Creamy White Turkey Chili

If you're looking for an award-winning white chili recipe, I happen to have just what you're looking for! Or perhaps you're looking for a go-to Sunday chili for those cold winter months. Or maybe a football watching white chili recipe to cozy up with? Whatever your cause is, this Creamy White Turkey Chili is IT.  This turkey chili is topped with Fritos so how could it not be fabulous?!

This white turkey chili recipe can be made on the stovetop and slow cooker and either way is super easy and quick to make. If you're looking for an Instant Pot chili, we also love my Instant Pot White Chicken Chili!

Variations

Different beans. You could also use navy beans, great northern beans, or pinto beans.

Different meat. Swap the ground turkey for ground chicken, ground beef, turkey breast, chicken thighs, chicken breasts, or rotisserie chicken. Even leftover turkey meat from Thanksgiving would be a great option! If you're looking for a soup with Italian sausage, check out my Sausage Lentil Soup.

Swap sour cream for Greek Yogurt. Just be sure to use whole milk Greek yogurt.

Swap the Fritos. If you prefer, tortilla chips also work instead of Fritos!

Additional toppings. I like adding green onions but diced jalapeños, sliced avocados, sour cream, and

I always make this white chili recipe on the stove, but you can also make this recipe in a slow cooker, too. Either way, this is a very easy chili recipe!

1. In a large soup pot, add the ground turkey and brown over medium-high heat, breaking it up into smaller chunks as it cooks.
2. Once the turkey is cooked, add the butter and onion.

3. Cook the onion for 5-7 minutes, until the onion is softened.

4. Add the garlic and cook another 1-2 minutes.

5. Add the cannellini beans, broth, green chiles, chili powder, cumin, basil, cayenne pepper, and red pepper flakes, and stir well to combine.

6. Bring to a boil and let it simmer for 25 minutes. This cooking time is flexible and you can simmer it up to one hour on the stovetop if you have the time.

7. After it has cooked, remove 1 cup of the broth and transfer to a medium bowl. Add the sour cream to the broth.

8. Whisk together until smooth. Note: this is a very important step! It ensures the sour cream does not curdle when it is added to the soup.

9. Add the sour cream mixture back to the soup pot and let it cook another 5-10 minutes.

10. Stir in the cheese until melted. Serve and enjoy!

Use 93/7 ground turkey. You can use 99/1 but I prefer the taste of the 93/7 - the fat adds a richness to the meat and the soup that is important! I also always use 93/7 when I use ground turkey in casseroles, like my Turkey Enchilada Casserole.

Combine the sour cream with a little of the broth before adding to the soup. By adding 1 cup of broth to the sour cream, it will help the sour cream incorporate into the rest of the soup better. I've added the sour cream without doing this and, while it still tastes delicious, the sour cream sort of separates from the broth and it doesn't look quite as creamy. I also use this technique in my Vegetarian White Chili!

Shred your own cheese. Buy a block of Colby Jack cheese and shred it on your own. It will melt nicer into the soup, opposed to the pre-shredded kind. Believe me, I really don't like shredding my own cheese but the extra step is worth it!

Load up the toppings. As is the case with most chili recipes, like my Slow Cooker Beef Chili, the toppings are almost as important as the actual chili! Frito's and green onions are our favorite toppings but other delicious options are tortilla chips, diced avocado, chopped fresh cilantro, lime juice, and more shredded cheese.

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