BBQ Chili
This BBQ chili is smoky, a little sweet, and spicy, and it gets there with sugar-free barbecue sauce and a splash of light beer. Lean ground turkey and shredded chicken keep it filling. My shortcut is a store-bought rotisserie chicken, so the turkey is the only meat I actually cook.
Chili always tastes better the next day, so I'm glad this makes eight servings. This BBQ turkey chili takes about 10 minutes of chopping, then 30 minutes in one big pot on the stove. It comes out thick and hearty. If you're tired of the same old pot of chili, this barbecue chili is the shake-up you need.
For more easy chili recipes, be sure to also try my protein turkey chili, guinness chili, or white chicken chili with cream cheese.
What You’ll Love About This BBQ Chili
Rachel's Nutrition Tip: Four ounces of 99% lean ground turkey has around 26 grams of protein and almost no fat. Add the chicken and the beans, and one bowl keeps me full all afternoon. That's a win.
BBQ Turkey Chili Ingredients
Ground Turkey: I use 99% lean ground turkey. It can taste dry in a burger, but in chili it soaks up the sauce and stays tender. 93% lean works too and tastes a little richer.
Rotisserie Chicken: Shredded rotisserie chicken is my favorite shortcut. Two cups is about half a bird. Leftover grilled or baked chicken breast works just as well.
BBQ Sauce: I used G Hughes Sugar Free Sweet & Spicy BBQ Sauce because it has zero sugar and a little kick. You could use any BBQ sauce you love, though.
Refried Beans: Grab the fat-free kind. Nobody at my table has ever noticed them in there.
Peppers: I use a mix of jalapeños, a poblano, a bell pepper, and a mini sweet pepper. The poblano tastes mild and earthy. The sweet peppers add color.
Beer: I use a light beer like Corona Light. It adds depth without making the chili taste heavy. Skipping the beer? Use 1½ cups low-sodium chicken broth instead.
Chili Seasoning: I like a packet of Dash Salt-Free Chili Seasoning Mix. That way I control the salt. If you don't have a packet, use 2 tablespoons chili powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, and ½ teaspoon dried oregano.
BBQ Chili Variations
Swap the Beans: Use a 15-ounce can of black beans, kidney beans, or pinto beans in place of the Great Northern beans. Use them drained and rinsed.
All Chicken: Skip the ground turkey. Stir in 4 cups of shredded chicken instead.
Ground Beef: Brown 1 pound of 93% lean ground beef in place of the turkey for a classic beef version.
Add Sweet Potato: Stir in 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced small, with the tomatoes. Simmer about 20 minutes, until it's tender.
Extra Smoky: Add 1 teaspoon smoked paprika or ½ teaspoon chipotle chili powder with the seasonings. You'll get a deeper, campfire kind of flavor.
How To Cook Barbecue Chili
Here are quick visual instructions. Be sure to check out the full instructions with exact ingredients in the printable recipe card below.
Step 1: Sauté the Veggies: Cook the onion, peppers, and garlic in olive oil until soft.
Step 2: Brown the Turkey: Crumble the ground turkey into the pot and season it.
Step 3: Add the Cans: Stir in the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, beans, and corn.
Step 4: Add the BBQ Flavor: Pour in the BBQ sauce, beer, and chili seasoning.
Step 5: Simmer: Fold in the chicken and let it bubble gently for 15 minutes.
Can You Put BBQ Sauce in Chili?
Yes! BBQ sauce is my favorite thing to add to chili. It's sweet, tangy, and smoky, so it balances the sharp tomatoes and the heat from the peppers. Chili with BBQ sauce tastes like it simmered all day, even when it only had 30 minutes.
For a big pot like this one, 5 tablespoons is plenty. Stir the BBQ sauce in with the beer so it simmers into the chili instead of sitting on top. If your BBQ sauce has sugar, start with 3 tablespoons, since it's sweeter. Taste, then add more.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
Chop the vegetables small and even. They soften at the same time and melt into the chili instead of floating in big chunks.
Break the turkey into small crumbles with a wooden spoon or a meat masher as it browns. Very lean turkey likes to clump together.
Stir until the refried beans fully melt into the tomatoes before the beer goes in. Lumps are much harder to break up later.
Let it simmer for at least 15 minutes after the chicken goes in. That's the trick to a turkey chili with beer: the bitter edge cooks off and the flavors come together.
Taste before adding extra salt. Canned tomatoes and all-purpose seasoning can be salty, depending on the brand.
What to Serve With BBQ Turkey Chili
Cornbread is a must at my house. I also love a scoop of tangy coleslaw with Greek yogurt on the side, since the crunch is so good next to warm chili.
For a heartier plate, serve it next to roasted sweet potatoes with ricotta, or spoon the leftovers over a baked potato for lunch. Toppings make it fun. Set out shredded cheddar, sour cream or Greek yogurt, green onions, and tortilla chips so everyone can top their own bowl.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. I still brown the vegetables and turkey on the stove first, so the turkey doesn't cook into big clumps. Then add everything to the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours or HIGH for 3 to 4 hours. Stir in the chicken during the last 30 minutes.
Turkey is mild, so it needs bold flavors. Brown it well and season it in the pot before the liquids go in. A squeeze of lime juice right before serving brightens the whole pot, too.
I think so! A turkey and chicken chili like this one gives you plenty of protein, and the beans add fiber. The toppings are where it can get heavy, so I go with Greek yogurt and jalapeños most nights.
Tried this BBQ turkey chili? Leave a star rating and a comment below, and tell me which toppings won at your table!
More Chili Recipes
BBQ Turkey Chili
Ingredients
For the vegetables
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large sweet onion finely chopped
- 2 jalapeños finely chopped
- 1 poblano pepper finely chopped
- 1 bell pepper finely chopped
- 1 mini sweet pepper finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves minced
For the meat
- 1 pound 99% lean ground turkey
- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken (rotisserie works great)
For the seasoning
- 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose seasoning
- 1 packet salt-free chili seasoning mix
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the chili base
- 2 (15-ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chiles
- 1 (29-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
- 1 (16-ounce) can fat-free refried beans
- 1 (15-ounce) can Great Northern beans drained
- 1 (15-ounce) can sweet corn drained
- 5 tablespoons sugar-free BBQ sauce
- 1 (12-ounce) bottle light beer
For serving (optional)
- Plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- Sliced jalapeños
Instructions
- Set a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat and warm the olive oil.
- Add the onion, jalapeños, poblano, bell pepper, sweet pepper, and garlic. Stir often and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, until the onion turns soft and see-through.
- Crumble in the ground turkey. Break it apart as it cooks, about 6 to 7 minutes, until no pink is left.
- Sprinkle the 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes and 1 tablespoon all-purpose seasoning over the turkey and stir until it's coated.
- Pour in the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, refried beans, Great Northern beans, and corn. Stir until the refried beans melt into the sauce.
- Add the BBQ sauce, beer, and chili seasoning packet and stir well.
- Fold in the shredded chicken and the 1 teaspoon salt. Bring it to a gentle bubble, turn the heat to low, and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring now and then.
- Ladle into bowls and top each one with a spoonful of Greek yogurt and a few jalapeño slices, if you like.
Notes
The nutritional details for recipes are estimated using MyFitnessPal and can vary with different products, measurement accuracy, and source reliability. We aim to provide accurate information but cannot guarantee the precise accuracy of the nutritional data