Cooker Turkey Chili

Ingredients

¼ cup chili powder 1 tablespoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon dried oregano 2 slices hearty white sandwich bread, torn into pieces¼ cup soy sauce 6 garlic cloves, mincedSalt and pepper 2 pounds ground turkey 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 3 onions, chopped fine1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped¼ cup tomato paste 2 (16-ounce) cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce 1 ¼ cups low-sodium chicken broth 1 tablespoon brown sugar 2 teaspoons minced canned chipotle chiles in adobo

Before You Begin

You can use any ground turkey except 99 percent lean (also labeled “fat-free”) in this recipe. Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, and lime wedges. Hunt’s are our favorite diced tomatoes.

Instructions

  1. Heat chili powder, cumin, and oregano in large nonstick skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Set aside.
  2. Using potato masher, mash bread, soy sauce, 1 tablespoon toasted spices, half of garlic, and ½ teaspoon pepper in large bowl until smooth. Add ground turkey and gently knead until well combined.
  3. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in now-empty skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Cook turkey mixture, breaking up meat into 1-inch pieces with wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Transfer to slow-cooker insert. Add onion, bell pepper, and remaining oil to now-empty skillet and cook until softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in remaining toasted spices, tomato paste, and remaining garlic and cook until paste begins to darken, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to slow cooker.
  4. Stir beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce, broth, brown sugar, and chipotle into slow cooker. Cover and cook on low until turkey is tender, 4 to 6 hours. Season with salt and pepper. Serve. (Chili can be refrigerated in airtight container for 3 days.)
Slow-Cooker Turkey Chili

Slow-Cooker Turkey Chili

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By America's Test Kitchen
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Time

4 to 6 hours on low

Yield

Serves 8 to 10

Slow Cooker Size

5 to 7 quarts

Ingredients

¼ cup chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 slices hearty white sandwich bread, torn into pieces
¼ cup soy sauce
6 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and pepper
2 pounds ground turkey
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 onions, chopped fine
1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped
¼ cup tomato paste
2 (16-ounce) cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 ¼ cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons minced canned chipotle chiles in adobo

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

¼ cup chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 slices hearty white sandwich bread, torn into pieces
¼ cup soy sauce
6 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and pepper
2 pounds ground turkey
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 onions, chopped fine
1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped
¼ cup tomato paste
2 (16-ounce) cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 ¼ cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons minced canned chipotle chiles in adobo

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

¼ cup chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 slices hearty white sandwich bread, torn into pieces
¼ cup soy sauce
6 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and pepper
2 pounds ground turkey
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 onions, chopped fine
1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped
¼ cup tomato paste
2 (16-ounce) cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 ¼ cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons minced canned chipotle chiles in adobo

Test Kitchen Techniques

Why This Recipe Works

Without ground beef, our Slow Cooker Turkey Chili needed depth of flavor. Adding chicken broth and soy sauce provided “meatiness,” while canned chipotle chiles added a complex smoky taste. For an extra flavor boost, we toasted the spices in a dry skillet. Because the chicken broth thinned the chili, we thickened the stew back up by draining the diced tomatoes and stirring in tomato paste. Mixing a panade (a paste of bread and milk) into the turkey kept it from drying out, but we swapped the milk for soy sauce, resulting in tender pieces with a “beefy” kick.

Before You Begin

You can use any ground turkey except 99 percent lean (also labeled “fat-free”) in this recipe. Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, and lime wedges. Hunt’s are our favorite diced tomatoes.

Instructions

  1. Heat chili powder, cumin, and oregano in large nonstick skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Set aside.
  2. Using potato masher, mash bread, soy sauce, 1 tablespoon toasted spices, half of garlic, and ½ teaspoon pepper in large bowl until smooth. Add ground turkey and gently knead until well combined.
  3. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in now-empty skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Cook turkey mixture, breaking up meat into 1-inch pieces with wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Transfer to slow-cooker insert. Add onion, bell pepper, and remaining oil to now-empty skillet and cook until softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in remaining toasted spices, tomato paste, and remaining garlic and cook until paste begins to darken, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to slow cooker.
  4. Stir beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce, broth, brown sugar, and chipotle into slow cooker. Cover and cook on low until turkey is tender, 4 to 6 hours. Season with salt and pepper. Serve. (Chili can be refrigerated in airtight container for 3 days.)

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