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Spicy Buffalo Turkey Chili. This chili is perfect for game day, family dinners, and all the chilly nights ahead. It’s made with quick-to-cook ground turkey, enchilada sauce, hot sauce, poblano peppers, and spices, plus a touch of creaminess to balance all the spice. It’s so delicious. Top each bowl with plenty of cheddar cheese, fresh cilantro, avocado, and, of course, lots of salty, crunchy tortilla chips. And a squeeze of lime is delicious!
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Happy Halloween! If you’re a longtime follower, you probably know that I love Halloween. It’s such a fun holiday that really has no stress. Everyone, no matter their age, has the opportunity to be someone new for the day. Dress up, maybe host a party, or hand out candy, and definitely sneak in a few pieces of candy, too!
I’m excited because, in between all the work travel, I actually get to be home for Halloween this year. My little brother, Oslo, is dressing up as Batman, and I can’t wait to see him before he heads out tonight. He is so excited!
Something I always looked forward to as a kid was heading back to my grandparents after trick-or-treating for dinner. Usually, Nonnie would order pizzas for everyone, or she’d make a big pot of her chili. Some years, she’d just make both!
As a kid, I loved both pizza and chili, but her chili has always felt like the perfect Halloween dinner. I try to continue her tradition and always make chili or a cozy soup on Halloween night!
My family will never turn down a pot of chili. I made a double batch and froze half for later this month! Soups and chilis have been my go-to recently, and I’m trying to stock the freezer!
Onto the Details
Ingredients
- salted butter
- ground turkey, or use ground chicken, whatever you prefer
- onions
- poblano peppers
- celery garlic powder
- smoked paprika
- chipotle chili powder
- hot sauce
- red enchilada sauce
- broth
- yogurt
- cilantro
- fresh squeeze of lime juice
Special Tools
None! A big chili pot is all you need, plus customary items like a cutting board, a sharp knife, and a spatula.
Steps
Step 1: brown the turkey
In a big pot, start cooking the turkey with butter, onion, poblano peppers, and some celery. If the celery sounds odd, I encourage you to give it a try. It’s a classic with buffalo sauce. My dad actually took the time to call it out and say that he doesn’t usually like celery but that it was really good used in this chili!
We love to hear that!
Step 2: almost everything else
Now add the hot sauce, enchilada sauce, and broth and give everything a big stir.
Ideally, you let the chili simmer a few hours, but if you only have 10 minutes, that will work too. The more time to slow cook the more flavorful the chili.
Step 3: add the yogurt and cheese
When ready, mix a dollop of yogurt and a handful of cheese into the chili. The yogurt adds a nice creaminess to the chili and helps to cut down the spice level.
Always lots of cilantro tossed in at the end.
Finish this up!
Chili toppings are the best part. Because this is a mix between buffalo-style chili and tortilla soup, I knew salted, crunchy tortilla chips would be great!
I like to serve this chili with a handful of sharp cheddar cheese, yogurt, avocado, cilantro, chips, sea salt, and lime juice!
Everything came out so good! I’ll be making this throughout the fall and winter months!
I also love using turkey in this. I usually cook with chicken or beef, but this was a nice change! We really enjoyed it!
And at Thanksgiving, you could even use the leftover turkey for the chili. That would be great, too.
Looking for other warming winter dinners? Here are a few ideas:Â
Crockpot Spicy Chicken Tortilla Soup
Better For You Chicken and Spinach Ramen
Creamy Butternut Squash Butter Chicken
30 Minute Spicy Indian Butter Chicken
Coconut Milk Braised Black Pepper Chicken
Coconut Sweet Potato Lentil Soup with Rice
Lastly, if you make this Spicy Buffalo Turkey Chili, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Spicy Buffalo Turkey Chili
IngredientsÂ
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 pounds ground turkey or chicken
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 poblano peppers, seeded and chopped
- 3/4 cup chopped celery
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- salt and black pepper
- 1/2 cup hot sauce
- 3 cups red enchilada sauce
- 2-4 cups bone broth
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt or melted cream cheese
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- lots of salted tortilla chips
- yogurt, avocado, and green onion, for serving
InstructionsÂ
- 1. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the turkey, onion, poblano pepper, celery, garlic powder, paprika, chili powder, and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 5-10 minutes until the turkey is browned all over. 2. Add the hot sauce, enchilada sauce, and broth. Simmer for 10 minutes or up to all day. The longer you can cook, the more flavor the chili will have.3. Stir in the yogurt or melted cream cheese. Add the cheddar cheese. Cook for 5 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro4. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with tortilla chips. Then, finish as desired with a dollop of yogurt, avocado, green onions, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime juice. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
This is one of our FAVORITES!!!!!! This in the number one request when my daughter comes home from college!!!! Love it!!!
Hey Tracy,
Fantastic! I appreciate you making this recipe so often and your feedback, love to hear it always turns out well! Have a great weekend!
I love buffalo sauce. I love enchilada sauce. I love poblano peppers. I love Tieghan! It just didn’t come together for me taste wise. I did let it simmer for an hour. The consistency was good, and even better today after setting up in the fridge. I used the cream cheese and maybe it would have been better with the Greek yogurt, as that is tangier. Hmm. On to your new Spicy Queso Beef Chili.
Hey Ash,
I appreciate you trying this recipe and your feedback. So sorry to hear you didn’t love this one. I hope you like the queso beef chili better! xT
This was delicious and really spicy chili and very easy to make. I’m glad you changed the original ingredients from 3 cups of bone broth 2-4 cups because IMO 3 would have been far too much liquid, while 2 worked out fine after an hour of simmering without the top on the pot. Definitely one I’ll be making again!
Thanks so much, Helen! I appreciate you trying this recipe and your feedback, so glad it turned out well for you! xx
This was so good! My son said it was the best chili I’ve ever made! Thank you! I’ve tried so many ground turkey chili recipes and none were right. Only changes I made was using 1lb turkey and some black beans with one jar of enchilada sauce you recommended. I let it simmer for a few hours, added more bone broth once, and reduce hot sauce to our preference. Than
Hi Sanja,
Awesome! So glad to hear this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it! Have a great rest of the week:) Xxx
I ended up using ground beef & added pinto beans it was so good !! definitely spicy but super great flavors
Hi Molly,
Awesome! So glad to hear this recipe was a hit, thanks for making it! Happy New Year! xxT
Made this tonight, and it was super easy and quick! Great flavors and level of spiciness as well! Will definitely be making again.
Thanks so much, Jordan! Love to hear this recipe turned out well for you, I appreciate you making it! Happy New Year! xx