One Pot Turkey Chili with Black Beans

The cooler months of the year are the perfect time to make one pot turkey chili with black beans.

I first tried this healthy one pot turkey chili recipe more than fourteen years ago. I was part of a "soup group" at my first professional job out of college. About six other girls and I would rotate making a slow cooker soup to share with the group once a week.

One of the girls in the soup group brought this one pot turkey chili with black beans recipe. She said she found it in a Woman's Health magazine. This healthy chili recipe even received awards in chili contests. Not only is it a healthy chili recipe, it has a secret ingredient - cinnamon!

I never thought turkey chili with cinnamon would ever taste good. I always think that cinnamon is a spice used for sweet recipes. However, cinnamon in chili can deepen the flavor of your chili.

I also like this easy one pot turkey chili with black beans because it takes traditional chili to another level and is so quick and simple. The turkey chili recipe calls for three cans of different types of beans - black beans, chickpeas (garbanzo beans), and red kidney beans.

The different colors, sizes, and flavors of the beans create a colorful and flavorful one pot chili. The turkey chili is also ready in less than 20 minutes.

What are the ingredients in one pot turkey chili?

Many one pot turkey chili recipes exist. However, this particular easy turkey chili recipe needs the following ingredients:

• Onion.
• Rotel/Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilis.
• Chicken broth.
• Chickpeas.
• Black beans.
• Red kidney beans.
• Ground turkey.
• Salt.
• Cinnamon
• Cayenne pepper.

How do you make turkey chili?

It is very simple to make one pot turkey chili with black beans. Follow these steps:

1. Dice onion. Add a drizzle of oil to a medium to large pot. Sauté the onion over medium heat until the onion is translucent and slightly brown, about 4 minutes.
2. Add the ground turkey to the pan. Brown the turkey until it is cooked through.
3. Drain the liquid from the Rotel (diced tomatoes with green chilis) and the black beans, chickpeas (garbanzo beans), and red kidney beans. You do not need to rinse the beans though. Dump all of the cans into the pot. Add the pinch of salt, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper. Bring the one pot turkey chili to a boil.
4. Turn the heat to low and simmer for approximately 15 minutes. If desired, serve with crackers, cheese, and sour cream.

📖 Recipe

What does cinnamon do to chili?

Cinnamon deepens the flavor of chili without adding any extra spiciness. The flavor of cinnamon goes well with the other ingredients found in chili (like tomatoes and chili powder). This quick one pot turkey chili includes cinnamon, but other complimentary and surprising flavors that could be added to chili are strong coffee (such as an espresso shot) or dark chocolate. These seasonings boost the meat flavor in chili.

How much cinnamon should I add to chili?

Don't worry if you accidentally add cinnamon to chili! It helps deepen the flavor of chili. However, cinnamon can be a strong flavor, especially when it is usually a spice added to sweet recipes. Therefore, this particular easy cinnamon chili recipe only calls for one-fourth a teaspoon of cinnamon. If you want to add more cinnamon, slowly add cinnamon in small increments.