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I couldn’t think of a better recipe to kick the month off than this healthy slow cooker turkey and white bean chili. Nothing beats a slowly simmered chili on a cold October day. Made with ground turkey, bell peppers, smoky chipotle peppers, white beans, and served with sharp cheddar cheese and avocado. This bowl of chili is a hearty, healthy and cozy dinner that you can feel good about eating.
Happy October first! It’s the month of all things Halloween and as you can tell from Saturday’s “spooky” Poison Apple Martini I am very, very excited! I love the month of October so much, and I’m looking forward to all that is to come!
I spent the weekend finally getting caught up with work. And while I’m still not where I’d like to be, I am entering the month feeling a little more on top of things and a little more confident. It feels good. My goal for this month is just to take things one day at a time. In an effort to not feel like I’m being pulled in a million different directions, I also want to focus my energy on one project at a time. I put my new mantra into practice over the weekend and so far so good. Fingers crossed I can’t stick with this. My mom always says it’s best to take things one day at a time, so I’m listening to her words of wisdom. After all, it’s true what they say, moms know best.
No real reason in sharing all that, other than a little positive Monday pep talk for us all…
Ok, I’ll go back to writing about what I am good at now, the food.
How much do you guys love chili?
It’s always been one of my favorites come the fall, but growing up the only chili I ever knew was Cincinnati style chili. If you’ve never experienced Cincinnati chili, it’s just a thicker chili served over angel hair pasta. It is my mom’s favorite. To this day, the only way she will eat chili is over pasta and topped with cheddar. The only way…so yes, when I gave the family this chili to try, she indeed ate it over pasta.
Anyway, point is, I didn’t grow up eating bowls of chili. So making a soupy style chili feels like something completely new and different to me. I’ll always love Cincinnati chili, but I also love today’s healthier chili probably just as much.
On to the details…
To start, you’ll want to brown the ground turkey on the stove-top. You can also use ground chicken, both will work equally great. I know that this extra step is a bit of a pain, but trust me, when working with ground meat it’s a step you have to take. On that note, I recently got a slow cooker that can also brown meat before you begin slow cooking. It’s a game-changer. I highly recommend investing in an all in one browning slow cooker if you love slow cooking.
Brown the meat, add all the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker and set for six or so hours. Then come home to the most delicious smells and dinner that’s ready for eating. Does not get better than that.
To bump up the flavors of my chili, I used a mix of chipotle chili peppers, chili powder, and my secret ingredient, apple butter. I know it may seem weird to use apple butter in chili, but the sweetness balances out the spice of the chili. Go with me on this, promise it takes the chili to a who would have known delicious level.
Finish each bowl off with a sprinkle of cheddar cheese, sliced avocado, and green onions. AND serve with the 5 Ingredient Honey Butter Beer Bread from the cookbook. A bowl of chili is not complete without beer bread.
Also, while I am providing you guys with Instant Pot directions, I much prefer this recipe to be made in the slow cooker if time allows. No matter how much pressure cooking you do, nothing will be the same as slow cooking a chili all day long. It gives the chili time to develop flavor and creates the most wonderful smells throughout your house.
I highly recommend making this for Sunday night dinner and then enjoying the leftovers throughout the week. Perfection.
If you make this Healthy Slow Cooker Turkey and White Bean Chili, please 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 also tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Healthy Slow Cooker Turkey and White Bean Chili
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 849 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 small yellow onions, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 2 pounds ground turkey or chicken
- 2 red peppers, seeded and chopped
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo, finely chopped (use 1 pepper for less heat)
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2-3 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 can (28 ounce) crushed tomatoes
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon apple butter
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 can (14 ounce) white beans, drained
- cheddar cheese, avocado, green onions, and cilantro for serving
Instructions
Slow Cooker
- 1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the onion and cook about 5 minutes or until it begins to caramelize around the edges. Stir in the garlic and cook another minute. Add the turkey and brown all over, breaking up the meat as you go, about 5 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat.2. Transfer the turkey to the bowl of your slow cooker. Add in the red bell peppers, chipotle peppers, chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in 2 cups chicken broth, the tomatoes, tomato paste, apple butter, and bay leaves, stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours. During the last hour of cooking, stir in the beans. If your chili is too thick, add the remaining broth to thin as desired. 3. Remove the bay leaves and ladle the chili into bowls. Top with cheddar cheese, avocado, and green onions. Eat!
Instant Pot
- 1. Set the instant pot to sauté. Add the olive oil and onion and cook about 5 minutes or until it begins to caramelize around the edges. Stir in the garlic and cook another minute. Add the turkey and brown all over, breaking up the meat as you go, about 5 minutes. Turn the instant pot off.2. Add in the red bell peppers, chipotle peppers, chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in 2 cups chicken broth, the tomatoes, tomato paste, apple butter, and bay leaves, stir to combine. Cover and cook on soup/chili for 25 minutes.3. Once done cooking, use the quick release and release the steam. Stir in the beans. Remove the bay leaves and ladle the chili into bowls. Top with cheddar cheese, avocado, and green onions. Eat!
For instapot, why do you put the beans in after all the cooking is done? Doesn’t that mean the beans don’t cook/soften up?? Thank you, and we love your recipes!!
Hey Kirsten,
Since you are using canned beans, the beans are already cooked, you just want to warm them through at the at. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Wondering if I sub pumpkin maple butter since I already have it?
Hey Jo,
Sure that would work! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
What can you use instead of apple butter? Or can it just be omitted?
Hey Kate,
You can omit the apple butter. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Are you able to put in the nutrition facts for carbs/protein/fat or tell us what calorie calculator you use?
Hi Carly! I actually do not have the nutritional information! I am sorry about this! xTieghan
Can you make this on the stove top?
Hey Elise,
Absolutely! I would let it simmer for at least 3 hours. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This recipe was easy, used easy to find ingredients/pantry staples, and it turned out amazing. My whole apartment smells incredible. I did it the instant pot way, but I will try the slow cooker method next time. I shared this link with all of my friends and family it’s so good.
Wow I am so happy this turned out so well for you, Erin! Thank you for trying this and for sharing it! xTieghan
This was so good. Made it for dinner and loved how easy it was. It was ready to eat as soon as I got off of work. One of the best chilis I’ve ever had. So full of flavor and so warm – perfect for fall. This will be a new regular!
That is so amazing to hear! Thank you Annika! xTieghan
This was super good!
Thank you Maria! xTieghan
5 stars because holy mess that was so damn good. The apple butter and cinnamon are a chili game changer. Thank you!! ◡̈
Thank you so much Hannah! xTieghan
Really good chili. Love your recipes. Trying to use my Instapot more. Used my Instapot and cut recipe in half. Pot started releasing steam before cook time was over. Burn light came on. Any ideas why this happened?
Hey Molly,
Thanks for trying the recipe! So sorry you had issues with it in the instant pot, I am wondering if you adjusted the recipe at all? Or if it was an issue with your Instant pot! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi and Greetings from the UK. Recipe look fabulous I am going to try it this week. Just a note…. I wanted to print the recipe with half the quantities. But there is no facility to amend the serving size when you click print it reverts back to the full serving size. I don’t know if it’s a technical ‘blip’ or if this is standard on your blog, I also tried to change serving size on a different recipe and it did the same. Thanks and stay safe safe…
Thank you so much Nina! I am really happy this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Hi! I was wondering if I wanted to add extra veggies to
This recipe – which ones you think would work with the slow cooking process? I love celery, carrots and corn but don’t want it to come out mushy. Do you have any suggestions?
Thank you! I really Love your recipes!
Hey Gabby,
You could go ahead and add the carrots and celery and then I would add the corn at the end. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I LOVE HALF BAKED HARVEST! My whole week of dinners are HBH. Thank you for your amazing recipes, cooking and baking inspiration.
Quick question about SC turkey white bean chili: I do not have apple butter at this time. Would agave, honey or brown sugar work?
Thanks again. Can’t wait for the next inspiration post.
Patty
Hey Patty,
I would use some honey or maple syrup! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Like many others I’ve noticed who are taking the time to write their first review on a Pinterest recipe, here I am doing the same. We made the chili tonight with a few additions… because we like it chunky! First, I changed the servings to 10 since it’s a meal prep for the week. We added 1 sweet potato, 1 can of garbanzo beans, baby Bella mushrooms, baby spinach, and we used 2-14oz cans of fire roasted tomatoes instead of crushed. Wow! It’s delicious!!! Only thing that could’ve made it tastier is bacon, but how healthy is that?!!! Thank you so much for having a plethora of amazing foods to make. I don’t follow many or obsess over their recipes, but here I am, a fan to yours!
I am so glad you loved this one, Nina!! Thank you so much for trying it! I hope you continue to enjoy my blog and recipes! xTieghan
do you have the nutritional info for this recipe?
Hey Jessica,
So sorry we do not have this available. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan