At Home: Turkey Chili

Fall is here and so is football season and more common in our house...baseball playoffs.  Keith wanted to make his "one pot" Turkey Chili for a game time meal and it was the perfect cloudy and cool day to feature on What Micky Eats...At Home.  By cooking everything in one pot, this dish is super easy for game day parties and convenient for quick clean up.  Keith tends to like his chili on the spicy side and has a few secret ingredients to give it extra heat.  We always serve it over white rice, with cheese and sour cream on top. Sometimes I'll eat it with tortilla chips for extra texture. This chili warms my belly every time!

Keith's Turkey Chili (Serves 8 - 10)

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1½ pounds ground turkey
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 1 teasp garlic, minced
• 3 large jalapeño chiles, minced
• 1 - 2 Anaheim peppers, diced
• 1 green or red bell pepper, diced
• 3 Tbsp chili powder
• 1 teasp cayenne powder
• 1 teasp paprika
• 1 teasp cumin 
• 1 Tbsp coriander seeds, crushed
• ½ teasp parsley
• 1 teasp Sriracha
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 2 cans tomato paste (6 oz each)
• 2 cans diced tomatoes (14.5 oz each)
• 1 can plain tomato sauce (15 oz), optional
• 2 cans dark red kidney beans, half drained (15.5 oz each)
• 1 can light red kidney beans, half drained (15.5 oz)

- Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot. Add the onion, garlic, bell pepper, Anaheims and jalapeños and sauté over high heat, about 6 minutes. (Depending on your spice level preference, you can omit the pepper seeds for less spice.  Also, the Anaheims can be potent, so start with one and add more as needed.)
- Add the ground turkey and season with salt & pepper and chili powder.
- Cook over high heat until brown, about 4 minutes.
- Stir in the diced tomatoes and let stew with the meat for 2 minutes. (We like the fire roasted kind or with added green chiles.)
- Once boiling, add the kidney beans and simmer for 2 minutes.
- Add cayenne, paprika, cumin, parsley and coriander and cook over low heat, stirring often, until fragrant, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the tomato paste. (Add plain tomato sauce if too thick and need more liquid.)
- Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer covered for 1 to 1½ hours, stirring occasionally.
- Midway through, add the Sriracha.  Stir and check the consistency, so that the chili is not too thick and not too thin.  (If too thin, remove the cover while simmering.  This allows the liquid to evaporate faster.)
- Make sure to taste as you go and adjust the seasoning as needed. You do not want it to taste like spaghetti sauce. By now, the flavors should have developed.  Add extra cayenne powder if you want a spicier flavor.
- Remove from the heat when done (beans should be soft).
- Serve the chili in bowls over white rice.  Top with a generous sprinkling of cheese and a dollop of sour cream.
- The chili can be refrigerated for up to 4 days and frozen for up to 2 months.