Turkey Chili

I have to admit it, sometimes my husband can be more thoughtful in the kitchen than me.  Now, let’s not get crazy- if he cooks dinner it’s usually something like a turkey burger or a steak with some steamed veggies, but when I’m having cookers block, John is pretty reliable for helping get my brain going.  I tend to always try and think of some grandiose dish that has an ingredient list so long it’ll make your head spin and that will take half the day to make (granted, this is only when I’m not almost in tears from being so busy with full-time school and work) and sometimes I need to be taken down a notch or two and reminded that I can still make something that tastes fantastic and cozy without having to put that much effort into it.  With that being said, a large portion of this recipe was developed by my lovely husband.

We got the very loose base for this recipe from my mother-in-law a few years ago (I think she got it from a company that makes bullion cubes) but from that time we have changed the recipe a lot.  First John cut down on the beans, we replaced salsa verde with jalapeño and green chiles to spice it up and completely eliminated the bullion cubes.  It’s really the perfect recipe.  One pot, inexpensive, pretty fast and easy (remember- my husband created this meal!), plus it’s pretty healthy (as long as you don’t count the seven pounds of corn bread with a large smearing of butter on each piece that I eat with it).

Now, keep in mind that we make this pretty spicy.  I actually realized that I have hit a point in my life where I would rather that virtually all food I eat be spicy.  So, if that’s not your thing, replace the can of jalapeños with a second can of green chiles.  And really, this dish can be customized as much or as little as you see fit.  The toppings is a place that you could get pretty creative if you wanted to.  Throw some tortilla strips, hot sauce, you name it.  All I say is don’t be afraid to try this on a night when you’re tired and don’t have all night to cook.  You will be very pleasantly surprised at how easy and tasty it really is.  Enjoy!

Turkey Chili

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 pound ground turkey

1, 4 ounce can diced chiles

1, 4 ounce can diced jalapeños

2, 15 ounce cans white beans- these can be your pick, cannellini, great northern…  Whatever you have on hand works!

1 cup chicken broth

1 teaspoon cumin

your favorite toppings- I use avocado, diced tomato,  jack cheese and cilantro

1. Melt the butter in a large stock pot and add the onion and garlic.  Cook until the onion becomes translucent, but they do not brown, 3-5 minutes.  Add the turkey and brown.  There is no need to be sure that the turkey is cooked all the way through because it will finish cooking by the time you are eating it, but make sure that you get a good sizzle for a bit to really release the flavors of the turkey.
2. Once the turkey has browned, add all of the remaining ingredients (other than the toppings of course).  Bring everything up to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the chili has thickened slightly.
3. Dish out into bowls and add the toppings of your choice.  It’s as easy as that!

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