Why It Works
- Treating the ground turkey with salt and baking soda raises its pH and helps it retain moisture, ensuring juicy, tender meat instead of the dry, rubbery texture common in quick-cooked ground turkey chilis.
- Toasting and hydrating dried chiles in the microwave creates a rich, smoky base without the dusty flavor of store-bought chili powders.
As soon as the air turns crisp enough to warrant a light jacket but not a full parka, my mind goes to chili. Not the heavy, slow-simmered kind meant to thaw you out after shoveling snow, but a type that hints at the cold winter to come. This ground turkey-and-butternut squash version, developed by our colleague Craig Ruff in our Birmingham, Alabama, test kitchen, fits that bill. It’s hearty but not heavy, warming without weighing you down, and perfect for that first night you turn the heat on just to take the chill off.
Serious Eats / Robby Lozano
The challenge with turkey chili is that it’s so often a consolation prize—a “healthy” stand-in for beef versions. Too many recipes rely on a packet of chili seasoning, a can of crushed tomatoes, and blind hope that cumin alone will conjure depth of flavor. The result is usually dry, dusty tasting, and disappointingly one-note. We wanted to prove you could make a fast, flavor-packed turkey chili that actually tastes like something worth making again and again.
Craig found that the secret to this starts where many turkey chilis go wrong: the turkey itself. Ground turkey can go from tender to rubbery within minutes. But a quick treatment of salt and baking soda before cooking ensures that doesn’t happen. We’ve previously written about baking soda’s game-changing culinary abilities. Here, the salt seasons the meat thoroughly, while the baking soda raises the pH just enough to help it retain moisture as the proteins tighten during cooking. The ground turkey stays juicy and tender even after a 20-minute simmer, without any hint of a sawdust texture.
Serious Eats / Robby Lozano
Craig also ditched the dusty pre-ground chili powder entirely and uses whole dried chiles instead. A mix of fruity ancho chiles and one smoky canned chipotle in adobo creates a flavorful foundation. To ensure the chiles blend easily, Craig microwaves the chiles with chicken stock until they’re completely softened. While they soften, you can sauté your onions and bloom the spices (cumin, coriander, oregano, and black pepper) in oil, building layers of flavor without wasting time.
Once blended with whole peeled tomatoes, the chile mixture forms a rich, aromatic base that’s earthy and bright. The tomatoes add gentle acidity without the metallic tang that canned diced ones can sometimes have. Then in go the turkey, beans (and their thick, starchy canning liquid, which adds body), and cubes of butternut squash for a seasonal twist. The squash softens as the flavors meld, and its sweetness balances the chiles’ smoky heat.
Serious Eats / Robby Lozano
At the very end, a spoonful of dark brown sugar (optional) and a splash of apple cider vinegar tie it all together. Taste the chili before adding the sugar. Craig found the sugar rounds out the chiles’ punch, but butternut squash’s natural sweetness varies, so you might not need it. The final chili is smoky, subtly sweet, and deeply satisfying, yet still light enough for those early fall evenings when the leaves are turning but your winter appetite hasn’t quite kicked in.
This recipe was developed by Craig Ruff; The headnote was written by Leah Colins.
My Bold, Warming Turkey Chili Is Perfect for the First Frost of Fall
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Ingredients
2 pounds 85/15 lean ground turkey
4 1/4 teaspoons (14 g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt, divided, plus more to taste; for table salt, use half as much by volume
1 tablespoon water
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 ounces (57 g) ancho chiles (about 4 chiles), stemmed, seeded, and torn into 1-inch pieces
2 1/2 cups (590 ml) homemade chicken stock or store-bought low-sodium chicken broth
1 (14–ounce; 397 g) can whole peeled tomatoes
1 teaspoon (15 g) minced canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (optional)
1/4 cup (60 ml) vegetable oil
1 large (10 ounces, 283 g) yellow onion, finely chopped (about 2 cups)
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons (10 g) ground cumin
1 tablespoon (6 g) ground coriander
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 (15-ounce) can dark red kidney beans, undrained
10 ounces (283 g) peeled and seeded butternut squash, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (about 2 cups cubed)
2 tablespoons (30 ml) apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar, optional
Finely chopped red onion
Fresh cilantro leaves
Grated sharp cheddar cheese
In a medium bowl, toss turkey, 1 tablespoon water, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and baking soda until thoroughly combined. Set aside for 20 minutes.
In a medium microwave-safe bowl, place ancho chiles and stock. Cover and microwave on high, stirring occasionally, until chiles have softened, 5 to 6 minutes. Carefully, transfer mixture to a blender. Add peeled tomatoes and chipotle chile to blender, secure lid and process mixture until smooth, about 1 minute. Set aside. (Use caution when puréeing hot ingredients and do not overfill the blender.)
Serious Eats / Robby Lozano
In a large Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 6 to 8 minutes.
Serious Eats / Robby Lozano
Add garlic, cumin, coriander, oregano, and black pepper to Dutch oven, and cook over medium, stirring often, until garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in turkey and 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until turkey begins to brown, 6 to 8 minutes.
Serious Eats / Robby Lozano
Add reserved chile mixture, kidney beans and liquid from can, butternut squash, and remaining 1 teaspoon kosher salt to Dutch oven; bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until squash is tender and flavors have melded, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in vinegar and brown sugar, if using. Season with salt to taste. Serve topped with red onion, cilantro, and cheddar.
Serious Eats / Robby Lozano
Special Equipment
Medium microwave-safe bowl, blender, large Dutch oven
Make-Ahead and Storage
The chili can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 2 months.
