This turkey chili is made with the unexpected addition of picadillo seasonings, olives and raisins, and a hearty dose of quinoa stands in for beans. It is not your everyday chili, and it is totally delicious. It is also ready in 40 minutes flat!

Picadillo Turkey Chili with Quinoa in a bowl

I originally shared this same recipe as a guest post on Simply Quinoa on January 14, 2014.

Table of contents

Why We Love This Picadillo Style Chili with Ground Turkey and Quinoa

If you haven’t had picadillo before, you may think I am completely nutty when I explain this chili, so let’s start there: What is Picadillo?

Picadillo is a savory ground beef dish served in South America, the Philippines and Spain. It varies widely by region, but it is a type of hash, usually made with ground beef, lots of spices, including a hit of cinnamon or other sweet spices, and sometimes green olives, capers and raisins.

It is often served with rice, tortillas or in a pastry shell (as in empanadas.) I love picadillo because I am obsessed with sweet and savory dishes; and picadillo pretty much covers both sweet and savory and all the other tastes in between!

If you want to try a more traditional picadillo recipe here is my Picadillo with Olives and Raisins which can be made with ground beef, venison or bison. It is served taco-style in corn tortillas.

I used Picadillo as an inspiration to come up with this Quinoa and Turkey Chili. The seasonings, olives and raisins are transformed into a thick and hearty quinoa chili for a cozy fall or winter dinner.

Because it takes less than an hour to make there’s no reason why you couldn’t make it on a weeknight. It’s perfect for those colder cozier months too.

Top bowls with cilantro, pepitas, cheddar and avocado for even more texture and flavor.

Turkey Chili with Quinoa in serving bowls with pipitas

Key Ingredients to Make This Recipe

Ground turkey

Start with 93% lean ground turkey. You’ll need 1 pound. Look for ground turkey without added ingredients or “natural flavors” and preferably organic.

Quinoa

Unlike most chili recipes which has beans, I chose to use quinoa instead. The quinoa becomes super tender and soaks up the flavors of the chili in an amazingly delicious way. I used white quinoa but you can use tai-colored too.

Green olives

You’ll need sliced green olives so you can either buy them pre-sliced or buy whole and slice them yourself.

Veggies & Canned Tomatoes

As always, I love to bulk up my healthy turkey chili recipes with extra veggies anytime I can. Today we used

  • 1 large onions, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup diced bell pepper
  • 1 cup diced zucchini
  • 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes

Raisins

Trust me, I know it sounds weird to add raisins to a chili! Adding a touch of a naturally sweet element really balances the entire flavor profile. They are a great contrast with the salty, sour and bitter olives, the spices and the savory garlic and veggies. If you are scared of this idea, just omit them, and the chili will still be completely delish without them.

Spices

  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chili or ¼ teaspoon cayenne or to taste

Step-by-Step Instructions to Make This Turkey Picadillo Chili

Step 1: Cook turkey

Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium- high heat. Add turkey and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon until no longer pink and starting to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove turkey from the pot with a slotted spoon and set aside until step 4.

Step 2: Cook vegetables & aromatics

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pot. Add onion, garlic, bell pepper and zucchini and cook until the vegetables are starting to soften and brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Add chili powder, cumin, salt, cinnamon and chipotle (or cayenne) and cook, stirring often until fragrant, 30 to 90 seconds.

Step 3: Add quinoa

Add water and quinoa to pot and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the quinoa has just burst open a little bit, 12 to 15 minutes.

Step 4: Finish chili

Add the reserved turkey, tomatoes, olives and raisins and return to a simmer, stirring often. Simmer until the flavors meld, 4 to 5 minutes. Ladle into bowls, top with cheddar and garnish with pepitas, cilantro and avocado if desired.

FAQs and Expert Tips

Why is it important to use turkey without any added ingredients or “natural flavors”:

This is important for browning and creating fond. That’s because the added water and natural flavors make turkey weep and keep the meat from caramelizing. In other words, browning is key to flavor development and will make the chili much richer tasting.

Can the spices be added in any of the cooking steps?

The short answer is yes but no. Soften your vegetables and then add in the spices. Taking the time to bloom the spices during this step before adding liquid ingredients will help to bring out the flavors in the spices because there are fat-soluble compounds in them that are best released when sauteed.

Why it’s important to add quinoa before tomatoes:

Did I mention this was anything but your typical chili recipe? Here’s why. This step is how you get the veggies and quinoa tender- to replace the beans. The reason it is important to add the before the tomatoes, is that the acid in the tomatoes prevents the quinoa from becoming tender.

Why should the turkey be added at the end:

The cooked turkey–along with the tomatoes, olives and raisins–are added at the end so that they don’t cook too much. Turkey is very lean so it can dry out and get too crumbly if it is overcooked.

How to store this chili:

Store the chili in airtight containers (once fully cooled) and place in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days.

What are good toppings for Picadillo Style Chili?

We used 4 ounces shredded cheddar cheese plus a scattering of toasted pepitas, chopped cilantro and avocado for garnish. Feel free to use sour cream or Greek yogurt too.

Picadillo Style Chili in serving bowls

What to Serve with This Picadillo Style Chili

Picadillo Style Chili in a pot

Additional Chili Recipes to Try

Thanks so much for reading! If you are new here, you may want to sign up for my email newsletter to get a free weekly menu plan and the latest recipes right to your inbox. If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought!

Happy Cooking! ~Katie

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Turkey Picadillo Chili with Quinoa | Naturally gluten-free and healthy! On healthyseasonalrecipes.com

Picadillo Style Chili with Ground Turkey and Quinoa

★★★★★

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Description

Turkey Chili gets an unexpected twist: it is made picadillo style with cinnamon, raisins and olives and a hearty dose of quinoa instead of beans.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1 pound 93%-lean ground turkey
  • 1 large onions, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup diced bell pepper
  • 1 cup diced zucchini
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chili or ¼ teaspoon cayenne or to taste
  • 3 cups water
  • ½ cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
  • 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup sliced green olives, rinsed (optional)
  • 1/4 cup raisins (optional)
  • 4 ounces shredded cheddar cheese, optional
  • toasted pepitas, chopped cilantro and avocado for garnish

Instructions

  1. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium- high heat. Add turkey and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon until no longer pink, and starting to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove turkey from the pot with a slotted spoon and set aside.
  2. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pot. Add onion, garlic, bell pepper and zucchini and cook until the vegetables are starting to soften and brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Add chili powder, cumin, salt, cinnamon and chipotle (or cayenne) and cook, stirring often until fragrant, 30 to 90 seconds.
  3. Add water and quinoa and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the quinoa has just burst open a little bit, 12 to 15 minutes.
  4. Add the reserved turkey, tomatoes, olives and raisins (if using) and return to a simmer, stirring often. Simmer until the flavors meld, 4 to 5 minutes. Ladle into bowls, top with cheddar and garnish with pepitas, cilantro and avocado if desired.

Notes

Cooking Tip:

This is important for browning and creating fond. That’s because the added water and natural flavors make turkey weep and keep the meat from caramelizing. In other words, browning is key to flavor development and will make the chili much richer tasting.

  • Prep Time: 25 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Category: Main Course
  • Method: Stove Top
  • Cuisine: South American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 cup chili, plus toppings
  • Calories: 228
  • Sodium: 281
  • Fat: 8
  • Saturated Fat: 2
  • Carbohydrates: 25
  • Protein: 18
  • Cholesterol: 61

Keywords: Turkey Chili with Quinoa,Chili with Quinoa,Picadillo Chili

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