skillet turkey chili
Instructions
Right around the timequarantine cookiesandtacosbecame a habit this spring, I also realized that that none of my existing chili recipes exactly fit the bill of what I wanted for dinner — namely, to focus on ground turkey, have a minimized ingredient list, and not take terribly long because it turns out that even with all day, every day at home, I just don’t have enough time to plan ahead for dinner and please don’t try to usereasonorpsychologyto suggest there areother forces at play, okay?
For fun — clearly I’m a party animal — I enjoy plucking random recipes from the archives, dusting them off, and seeing if a tune-up would be beneficial.* Sometimes I dig far enough back that I find photos so ghastly that I react as if a Dali-faced mask leapt out from my laptop screen (yes, I’min deep). And this was the case with a 2007 Red Bean Chili which I’m not even linking to; it’s that bad. But as I began tuning it up, I ended up leaving almost nothing from the original recipe — it now has a more fitting yield for a weeknight, adds ingredients in what I consider a better order, only uses turkey and beans, the spices are more balanced, and by balanced, I mean, we no longer use 1/3 cup chili powder, thank heavens. I’m sorry to tease you with the inclusion of a pretty cornbread, my favorite thing to make with chili — it’s almost, but not quite ready. But I promise you’ll read about it here first when it is.
*Hereareafewfromrecentmonths.
Two more chilis:Three-Bean ChiliandChicken Chili
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil1 large onion, chopped small3 cloves garlic, minced2 teaspoons kosher salt1 to 3 teaspoons ground chile powder (see Note; to taste)1 teaspoon dried oregano1 teaspoon ground cumin1 pound ground turkey1 15-ounce can black or small red beans, drained and rinsed1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes1 limeTo serve: Sour cream, pickled red onions, pickled jalapenos, grated cheddar, cornbread, fresh cilantro, lime wedges, and/or thinly sliced scallions
Cooking Tips
Always good to note: Chili powder is a spice blend for Tex-Mex chili. Chile powder is just made from ground chiles/dried hot peppers. I prefer the latter in chili, and then use the spice balance I want. Chile powders will range a lot in heat; use the level that you prefer. Alternately, or in addition, 1 tablespoon puree from a can of chipotles en adobo will provide a spicy, flavorful kick here. For the turkey, I prefer a blend of dark and light meat. To quick-pickled onions: Cut half of a small red onion into thin wedges. Toss with juice of half a lime, two good pinches of salt, one pinch of sugar, and set aside while you make the chili.