TURKEY CHILI

I don't know about you but whenever it is snowing or super cold outside I crave a nice bowl of chili. It's been snowing in my area for the past few days and I needed an easy dinner to make, so this recipe was perfect. 

Here is the link to the recipe I (somewhat) followed: 

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/80969/simple-turkey-chili/

I like to use ground turkey instead of beef because it's lower in saturated fats and usually in calories. However, you can easily replace the ground turkey for beef if desired. Whenever I use ground turkey I tend to add more of the spices because it is a little more bland than using beef. 

One great way to save money if you don't have a lot of the spices is to buy the taco seasoning packets. I noticed awhile ago that the packets have a lot of the spices that are used in chili recipes. Depending on where you buy them, they range anywhere from like 50 cents to a little over a dollar. If you plan to use the seasoning packets, I suggest using two of them to make the chili more flavorful. 

INGREDIENTS I USED:

- 1 lb ground turkey 

- 1 white onion, chopped

- olive oil

- 1 can of corn, rinsed and drained

- 1 can of kidney beans, rinsed and drained

- 2 cans of (14.5 oz) crushed tomatoes 

- 2 cups of water 

- 1 packet of taco seasoning

- SEASONINGS:

    - salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, oregano, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika 

STEPS:

To start off, I heated olive oil in a medium size pot on medium to high heat. Once the oil was hot I added the ground turkey and cooked it until it was brown. I then added in the diced onion and cooked til it was tender (right before they turn brown, should look translucent). 

Once the ground turkey and onion are cooked, I add in everything else (corn, kidney beans, tomatoes, water, and seasonings). I like to rinse and drain the canned corn and kidney beans, but for the tomatoes I just pour the entire can in. I have also seen other recipes that use chicken broth instead of water, but I didn't have any so I just used water. I dumped the entire taco seasoning packet and then added all the other spices. I didn't measure any of them, just kinda eye bawled it. While it was cooking, I would taste it and add more seasonings until I got the flavor/spice level I wanted. 

Let the chili come to a broil and then bring down the heat to let it simmer. The recipe I followed said to simmer for 30 minutes but I personally let it simmer for 45 mins to an hour. I think cooking it a little longer helps the flavors develop more and taste better. It also makes the chili more thicker. I didn't add any toppings but you can add any type of toppings you like! One of my roommates added in cheese and used chips to dip into the chili. Hope you guys try it out and enjoy!