Thick Sweet Potato Turkey Chili
A thick, deeply seasoned chili built on properly browned ground turkey and tender cubes of sweet potato, with just one cup of broth so a spoon stands up in it.
Servings 6 servings
Ingredients
For the Chili
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 ¼ pounds ground turkey 93% lean, not 99%
- 1 yellow onion finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano Mexican oregano if you have it
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
- 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 ¼ pounds sweet potatoes peeled and cut into ½ inch cubes
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt plus more at the end
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper
- ¾ cup black beans about half a can, drained and rinsed
Toppings
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 cup sharp cheddar shredded
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro chopped
- 1 jalapeno thinly sliced
- 1 lime cut into wedges
Instructions
Brown the Turkey
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a wide Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add half the ground turkey and press it flat into a rough single layer. Leave it undisturbed for 4 minutes, until the underside is deeply browned.
- Break the turkey into coarse crumbles, cook 2 minutes more, and move it to a plate. Repeat with the remaining turkey.
Build and Simmer
- Lower the heat to medium, add the remaining tablespoon of oil and the diced onion, and cook 5 minutes in the browned bits left in the pot.
- Add the garlic, tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, cinnamon and cayenne. Stir for a full 60 seconds until the paste darkens to brick.
- Pour in the crushed tomatoes and the chicken broth, scraping the bottom of the pot clean. Return the turkey with any juices, add the cubed sweet potato, salt and pepper, and bring to a simmer.
- Simmer partly covered for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring gently every few minutes, until a knife slides into a sweet potato cube with slight resistance.
- Stir in the black beans and heat through for 3 minutes. Taste and add salt. Let the pot rest off the heat for 10 minutes before serving, which thickens it noticeably.
Notes
- Brown in two batches: crowding lean turkey floods the pot and it steams grey instead of browning. This is the most important step in the recipe.
- Use 93% lean: 99% lean breast meat has nothing to brown with and turns dry.
- Season heavier than beef: lean turkey needs roughly a third more seasoning, which is why the chili powder is 2 full tablespoons.
- Only 1 cup of broth: this is a thick chili, not a soup. If it is too thin, simmer uncovered another 5 minutes.
- Cinnamon stays at ⅛ teaspoon: it rounds off the tomato acidity and should never be identifiable.
- Slow cooker: brown on the stove first, then low 5 hours or high 2 ½, beans in for the last 20 minutes.
- Instant Pot: brown on saute in two batches, then high pressure 8 minutes with a 10 minute natural release.
- No beans version: leave them out entirely. The sweet potato is already the starch.
- Storage: 5 days in the fridge, 3 months frozen flat. Reheat low and slow so the cubes hold.