Paleo Turkey Chili Recipe

This paleo turkey chili recipe is healthy, cozy, and super easy to make! It’s made with tons of veggies, and lean ground turkey, and is full of flavor. I’m sharing how to make it on the stovetop, slow cooker, and instant pot!

Paleo turkey chili recipe

My go-to high-protein chili is made with ground beef but this no-bean turkey chili may just steal that spot!

It has a lighter feel than traditional chili, thanks to the ground turkey meat.

It’s cozy, and loaded with fresh ingredients that mix together for the perfect chili!

To keep it paleo, beans are omitted. However, if you’d like to make it bean chili, go for it! Kidney beans, black beans, pinto beans, and chili beans are all great choices to add in while the chili cooks.

What you need for this healthy turkey chili recipe

• ground turkey
• canned crushed tomatoes
• chicken bone broth
• onion
• green bell pepper
• carrots
• garlic
• paprika
• chili powder
• ground cumin
• sea salt
• pepper
• turmeric
• cinnamon

How to make turkey chili on the stove top

Scroll down to view the recipe card below for the full ingredients list, nutrition facts, and step-by-step instructions.

1. In a large pot or dutch oven, turn the heat to medium-high and add the ground turkey. Saute for 7-9 minutes, until it is no longer pink.
2. When turkey is fully cooked, add in the crushed tomatoes, broth, vegetables, and seasonings. Stir until thoroughly combined.
3. Bring chili to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and cook for 1.5-2 hours on low-medium heat, stirring every once in a while.
4. Serve with your favorite toppings. Mine are listed below the how-to video!

Watch me make this healthy chili recipe

The full how to video can be watched below, or on my YouTube channel!

Favorite chili toppings

Here’s a list of my favorite chili toppings. If you need to keep your toppings paleo/dairy-free, be sure to choose dairy-free alternatives!

• fresh cilantro
• avocado
• sliced jalapeno
• hot sauce
• sour cream or coconut cream
• shredded cheese
• minced green onion
• tortilla chips

How to make paleo turkey chili in a slow cooker

1. Heat a large pot to medium heat. Add ground turkey and saute, breaking up big pieces, until the turkey is no longer pink. Set aside for later. 
2. Add the cooked turkey plus all the remaining ingredients into a slow cooker and give it a good stir. Cook on low heat for 8 hours then serve with your favorite toppings.

How to make paleo turkey chili in an instant pot

1. Press the saute setting on the 6 QT Instant Pot. Once it reads “hot” add the ground turkey and let it saute for 7-9 minutes, breaking up the ground meat. 
2. When the turkey is fully cooked, press “cancel” to turn the pressure cooker off. 
3. Add the remaining ingredients and stir. Cover with the lid, and seal (making sure that the valve on the lid is set to the “sealing” position).
4. Select “manual” on the instant pot (or high pressure) and set it to 15 minutes.
5. Once the 15 minutes are complete, let the pressure release naturally for about 10 minutes, or if you need it sooner, use the quick-release method. Enjoy it with all the fixings!

Repurpose leftover turkey chili

Leftover chili can be enjoyed as is, but if you like to mix things up and turn your original recipe into something new, you’ll love these ideas!

• Make a batch of butternut squash mac and cheese and mix it with chili – instant chili mac!
• Try chili potato skins
• Make an omelet stuffed with leftover chili
• Turn your hot dogs into chili dogs with all the fixings
• Flavor up leftover rice with turkey chili added in

How to store

Chili is great for meal prep because it stores in the fridge really well. You’ll want to fully cool the chili before storing it in the fridge or freezer.

Once cool, store in a glass container or an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

You can also freeze it for longer storage! Cool fully, then place in a freezer bag. Label it, date it, and freeze it for up to 6 months.

When a busy weeknight comes up, pull the frozen chili out, defrost, and enjoy!

If you forget to defrost it, no worries. You can remove the frozen chili and place it in a large pot with the lid on. Turn the heat to medium-low heat and let it slowly defrost.

As it defrosts liquid will be released and you can mix it. Once defrosted turn the heat up to warm through.

This is a great way to enjoy frozen chili on a cold day!

Substitutions

Below you’ll find a list of substitutions that will work well in this paleo chili recipe. 

If you try something different out, please leave a comment below letting us all know how it turned out!

Ground turkey – Any ground meat can be used in place of the lean ground turkey here. Keep it lean with ground chicken, or go for ground beef, ground bison, or ground pork!

Green bell pepper – Any color of bell peppers work great in this recipe. If you are a fan of heat, feel free to sub in a jalapeno or another pepper with more spice.

Carrots – Diced sweet potatoes work well in this recipe! Another great option is to add canned pumpkin for that bit of sweetness that the carrots offer and turn it into a pumpkin turkey chili – yum!

Crushed tomatoes – Don’t have crushed tomatoes on hand? Use a mix of tomato sauce and diced tomatoes instead.

Chicken broth – Chicken bone broth, beef bone broth, or vegetable broth works well here. If you have no broth options, simply use water instead.

More great recipes you’ll love

• Healthy beef chili
• Twice-baked chili potatoes
• Sweet skillet cornbread

If you try this favorite chili recipe, I’d love it if you left a star rating and comment below letting me know how it turned out!

XO

Heather