You had me at BACON! Sharing my Thanksgiving trend for those who want to keep…
Game Day Turkey Chili
This Ohio State Buckeye shares a state staple that will warm you up even in the coolest seasons. There is NOTHING that can kick off a football season better than a cold beer and hot bowl of chili!

As the sun goes down and weather gets a little chillier, throw on your favorite football team sweatshirt (Go Buckeyes!) and prepare a large slow cooker full of this fan favorite. Being from Ohio, this is a dish we take seriously but we all have our opinions (and for the record – beans MUST be added). Ask any Ohio native and you’ll get 50 different answers. Ohioans will agree, it’s a staple, but may not be able to settle on the most perfect combination.
Just between me and my dad, we’ve had a minor clash of chili styles and recipes over the years. It finally became time for me to venture out and start from scratch. Plus, in addition to making chili taste like the chili I would want, I had to find a way to lighten it up…a little bit. Don’t forget there’s still an argument of what to serve with chili. I’m just sticking with cornbread because that’s my favorite!
The best tip I think everyone can agree on is chili always tastes best after the first day. That waiting period for the flavors to develop overnight is the absolute key. Once it thickens and reduces down just a little, it officially becomes chili and not just a heavy soup.



This is a very simple recipe but a flavor overload. It has taken some time to master. Once at 3am I woke up and recreated it after making a double batch – because it’s that important. I also HAVE to make it perfect each time and each time I find myself adjusting it slightly. Again, I take this recipe seriously.
Here are some ways to troubleshoot the recipe if you find that yours isn’t hitting the mark:
- If your chili is too salty…add sweetness. Brown sugar, BBQ sauce, granulated sugar, honey or agave nectar are all fantastic options for this.
- If the chili is too acidic…you need to add more sweet and salty to it. That balance should do the trick but something more creamy and fatty in flavor like refried beans or a tiny bit of sour cream (at the end) can help.
- If your chili is too sweet…add a little more salt and go from there. Bitter flavors help as well. Beer, black coffee, cocoa powder also tone down sweetness with a little salt if added appropriately.
- If your chili is too spicy…as if that is a thing…then fatty ingredients and dairy ingredients help balance this out.
Remember to add everything in small, test amounts and sample from there. You can always add but cannot take away.
True chili that simmers and has well-developed flavors consists of seasoning and cooking all the layers. Whether you are cooking this in a slow cooker or stove top, you need to season and cook the meats, peppers and onions well before moving onto the next steps. Adding all ingredients and not properly seasoning the layers to this recipe will result in bland chili.

Here are all ideas for the base:
- Rice
- Cornbread
- Mashed Potatoes
- Fries
- Chips (for nachos)
- Noodles (that’s a Cincinnati thing and a whole other debate)
- Mac and cheese
Here are the best toppings to chili:
- Shredded cheese
- Diced raw onions, preferably red
- Jalapeños, pickled or thinly sliced raw
- Tortilla chips
- Cilantro
- Hot Sauce
- Sour Cream or Plain Greek Yogurt (my favorite)
This version of chili is not only leaner with turkey and vegetables, it’s flavorful and thick. It should be thick, it’s not soup. I get very opinionated when it comes to making this. I’ll stop ranting about it and just show you what I do. So blast some Saturday College Football, crack open a beer and let’s get started.
This is a very simple recipe but a flavor overload. It has taken some time to master. Once at 3am I woke up and recreated it after making a double batch – because it’s that important. I also HAVE to make it perfect each time and each time I find myself adjusting it slightly. Again, I take this recipe seriously.
This version of chili is not only leaner with turkey and vegetables, it’s flavorful and thick. It should be thick, its not soup. I get very opinionated when it comes to making this. I’ll stop ranting about it and just show you what I do. So blast some Saturday College Football, crack open a beer and let’s get started.

Game Day Turkey Chili
Ingredients
Meat seasoning, divided
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon cumin
Chili
- 1 pound ground turkey lean
- 1 pound ground turkey sausage
- 1 medium bell pepper seeded, diced, divided
- 1 medium yellow onion diced, divided
- ½ jalapeno pepper seeded, deveined, finely diced, divided
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced, divided
- 3 chicken stock reduced sodium
- 1 (15 oz.) can black beans in seasoning
- 1 (15 oz.) can pinto or kidney beans drained
- 1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes fire roasted
- 1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes with green chiles
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon adobo sauce (optional)
- ½ cup refried beans or 1/2 can pureed beans
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 ½ tablespoons cumin
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar packed
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- ½ tablespoon smoked paprika
- ½ tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)
Instructions
Chili
- For meat seasoning, in a small bowl combine salt, garlic powder, paprika, cumin and set aside.
- Heat a large frying pan on medium-high heat and spray with non stick cooking spray or a drizzle of olive oil. Add 1/2 the chopped onion, pepper, jalapeño, garlic, salt and pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes until the onion starts to become translucent. Add regular ground turkey and 1/2 of the meat seasoning to the pan and cook for an additional 5-6 minutes until turkey is browned. Add everything to a large slow cooker (about 6 qt. or larger).
- Repeat process with the remaining onion, pepper, jalapeño, garlic, salt and pepper and add this time add the turkey sausage and the rest of the meat seasoning and cook the same way. Once the meat is browned, add contents to the slow cooker.
- Add black beans, kidney/pinto beans, chipotles, adobo sauce, tomatoes, broth, refried beans, tomato paste, liquid smoke, cocoa, cumin, brown sugar, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper.
- Cover and cook for 4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on medium-low. (Best if start on high for 3-4 hours covered and then 2 hours uncovered). At the end, add lime juice and stir.
- Top with cheese, sour cream/plain Greek yogurt, onions, jalapeños, hot sauce and chips!
Notes
***Calorie count calculated below is for chili (1 1/2 cup servings per person)***
Nutrition
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