Happy Monday, everyone! The days are longer, but the weather is still a bit cold outside. One great way to combat the cold is with a delicious, hearty, and healthy chili. This recipe here is exactly what’s needed to keep yourself warm during those cold second-winter nights. It’s a bit of a short recipe, but I guarantee it’s not short on flavor. Here’s the ingredient list:
- 1 Lb. lean ground turkey
- 1 red onion, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 10 Oz can tomatoes with green chilis
- 1 8 oz can green chilis
- 1 12 Oz can corn
- 1 12 Oz can kidney beans
- 1 quart chicken stock
- 1 Tbsp ground cumin
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
- 1 Tbsp garlic powder
- 1 Tbsp onion powder
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- ¼ cup secret ingredient
- 1 Tbsp grapeseed or olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Chop all of your veggies and garlic and set aside. Get a large sauce pot or Dutch oven on medium high heat. Add the oil and let it get to temperature. Add the onions first and season with some salt. Sauté for about 6 minutes while stirring often. Add the green peppers and sauté for another 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds to a minute or until you start to smell it. Now, it’s time to add the ground turkey. Use a wooden spoon to break up the turkey, but not into too-small pieces. Add the cumin, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne powder along with salt and pepper. Mix well and brown the turkey. Once the turkey is browned, add the drained cans of corn and kidney beans. PLEASE make sure you rinse your beans before putting them in. That liquid in the beans is nasty.
You don’t really need to cook the beans and corn much, this is just so they can get some of those spices all over them. Now, once the turkey is browned and everything seems coated in the spices, add the green chilis and tomatoes with chilis. Stir until everything is well incorporated. Once it’s all mixed together well, add the chicken stock. Cover, reduce to medium-low heat, and simmer for about an hour.
I’m assuming at this point, most of you have noticed that I added zero flour or anything else to thicken it. I really did not want to use flour as a thickening agent for a few reasons. The most important one is it’s just about as flavorless as it comes, and there is something I used that does two jobs: thickens the chili and adds some flavor. What, you ask, is the secret ingredient? Well, here you go.
This, my friends, is cornmeal. Now, I will be honest, I did not come up with this idea. As you can read from my bio, I learn(ed) from a lot of cooking shows. I never would have though of this had I not binge watched the show Struggle Meals during the pandemic. I was blown away at this ingenious move. This adds thickness but also adds a bit of a corn flavor to the chili that’s akin to corn tortillas. It also allows this chili be gluten free for all of those who cannot eat gluten. It’s FANTASTIC. So, add the ¼ cup of cornmeal, stir well, and let simmer uncovered for another 10-15 minutes. Once the chili has tightened up, portion our, serve with whatever accoutrements you wish, and enjoy.
… OR you can do like me, divide it up into several portions, and freeze half of it for a later date. This recipe makes about 6 servings.
Thank you all once again for reading. I hope you make this recipe and enjoy it as much as I did. If you have any questions, comments, or recipe you’d like to see me tackle, email me at tkmnewport@yahoo.com. See you next month!