Pumpkin Turkey Chili

PoultrySoups and Stews

Jun 15

Written By Blue Wizard

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So as you look at the title for this recipe you’re probably thinking something to the effect of “Well isn’t that the most high-falootin’ chili I’ve ever heard of?” I feel like there is already a stigma that surrounds a turkey chili as people think that real chili must be made with “real” meat like beef. When you add in the whole idea of that turkey containing pumpkin, it takes some chili connoisseurs over the edge. I promise you, however, that I’ve had many many chili’s in my day and though I agree that some of them leave the realm of chilidom when it comes to strange ingredients, this truly isn’t one of those recipes. This is undoubtedly my go-to chili recipe and I’ll stack it’s flavor against “legit” chili out there.

A tip about using ground turkey that I learned from America’s Test Kitchen and that really does work. Whenever you’re using ground turkey, add a little bit of baking soda and water to the turkey and mix it well about 20 minutes before you use it in the recipe. I won’t go into the science of why, but I assure you that it makes your turkey stay super moist in the finished product. This is a huge deal as if you’ve ever cooked with ground turkey before you know that it is prone to drying out. I, therefore, would not skip that step (no matter how strange it may seem to you)

A huge tip that I always give is when you’re making a recipe you should always get all of your ingredients and equipment out before you get started. I find this especially important when you’re doing a recipe like this that has a lot of ingredients. Not only do I get the ingredients out, but I also go through the recipe and get any chopping done and out of the way beforehand as well. This way I don’t realize that it’s all of a sudden time to add an ingredient into the mix that I still haven’t chopped up. To me it makes cooking so much more relaxing. For this recipe, I’ve chopped the peppers and onions rather large because I like to have a chunky chili. If you don’t like such large chunks, feel free to chop them smaller. You do you!

In case you’re like me, and get frustrated over chopping peppers and having the seeds fly everywhere. You should chop your peppers like this. I take a cut the 4 sides off of a bell pepper and then discard the core that’s leftover. This way I’m left with easy-to-chop planks.

There is a step to this recipe which perfectly illustrates that sometimes in a recipe things can look horribly wrong, but in reality be delightfully right. For me this happens when you add the turkey to the pot. When you start to mix the raw turkey with the translucent vegetables, the sight will be….unappealing. I promise you though that after a few minutes of stirring to cook, you’ll be satisfied with the results.

The spices in this recipe are really what help this chili stand up to any other chili out there. The combination of herbs and spices that are added into this mix are truly delicious and create a deeply rich flavor to an incredibly light dish. I like to grind some of the spices (like the coriander) myself in a mortar and pestle, but you are free to use pre-ground spices as long as they aren’t too old.

You add the spices before you add any liquid to the chili because allowing the spices to cook in the fat for a little bit of time will bloom them and bring out even more flavor. Yum!

The pumpkin in this recipe comes in the form of canned pumpkin puree. You can find this in the baking aisle as most people use this ingredient to make pumpkin pies with. In our recipe it serves as our thickener instead of flour or tomato paste. It thickens up the chili nicely and adds a lot of nutrients as pumpkin is a pretty healthy vegetable. Just make sure that you don’t accidentally pick up a can of pumpkin pie filling instead of the unsweetened pumpkin puree. I’ve never tried it, but I can’t imagine that it will taste very good in the chili.

The last two ingredients to add are the beans (I like kidney beans) and the Frank’s Red Hot sauce. I specifically recommend the brand Franks Red Hot here because it gives the recipe a nice vinegary pop that is barely perceptible but makes your tongue happy and makes you ask “oooo what is that?” If aren’t a fan of this particular brand of hot sauce, you can leave it out and your chili will still taste fine, but I highly recommend trying it before you eliminate it.

I hope that you enjoy this recipe and add it into your regular rotation as I have. It’s a winner for sure!

Joe the Blue Wizard

Yield: 8

Author: Joe the Blue Wizard