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Wow! Just made this today … amazing!! Definitely going into the menu rotation for this fall/winter. The flavours are absolutely delicious. Love your website!!
Diane
So here’s the deal: I’m obsessed with this chili.
It’s hearty, zippy, and feel-good with Tex-Mex toppings that make my head spin in the best possible chili-loving way. And I know say this almost all of the time about 99% of the foods that I make and eat, so I totally understand your doubts (obsessed? or overly dramatic?), but someone might need to put a restraining order on me to keep me away from the absolutely cozy-to-your-toes combination of smoky ancho, ground turkey, nutty farro, and fire roasted tomatoes.
Flexible + Simple
This is the kind of recipe you can throw together pretty easily. It’s flexible, simple, and so very comforting in that big ol’ dutch oven.
Get some ground turkey from the freezer (or ground beef, or ground chicken, whatever!), a can of black beans, an onion from the shelf, lots of yummy spices, some canned tomatoes and salsa, and your favorite grain from the back of the pantry (farro is a dream).
It’s also SUPER FAST because procrastination is my name and 30 minute meals are my game.
Let’s Talk About That Farro
The chili starts with ground turkey that’s browned with a handful of jalapeños, red onions, and garlic and then made wonderfuller with a generous dusting of smoky ancho chili powder and cumin. Then comes the fresh salsa and crushed tomatoes with the black beans and – wait for it – the farro.
I’m about to go weird-foodie-semi-vegetarian-rogue on you in three, two, one —>
The farro is absolutely MY FAVORITE part of the whole chili – that cooked brown-rice-like grain gets tossed in at the end and it makes for a great chili texture by adding a little bit of chewiness and a nice warm nutty flavor.
And just so you can mentally prepare yourself for how this will all go down, this big bowl of healthy-delicious chili requires a handful of your fave tortilla chips as well as every other chili topping in the book because we ♡ toppings. Also perhaps a ridiculously comfy couch, and sweat pants and a hoodie that is five hundred sizes too big. But now I’ve said too much.
You’ve Got Options Here
I would also like to say that you can most definitely make this without the turkey because the farro more than makes up for the texture and heartiness of the ground meat. And all the veggie people cheered! You could also go the other way and omit the farro (but you guys! SAD!) and you could also use a different kind of ground meat. Like beef.
Final word today: please do not ignore the toppings. I know you won’t, because we’re food people who love our toppings something fierce. Green onions, sour cream, shredded cheese, tortilla chips, and a few cilantro leaves are going to put you on a chili magic carpet and take you straight up to cloud nine.
Add all those toppings and stir it up and it starts to look like a mish-mash of spicy Tex-Mex everything in a bowl, right? Yes. Just how I like it. Chili mish-mash perfection.
More Delicious Chili Recipes
- Sunday Chili (the classic of classics!)
- Vegetarian Chili (full veg and SO GOOD)
- Queso Chicken Chili (queso – that’s all you need to know)
- Sarah’s White Chicken Chili (a delicious dream)
- Rockin’ 5 Ingredient Sweet Potato Turkey Chili (more turkey goodness)
Watch How To Make This Recipe
Common Questions About Ancho Turkey Chili
If you like a sweeter chili, add a tablespoon or two of tomato paste to the meat mixture before adding the salsa, tomatoes, and water.
This chili (like most chili recipes) will taste better after it hangs out for a few hours or even a day or two, so if you have time to throw it in a slow cooker and let it get all delicious for a few hours before serving, I would totally recommend that. But it still tastes good in 30 minutes if that’s all the time you have!
Sure! Just replace the turkey with more beans and swap out the chicken broth for veggie broth. We also have a Vegetarian Chili recipe that’s out of this world!
30 Minute Spicy Ancho Turkey Chili
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
Description
Spicy Ancho Turkey Chili delivering big flavors with turkey, black beans, ancho chili powder, tomatoes, and farro. So much yum and cozy in one meal!
Ingredients
- 1 cup farro (another grain like brown rice or quinoa would work)
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 3 cups water, divided
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 red onion, minced
- 2–3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2–3 jalapenos, minced (remove ribs and seeds if you don’t want it to be spicy)
- 1 lb. ground turkey
- one 14-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 teaspoons ancho chili powder
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup salsa (works best with a “fresh” salsa brand like Salsa Lisa)
- two 14-ounce cans crushed fire roasted tomatoes
- toppings (sour cream, cheese, green onions, tortilla chips)
Instructions
- Bring the chicken broth and 1 cup of water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the farro (or rice or whatever grain you’re using), cover the pot, and reduce to a simmer for about 30 minutes or until all liquid is evaporated.
- While the farro is cooking, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onions, garlic, and jalapeños and saute for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently to avoid burning the garlic. Add the turkey and cook until all the meat is browned and broken apart into “crumbles”. Add the black beans, ancho chili powder, chili powder, cumin, salt, and salsa and simmer for a few minutes. Add the tomatoes and however much of the remaining 2 cups water that you feel like you need to get the right consistency. Simmer for a few minutes while the farro finishes cooking in a separate pot.
- Add the cooked farro to the pot of chili and stir to combine. Top with sour cream, cheese, green onions, and tortilla chips.
Equipment
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Buy Now → - Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: Tex Mex
Keywords: spicy turkey chili, turkey chili, ancho turkey chili
Delicious. My husband was skeptical so he only took a little at first. Then he went back for seconds. I let mine simmer for an hour and a half and used chicken broth instead of water. That was actually a mistake but it added good depth. I sautéed the onions and peppers for about 5-6 min before adding the garlic to ensure they weren’t al dented. Great recipe!
Made this just now – it was SO good. We used only 1 can of tomatoes and crushed them ourselves, made our own beans in the IP, and let things simmer for longer since we had the time. It was fantastic, especially when topped with some Greek yogurt and avocado.
Would this chili freeze ok with the cooked farro already mixed in?
I think it would still freeze just fine! You might just need to add a little more liquid when it’s reheated.
Could I use leftover turkey in this vs ground turkey?
I have never commented on this recipe and for that, I apologize. I stumbled on this recipe years ago and never went looking for another chili recipe ever again. I make this chili every other week throughout the winter months and I look forward to it the minute Fall starts. Thank you ssssoooo much for sharing this recipe with us.
I really loved this! So perfect for a fall night. We cooked exactly as the recipe instructed, with two jalapeños and only a little extra water. My husband and I will definitely be making again. Yum!
Enjoyed this chili! My farro took longer than 30 minutes to cook, so I just let the other stuff simmer while it finished cooking (10-15 extra minutes). I didn’t have ancho chili powder, so subbed regular chili powder. Used jarred salsa. Turned out well! I don’t eat farro often, but enjoyed it in my chili. Topped with sour cream, cheese, and cilantro. Will likely make again!
Subbed barley for the farro, but otherwise made as directed. Nice mild/medium spice, and the grains make it feel hearty without weighing things down.
Delicious & quick if you need it to be (though I let it simmer for a bit)! Liked the addition of the fresh salsa in it, something I would never have thought of. Never used farro before but I loved this addition as well and it really bulked it up. Going to return to this recipe for sure!
Can you freeze leftovers?
Yes!
Another pinch of yum winner! I left all the spicy items out (no jalapeño, no chili powders) and added a whole chopped red onion, 1.5 tsp cumin, 1 tsp paprika, 0.5 tsp coriander, a couple of dashes of pepper, and used red quinoa instead of farro cause that’s what I had. So so so yummy and comforting. Lots of good protein and fiber too. Win win. Thanks for the recipe!
This was delicious! I made it with brown rice and served with big frito chips. My friend loved it too – will definitely be making this again!
Could this go in the slow cooker from the beginning? If so, any adjustments that need to be made?
Great question! We haven’t tested this recipe in the slow cooker, so it’s hard to say. It may work to cook the turkey first, then put everything in the slow cooker except the beans, and then add in the beans at the end. If you give it a try, we’d love to hear back!
Yet another amazing recipe from you.
Thank you!
I used barley because the store I was at didn’t have farro and I really loved the addition of the chewy texture. I also liked using fresh salsa. I couldn’t find ancho chili so just used chili powder, but i’m guessing it will be even better with the ancho.
I will definitely be making this again. Thank you!
Great idea to substitute with barley! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
This chili is SO good – especially with cheese, green onion and crushed tortilla chips on top. And even better leftover. Love what the farrow adds.
So simple and yet so delicious! Great flavors without being too spicy (10 month old son loved it).
Glad to hear it, Katilin!
Beautiful food blog. Never thought of Turkey chili before.
This is a revelation for me – I keep making Chili and finding it to be meh, I’m just not a chili girl – but this, this was amazing. I want to make it every week, I want to make it into a soup so I can have it as a lighter meal – I’m thinking maybe leave the recipe as is but add a litre or a litre and a half of chicken broth and an extra can of tomatoes… What do you think? Also for garnishes/toppings I loved avocado, a squirt of lime juice, shredded cheese, chopped green onions and chopped cilantro. magnifique!
Yes, that’s what we’d recommend to make it more soup-like! So glad you’ve been enjoying the chili, Nicole!
If I made the 30 minute turkey chili with farro in crockpot, would I need to precook farro?
That sounds like a good idea to avoid overcooking the farro. We’d pre-cook and then stir it in at the end. Enjoy, Linda!
This looks delicious. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
I love farro. Do you have the instant pot instructions for this recipe?
Unfortunately, no. We haven’t tested this recipe in the Instant Pot. If you give it a try, let us know!
Can I make this without black beans … and if so do I need to put something else in instead?
No need to substitute in anything else unless you’d like to!
I’ve made this recipe twice and it’s absolutely delicious. Perfect as written! And so easy. Than you for a keeper!
So glad you enjoyed the chili, Amy! Thanks for the comment!
After years of making this recipe I needed to come back to the post to sing its praises. There are months at a time when my family eats this once a week (and looks forward to it every time)! I can’t say enough good things about it. Thanks for all you do 🙂
Hey Lindsay! I have been using your blog for new recipes for a while now and really love it. I just made this the other day and think it is perfect for meal prep weekday lunches. My new year’s resolution is to start meal prepping and stop reaching for frozen meals during the work week (they are just so easy!). I also just got into the instant pot game and am loving it, but I’m not confident enough yet to go experimenting off recipe. I was curious if you thought this chili could be made in the instant pot, and if so how would you do it?
Yay, Emily! So awesome that you’ve been meal prepping more. You might like our list of healthy meal prep recipes actually. We haven’t tested this chili out in the Instant Pot yet, but we think it should work just fine. We’d suggest cooking it for maybe 20-30 minutes. Let us know how this goes for you. We’d love to hear! 😊