Instant Pot Turkey Chili (High Protein, Ready in 50 Minutes!)
Instant Pot Turkey Chili
Ingredients
- 20 oz ground turkey
- 1 onion large, chopped
- 1 ½ tbsps chili seasoning
- ½ cup water
- 1 cup black beans
- 1 cup corn canned in water
- 1 ½ cups salsa
- 1 cup crushed tomatoes canned
- 1 cup chicken broth low sodium
- 6 tablespoons sour cream light
- ¾ cup cheddar cheese shredded
Instructions
- Set the Instant Pot to Sauté mode. Add the ground turkey and chopped onion and cook, breaking the turkey apart as it browns, until the turkey is fully cooked through and no pink remains. Drain any excess liquid from the pot.
- Add the chili seasoning and half cup of water to the turkey and onion mixture. Stir thoroughly to coat everything evenly. Turn off the Sauté function.
- Drain and rinse the black beans and add them to the pot. Add the canned corn along with the liquid from the can.
- Pour in the salsa, crushed tomatoes, and low sodium chicken broth. Stir everything together gently to combine.
- Secure the Instant Pot lid and make sure the valve is set to Sealing. Set to High Pressure for 10 minutes. The pot will take a few minutes to come to pressure before the cook time begins.
- When the 10 minutes are up allow the pressure to naturally release for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes carefully switch the valve to Venting to quick release any remaining pressure. Open the lid away from you.
- Stir the chili and ladle into bowls. Top each serving with 1 tablespoon of light sour cream and 2 tablespoons of shredded cheddar cheese before serving.
Nutrition
Chili is one of those meals that everybody has a version of and everybody thinks theirs is the best…. And that even comes down to like the toppings. I mean, we have chili cookoff…. people don’t play when it comes to their chili!
This one is not trying to compete with a slow simmered all day chili. It is trying to get dinner on the table on a Tuesday night without a lot of fuss, and it does that really well.
The Instant Pot does the heavy lifting here. You brown the turkey, add everything else, seal it up, and 10 minutes of pressure cooking later you have a thick, hearty, flavor-packed chili that tastes like it has been going for hours. The salsa is the ingredient that makes this version interesting. It adds depth, acidity, and a little heat all at once without needing a long list of individual spices.
This makes six servings which means you are almost certainly going to have leftovers, and chili is one of those things that tastes even better the next day. At least I think so. I like having it the next day and the next day and the next day… that could just be because I want it for the whole week but that’s besides the point.
It reheats well, freezes well, and works just as well for lunch as it does for dinner.
What Makes This Version Work
Using salsa as part of the base instead of just diced tomatoes is a shortcut that actually improves the flavor. It brings onion, peppers, garlic, and spice all in one ingredient, which means less chopping and more complexity in the finished chili without any extra effort.
The corn liquid from the can goes into the pot along with the corn itself. That starchy liquid adds a little body to the chili and a subtle sweetness that balances out the acidity of the tomatoes and salsa nicely.
Ground turkey is leaner than ground beef but can sometimes taste a little flat in chili if it is not seasoned well. The chili seasoning and salsa together make sure that is not an issue here.
A Few Things Worth Knowing Before You Start
Make sure you drain any excess liquid after browning the turkey before adding the seasoning and water. Turkey releases a fair amount of liquid as it cooks and if you leave it all in the pot the chili can end up thinner than you want.
When you add the liquids at the end do not stir too aggressively. Just give it a gentle stir to combine. The Instant Pot needs enough liquid to come to pressure but if you stir too much you can activate the burn sensor.
The natural release step matters here. Letting it naturally release for the full 10 minutes before switching to quick release gives the chili time to settle and prevents the liquid from spurting out of the valve when you open it.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. This chili also freezes beautifully. Portion it into individual containers and freeze for up to three months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.
