Baby, it’s cold outside! It’s time for some soul warming chipotle turkey and sweet potato chili
When it’s cold, all I want is chili. Especially after a long day of skiing. There’s just something about a big bowl of chili with just the right amount of spice that warms you from the inside out.
This chili is made without beans but if you’re not following a paleo diet or on a Whole30 or you can’t possibly fathom chili without beans, feel free to add a can of black beans or pinto beans. However, with the starchy sweet potatoes I don’t even miss the beans.
Spice is so nice
The amount of chipotle powder in this recipe is pretty small but it packs a big punch and really makes the dish something special. Chipotle pepper is unique in that it gives everything a smokey flavor along with the heat. And it’s particular intoxicating when combined with fire-roasted tomatoes (though you can use plain canned tomatoes too.) Look for chipotle powder in the bulk spice sections of well-stocked grocery stores and buy just what you need for a few batches. It’s also great stirred into your favorite salsa, mayonnaise, marinade or barbecue sauce.
You can also substitute 1 small chipotle chili canned in adobo sauce (remove the seeds and membranes for less heat) and the leftover chiles can be frozen in ice cube trays then stored in a zip-top bag in the freezer for future use. A little chipotle pepper blended into homemade Ranch Dressing or garlicky hummus is a game changer.
Make extras, you’ll be glad you did!
Whenever I make this in the slow cooker I ALWAYS double the recipe because it freezes exceptionally well. And why not cook once and eat twice?
Sweet potatoes stand in for beans in this hearty @whole30-friendly chili. #freezerfriendly Click To Tweet
Serve it up
I love my Chipotle Turkey and Sweet Potato Chili served steaming hot with diced avocado, fresh cilantro and lots of lime wedges. It’s perfect for dinner and even for breakfast for all of my fellow egg-free peeps.
- 1 Tbsp. coconut oil
- 1 lb. ground turkey
- 1 cup diced onion (about ½ large)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 28-ounces fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into small cubes
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 tsp. chili powder
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- ¼ - ½ tsp. ground chipotle powder (may substitute 1 canned chipotle in adobo sauce)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Heat oil in medium saucepan set over medium-high heat.
- When oil starts to shimmer, add ground turkey. Break up turkey with a wooden spoon and cook 5 minutes.
- Add onions and garlic and continue to cook an additional 8-10 minutes or until onions are translucent and meat is almost cooked through.
- Turn up the heat to high. Add tomatoes, sweet potatoes, broth and seasonings and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered 10-15 minutes until chili is hot and sweet potatoes are tender. A longer simmer will intensify the flavors and leftovers are even better the next day.
- Heat oil in medium saucepan set over medium-high heat.
- When oil starts to shimmer, add ground turkey. Break up turkey with a wooden spoon and cook 5 minutes.
- Add onions and garlic and continue to cook an additional 8-10 minutes or until onions are translucent and meat is almost cooked through.
- Transfer meat to the slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients, tomatoes through chipotle chili.
- Cover and cook on LOW heat for 6-7 hours or until sweet potatoes are tender. Taste and season with salt and pepper before serving.
- Serve with optional toppings, if desired.
Pin now to make later!
Are you a chili with beans or without beans kind of person? We’d love to hear how you like your chili in the comments below.
This recipe was originally published at blog.paleohacks.com.
Tried this recipe last night since I had all the ingredients handy and all I can say is “WOW!”. My chili was fantastic and the addition of the purple sweet potatoes in my fridge made all the difference. I’ve not tried using sweet potatoes in this manner and this chili has an added dimension that other chili recipes don’t and I honestly believe it is due to the sweet potatoes. I also added a can of kidney beans and cannellini beans & used fire roasted tomatoes. My husband was crazy about this chilli. It was easy to prepare and so flavorful, I can’t help but recommend it to others. To date one co-worker joined this page. She is my “gluten-free sister” and saw my post raving about this wonderful dish. Thanks!
Awwwwww…..we’re blushing over here! Thank you for your kind words and for sharing the love with your friends and coworkers. We’re so glad you loved the chili. It’s personally one of my favorites and I always tripled the batch to stash some in the freezer for an easy meal. Love the addition of beans too! Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback – it’s the secret sauce that keeps us cooking and creating every day.
I am definitely planning on making this, but I just purchased a slow cooker and I’m dying to utilize it! Do you think this could be adapted?
You can absolutely use your slow cooker! Just brown the meat, onions and garlic before adding them to the slow cooke then you can add the remaining ingredients. Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours. The sweet potatoes may be really tender at this point so you may be able to cook for a lesser amount of time depending on your preferences, your schedule and how hot your slow cooker runs.
great recipe, thanks this post
Thanks, Mary!!
I fixed this for the fam and unfortunately………we had ZERO leftovers. They loved it! My daughter requested I fix a pot today and be sure and make plenty so we can take it in our lunch.
That’s unfortunately fantastic news! We have the same problem at our house 🙂
I made this today in my slow cooker. I just cooked the turkey and threw all the ingredients in the slow cooker. Delicious! Thank you!
Hey Kim!
That’s fantastic – thanks for sharing and so happy to hear you loved the chili!
I am such a fan of your recipes! This one was no exception. I bulked up the protein by adding kidney beans and black beans, and I used fire roasted tomatoes to echo the smokiness of the chipotle. It was really satisfying and so quick to put together! Thanks for another winner.
Hi Maura,
Thanks for your kind words and taking the time to share how you beefed up the chili and subbed fire-roasted tomatoes. I’m such a fan of those tomatoes, I think they make everything amazing.
I just got an instant pot for my birthday (yay!!!) And was wondering how you would adapt this recipe to be instant pot friendly? This sounds DELICIOUS and I’m dying to try out my new pot!
This recipe has not been tested in the Instant Pot. However, you sure could try 🙂
Follow the recipe through step 3 using the saute function. Then add the remaining ingredients and turn instant pot to manual for 10 minutes. That should work!
Looking forward to trying this recipe. What can I substitute the tomatoes with? Thank you.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a good substitute for the tomatoes. You could add more onions or other vegetables and slightly more broth but that would change the flavor of the chili significantly.
Love, Love, love this chili. I do use the chili pepper in Adobo sauce. I have made several batches and it also freezes well.
Thanks, Sharon!
It’s my favorite too. It’s one of my favorite post-workout meals (even breakfasts!)