Chef John's Turkey Chili

I served mine with some beautifully ripe slices of avocado that gives the final bowl another layer of silky richness. By the way, don't let the cocoa powder in our chili spice mixture throw you off! It's only a small amount and it really works. My chili was garnished with sour cream, diced jalapeno, cilantro and avocado.

• Preparation Time: 10 mins
• Cooking Time: 1 hr 40 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 50 mins
• Calories: 448 Calories

Ingredients

• ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 cups water
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 ½ teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 ½ pounds ground turkey
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• ¼ cup ancho chile powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground dried chipotle pepper
• 1 cup tomato puree
• 2 (12 ounce) cans pinquito or pinto beans, drained and rinsed

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Mix the ancho chile powder, paprika, cumin, salt, chipotle pepper, oregano, cocoa powder, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and cinnamon in a bowl; set aside.

Step 2

Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the ground turkey and garlic. Cook and stir until turkey is no longer pink, breaking up any large chunks, 7 to 8 minutes. Stir in the spice mixture. Cook until fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes.

Step 3

Stir in the tomato puree and water. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low. Cook until the turkey meat is broken down, about 1 hour. Stir in the beans, and continue to simmer until flavors have blended, 20 to 30 more minutes.