Turkey Mole Chile
A lean one-pot chili that takes its cues from the classic cocoa-kissed sauce.
I really like turkey chili but not so much when it’s trying to be regular chili. I like it much more when it’s doing its own thing and giving us a little twist on chili, like this Turkey Mole Chile, which takes its inspiration from sweet, smoky, spicy mole sauce. It may have a lot of flavor but that doesn’t mean it takes all day to simmer. Nope, it’s done in under an hour and in one pot too.
This isn’t something you need a huge ingredient list for. You need ground turkey (of course) and some black beans — they’re the base — along with some onion, bell pepper, chicken broth, spices, and the most important ingredient — unsweetened cocoa powder.
That cocoa powder is what makes mole, mole, but don’t worry, this isn’t going to taste like chocolate sauce. Rather, it just gives this a depth and richness that’s a little hard to describe. But that’s why you just have to try it.
And to make it, you just cook the turkey through in some olive oil before adding the veggies long enough for them to soften. The spices, cocoa powder, and tomato paste go in next and you want to give them a couple of minutes for their flavor and color to deepen.
After that, you just stir in the tomatoes, beans, and broth and let things simmer until they’ve thickened up nicely, which should only take thirty minutes or so. There’s no need to simmer all day since there’s no tough cuts of meat to tenderize. The flavor will be there after a short simmering time and you get to get to the important business — serving this up to eat.
Turkey Mole Chile
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 lbs ground turkey
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 (15 oz each) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 (30 oz each) cans crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 bay leaf
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Preparation
- To a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat, add the olive oil. Add the turkey, season with salt and pepper, and brown until turkey is no longer pink.
- Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic, and cook, stirring often, until starting to soften, 4-5 minutes.
- Stir in chili powder, cumin, oregano, cinnamon, cocoa powder, and tomato paste and cook until fragrant and color has deepened, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in the black beans, crushed tomatoes, and chicken broth.
- Add bay leaf and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, then let simmer, uncovered, until thickened, 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper, then serve with your favorite toppings. Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Kudos Kitchen.