Flavorful Instant Pot white bean and turkey chili that's really easy to make - just drop all the ingredients in the pot! Tomatillo salsa gives this turkey chili just the right amount of flavor and heat.
This is one of those drop-it-all-in-a-pot kind of meals. The Instant Pot, to be exact. It's an easy and satisfying chili recipe, one I often make after cooking a big batch of white beans in my Instant Pot. (Don't worry, you can use canned beans, too)
My goal was to make this Instant Pot chili recipe kid-friendly and as easy as possible. There's no prep work and no dirty dishes (except the one pot you cook it in).
Full disclosure, though - you'll need to prep some sides, because what's chili without sides? I'm talking about grated cheese, green onions, cilantro, sour cream, avocado...you know, the usual!
You can amp up the heat by choosing hot salsa, instead of mild or medium. This recipe uses only a cup of tomatillo salsa as an ingredient, so I always serve the extra salsa that's left in the jar alongside the chili. I love an extra spoonful in my bowl.
What is Tomatillo Salsa?
Tomatillo salsa, or salsa verde, is green salsa made from tomatillos and green chiles instead of tomatoes. The salsa has a bright, tangy flavor. Salsa verde is often made from roasted tomatillos, which gives the salsa a smoky flavor. However, you can also make raw salsa verde.
Tomatillos are a small, bright green fruit covered in a papery skin. They look a little bit like hard green tomatoes. Before using a tomatillo, remove the husk and rinse the fruit to wash off the slightly sticky film that covers it.
Salsa verde is usually available in hot, medium and mild spice levels. Tomatillos are not spicy, so the spice level depends on the chiles added to the sauce. Sometimes the salsa is bright green, and sometimes it has a darker, less vibrant color.
More Instant Pot Recipes You'll Love
- Instant Pot Turkey Meatballs
- Instant Pot Brown Rice & Quinoa burrito filling
- Instant Pot Sausage and Lentil Soup
- Instant Pot Red Lentil Soup with Crispy Parmesan Chickpeas
- Simple Instant Pot Chicken and White Rice
Instant Pot White Bean and Turkey Chili
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings 1x
Description
Chili doesn't get any easier than this! Just drop all the ingredients in the Instant Pot. This flavorful and satisfying Instant Pot white bean and turkey chili is perfect for busy weeknight dinners.
Total Instant Pot Cooking Time: 10 minutes to reach pressure + 15 minutes to cook + 10 minutes to release pressure.
10/29/20 Update: This recipe has been updated with a shorter cooking time
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 2 Tablespoons avocado oil or olive oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- 3 cups cooked white beans or 2 cans of white beans (drained)
- 1 cup mild, medium or hot tomatillo salsa (salsa verde)
- ½ cup water or broth (see note below about bean broth)
Garnishes: Serve Instant Pot white bean and turkey chili with sides like salsa, sour cream, grated cheese, green onions, sliced jalapeno, cilantro, chips, and avocado or guacamole. I often serve corn on the cob with this chili, or sometimes I'll stir frozen corn into the chili right after it's done cooking.
Instructions
- Press the saute setting on the Instant Pot and heat the oil. Add the turkey and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until it doesn't look pink anymore. As the turkey cooks, break up the big pieces with a spatula and season the meat with cumin, oregano, garlic powder and salt.
- Stir in the white beans, salsa and water/broth.
- Secure the lid and turn the pressure release valve to sealing. Press the cancel button to stop sauteing, then select either the Bean/Chili button or Manual button and program the cooking time for 15 minutes at high pressure.
- When the cooking time is done, let the pressure release naturally for at least 10 minutes. Move the release valve to venting to release remaining steam before opening the pot.
Notes
*You can use water or broth for this recipe. Both chicken and vegetable broth work well. However, if you cooked dried white beans in the Instant Pot beforehand, you can save the broth that the beans cooked in and use the bean broth for this recipe.
This is a thick chili. If you prefer a thinner chili with more broth, then add another ½ cup of water/broth before it cooks.
- Category: Instant Pot
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Instant Pot, chili, turkey chili
Laura Barno
This was so yummy!!
★★★★★
Jenny
Yay! So glad that you liked it.
Melissa
Delish! And soooo easy. I don't think an instant pot is needed you can just do on the stove it doesn't take long for it to cook. My turkey was 1.3 lbs so I added a third can of beans a can of corn and an entire jar (16oz) of salsa Verde. At the very end I added fresh spinach as we are trying to up our veggie intake. I could go either way on that addition. I'll definitely be making this again.
★★★★★
Jenny
So glad you liked it, and thanks for the tip about also making it on the stove. What a great idea to add fresh spinach!
Samantha Ellyn
Quick, easy, delicious and healthy... Will definitely make again, thank you!!
★★★★★
Jenny
Thanks Samantha, so glad you liked it!
Yolima
I did not have the tomatillo salsa and it was still delicious ! Thanks for the recipe !
★★★★★
Jenny
Thanks for letting me know, I'm so glad you liked it!
Danielle
I have to admit I was skeptical when I saw how simple the recipe was. But the flavor blew us away! This is SO freaking good, we can't wait to make it again. Thank you for this easy weeknight gem!
★★★★★
Jenny
So glad you liked it!
S.
I like this easy combination of ingredients!
★★★★★
Jenny
Thanks!