Slow Cooker Cincinnati Chili: Ground Turkey Version

Name: Slow Cooker Cincinnati Chili: Ground Turkey Version
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 6 h
Total time: 6 h 15 min
Ingredients: 2 lb ground turkey, 93% lean, raw; 3 1/2 cups cold chicken or turkey broth; 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce; 2 tbsp tomato paste; 1 large yellow onion, finely diced; 4 garlic cloves, minced; 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder; 1 tbsp chili powder; 2 tsp ground cumin; 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon; 1/2 tsp ground allspice; 1/2 tsp smoked paprika; 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce; 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar; 1 1/4 tsp kosher salt; 1 lb spaghetti, cooked separately; 3 cups finely shredded mild cheddar

By Iren Pavlenko · Last updated: 9 Nov 2026

A lighter Cincinnati chili made with ground turkey, extra oil and broth so it stays silky. It cooks in 5 to 6 hours on LOW and is done at 165°F.

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Slow Cooker Cincinnati Chili: Ground Turkey Version

Recipe by Iren Pavlenko

0.0 from 0 votes

Course: Main CourseDifficulty: Easy

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

hours

A lighter Cincinnati chili made with ground turkey, extra oil and broth so it stays silky. It cooks in 5 to 6 hours on LOW and is done at 165°F.

Ingredients

2 lb ground turkey, 93% lean, raw
3 1/2 cups cold chicken or turkey broth
2 tbsp olive oil
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 large yellow onion, finely diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 lb spaghetti, cooked separately
3 cups finely shredded mild cheddar

Directions

Pour the cold broth and the olive oil into the slow cooker and whisk in the tomato sauce and tomato paste. The oil replaces the fat that beef would have given.
Add the onion, garlic, cocoa, chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, allspice, paprika and salt. Whisk for a minute so the spices dissolve.
Crumble in the raw turkey and break it apart with a potato masher until it is as fine as you can get it. Turkey clumps more than beef, so be thorough.
Cover and cook on LOW for 5 to 6 hours or on HIGH for 3 hours. Stir once at 30 minutes.
At the 5 hour mark, insert an instant-read thermometer into a thick part of the sauce. The turkey is done at 165°F, and there should be no pink anywhere.
If the sauce looks thick, stir in a splash of hot broth. It should coat the back of a spoon without being pasty.
Stir in the vinegar and Worcestershire, then taste and adjust salt. Turkey needs a little more seasoning than beef.
Cook the spaghetti separately until just tender, about 9 minutes, and drain it.
Serve the chili over the spaghetti and finish with a generous handful of cheddar.

Notes

Use 93% lean turkey; 99% lean turkey turns grainy even with added oil. Ground chicken works the same way. Do not leave turkey chili on WARM for more than 2 hours. It keeps 4 days in the fridge and 3 months in the freezer. Add a squeeze of lemon at the table if the flavor seems flat.

Making turkey taste rich

Ground turkey is lean, so the added oil and extra broth keep the sauce silky rather than dry and grainy. The same cocoa, cinnamon and allspice give it the Cincinnati taste, while smoked paprika adds some of the depth that beef normally brings.

Cooking it a shorter time than beef chili keeps the turkey from drying out.

Swaps and what fails

Ground chicken works the same way. Do not use 99 percent lean turkey, which turns grainy even with extra oil. A small squeeze of lemon at the table wakes up the flavor.

What to serve

Pile it on spaghetti with shredded cheddar and diced onion. Oyster crackers are the classic crunch.

Storing leftovers

Keep it in the fridge in a covered container and reheat gently with a bit of broth. Skip long holds on WARM.

Taste before serving, since turkey needs a little more seasoning than beef. A bit of extra cinnamon or a pinch of salt at the end often makes the whole pot taste fuller.

Slow Cooker Cincinnati Chili: Ground Turkey Version at a glance

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 6 hours
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients: 18, led by ground turkey, cold chicken or turkey broth, olive oil, (8 oz) tomato sauce

Tips for Slow Cooker Cincinnati Chili: Ground Turkey Version

Slow Cooker Cincinnati Chili: Ground Turkey Version FAQ

How long does Slow Cooker Cincinnati Chili: Ground Turkey Version take?

Slow Cooker Cincinnati Chili: Ground Turkey Version takes 6 hours of cooking after 15 minutes of prep.

How many people does Slow Cooker Cincinnati Chili: Ground Turkey Version serve?

This recipe makes 6 servings.

What do I need to make Slow Cooker Cincinnati Chili: Ground Turkey Version?

18 ingredients, led by ground turkey, cold chicken or turkey broth, olive oil, (8 oz) tomato sauce. Amounts are in the recipe card above.

Iren Pavlenko

Hi, I'm Iren Pavlenko. I read the top-ranked slow cooker recipes for a dish side by side and write down what they disagree on and what they all leave out — the cut, the pot size, and both the LOW and HIGH times. I write these guides so your weeknight dinner doesn't turn into a dry roast because a recipe never said which of those four things mattered.

Part of: 10 Slow Cooker Cincinnati Chili Recipes for Spaghetti Night