Whole30 – Paleo Turkey Chili Verde

When I did my first Whole30 challenge I wasn’t sure if I would like chili without beans. How silly. Yes, chili tastes just fine without beans! This turkey chili has such a unique flavor profile my husband and my guests rave about it. What’s funny is that it doesn’t actually have chili powder. Instead, garlic, cumin, Mexican oregano, cilantro, and tomatillos bring the flavor to this chili. This recipe can easily be doubled, tripled, quadrupled for an extra freezer meal, or to have a big batch for house guests. One time I made 8 batches at once in a tall spaghetti pot for a quick stand-around lunch reception at my house. The images below are for a quadruple batch using 4 lbs of turkey. This recipe is very forgiving. Sometimes I’ve had more or less of something and it still turned out great. Also, you don’t “have” to use a food processor. You can chop all of the onion, open up the can of tomatoes and leave everything chunky. However, if you have picky eaters—the ones who will pick at the large tomato chunks or spot the onion and complain—then using a food processor will help those picky eaters eat this chili and get all the flavor and nutrition they might otherwise miss out on. Serve with avocado (chips are optional for the carb conscious).

Whole30 – Paleo Turkey Chili Verde
1 lb ground turkey (or ground chicken)
1 small to medium onion, 1/2 medium diced, the other half quartered.
1 can diced tomato, drained * (or 1 large tomato for each lb of turkey)
1 large, 2 medium, or 3 small cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup of chicken bone broth, preferably homemade
1 (7 oz) can of salsa verde (or fresh tomatillo equivalent)
1 bunch cilantro
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons of Mexican oregano
1 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of avocado oil
cassava flour to thicken (optional)
*(Note: if doubling the recipe, use 1 can and don’t drain)

1. Gather all the ingredients.

2. Heat large pot with avocado oil over medium heat for one minute. Add diced onions and saute for 5 minutes.

3. While onions are cooking, add tomatoes, garlic, quartered onions, and cilantro to a food processor. (Note: if you are using a fresh tomatillo instead of canned salsa verde, add it to the food processor. If you don’t have a food processor dice the tomatillo, all of the onion, chop the cilantro, mince the garlic and set aside until later).

4. Pulse until it looks like salsa. (Note: I’ve used fresh salsa in place of this step if I have it on hand)

5. When the onions are softened add ground turkey to the pot. Don’t over stir the turkey. Leave it alone to let it cook and then break it up into bite sized chunks.

6. When turkey is mostly cooked through, add the cumin, oregano, and salt.

7. Add bone broth to the chili mixture.

8. Pour in the salsa verde and red salsa mixture and stir together thoroughly. The red and green remind me of Christmas. Cover the chili and let it simmer on low for 20 minutes.

9. Remove cover and continue to simmer for another 10 minutes or more to reduce to the desired consistency. Alternatively and optionally, add 1 to 3 tablespoons of cassava flour or another thickening flour to “tighten” the chili so it’s not too “soupy.”

10. When you reach your desired consistency, adjust salt (and pepper, if desired).

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Whole30 - Paleo Turkey Chili Verde

September 11, 2021

Servings: 4

Prep: 10 min

Cook: 50 min

Total: 1 hr

Difficulty: Easy

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By: Michele Tedrick, NBC-HWC, A-CFHC, Holistic Chef

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground turkey (or ground chicken)
• 1 small to medium onion, 1/2 medium diced, the other half quartered.
• 1 can diced tomato, drained * (or 1 tomato for each lb of turkey)
• 1 large, 2 medium, or 3 small cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 cup of chicken bone broth, preferably homemade
• 1 (7 oz) can of salsa verde (or 1 tomatillo)
• 1 bunch cilantro
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 2 teaspoons of Mexican oregano
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 tablespoon of avocado oil
• cassava flour to thicken (optional)
• *(Note: if doubling the recipe, use 1 can and don't drain)

Directions

• Step 1 1. Gather all the ingredients.
• Step 2 2. Heat large pot with avocado oil over medium heat for one minute. Add diced onions and saute for 5 minutes.
• Step 3 3. While onions are cooking, add tomatoes, garlic, quartered onions, and cilantro to a food processor. (Note: if you are using a fresh tomatillo instead of canned salsa verde, add it to the food processor. If you don’t have a food processor dice the tomatillo, all of the onion, chop the cilantro, mince the garlic and set aside until later).
• Step 4 4. Pulse until it looks like salsa. (Note: I’ve used fresh salsa in place of this step if I have it on hand)
• Step 5 5. When the onions are softened add ground turkey to the pot. Don’t over stir the turkey. Leave it alone to let it cook and then break it up into bite sized chunks.
• Step 6 6. When turkey is mostly cooked through, add the cumin, oregano, and salt.
• Step 7 7. Add bone broth to the chili mixture.
• Step 8 8. Pour in the salsa verde and red salsa mixture and stir together thoroughly. The red and green remind me of Christmas. Cover the chili and let it simmer on low for 20 minutes.
• Step 9 9. Remove cover and continue to simmer for another 10 minutes or more to reduce to the desired consistency. Alternatively and optionally, add 1 to 3 tablespoons of cassava flour or another thickening flour to “tighten” the chili so it’s not too “soupy.”
• Step 10 10. When you reach your desired consistency, adjust salt (and pepper, if desired).