Turkey Sweet Potato Chipotle Chili
I should really call this recipe the "Happy Accident." Because, oh baby, did I accidentally discover something special here. You just wait!
I'm no stranger to turkey chili. In fact, I find myself making turkey chili on average about once every two weeks. It's cheap, easy, hearty and healthy for a weeknight meal and excellent leftover for lunches. But often I would find myself just keeping it simple - adding your standard chili spices, beans and tomatoes. It wasn't bad, no doubt, but certainly not mind-blowing either.
And then it happened. On a whim, I decided to add two game-changing ingredients to my go-to chili recipe: chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and sweet potatoes.
Something crazy awesome happens to this chili when you add these two ingredients. The spice factor gets amplified to a perfect level. A warm, deep in the back of your throat spice that's smoky and not too overpowering of the other flavors that I find just right. Combine that with earthy sweet potatoes to balance out the spice? It's spicy, slightly sweet chili madness.
I'm completely obsessing over it. I made a big pot that lasted us an entire week of lunches. Normally by day five I would be struggling to finish every bite. You know the feeling I'm talking about. But not this time. So rich and complex in flavor, this chili managed to be even more delicious with every bite.
Try it, my friends. You're going to be hooked!
Turkey Sweet Potato Chipotle Chili
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds 93% lean groun turkey
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes
3 chipotles in adobe sauce, roughly chopped
2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
Directions
Heat olive oil in a dutch oven over medium high heat. Cook ground turkey, breaking into small bits until brown and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add chili powder, cumin, cayenne, salt, onion powder and garlic powder to turkey and cook for another minute. Add sweet potatoes, black beans and chopped chipotles with sauce and stir to combine. Add broth and cover to cook for about 30 minutes, or until sweet potatoes are tender. Let cool before serving in bowls with a dollop of sour cream, cilantro and/or cheddar cheese.
