Tequila and Lime Turkey Chili - Slow Cooker Style

I remember when crock pots first became the rage. Some of you might not have been born yet, but I was a young bride who had a very limited repertoire of recipes to make.  At that time, it seemed so cool that I could throw in some chicken and a can of soup and come home to dinner.   Several years ago, I upgraded my crock pot to a programmable slow cooker with a removable ceramic insert.  I like the oval shape and size, so that I can cook larger cuts of meats.  However, my slow cooker spends a lot of time, sitting on my garage "kitchen gadget" shelf.   My reasoning was that I don't have time to prepare a slow cooker meal in the morning, before work.

Then, I had an "aha" moment, that I should prepare the meals the night before, then turn on the crockpot before leaving for work. D'oh!  So, I bought America's Test Kitchen Slow Cooker Revolution Cookbook... and the book ended up sitting on my bookshelf for a few weeks.   I finally made time to read the cookbook, and I have to say that it's well worth the investment. There is a lot of updated information on how to choose a slowcooker, and a lot of valuable tips from America's Test Kitchen.  The first recipe I made, and posted, was Easy Barbequed Ribs, and those turned out to be easy to prepare and very tasty.

I decided to try the Tequila and Lime Turkey Chili.  To be honest, I've made chicken chili, and turkey chili before. I found them to be lackluster in flavor.  However, the fine folks at America's Test Kitchen promised that they had a few tricks up their sleeves that would yield a moist and flavorful turkey chili.  As luck would have it, I had all of the ingredients on hand.  So, the night before, I prepared the chili.  The first step is to make a "panade" of white bread soaked in milk.  This prevents the lean turkey meat from becoming dry. I needed fresh oregano and garlic cloves.

The spices I needed were chili powder and cumin.  A skillet is heated with some vegetable oil over medium-high heat, until shimmering.

Next, I add onions, chili powder, tomato paste, garlic, cumin, oregano and red pepper flakes and cook until vegetables are softened and lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes.


 

Stir in turkey mixture and cook, breaking up any large pieces with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 3 minutes. Stir in tomato sauce, scraping up any browned bits; transfer to slow cooker.

Next, I add a can of diced tomatoes, pinto beans...

 ...3 tablespoons tequila, soy sauce, honey, and chipotles* into the slow cooker.  At this point, I put the slow cooker (good thing I have a removable insert) into the refrigerator until 6am.   *Chipotles in adobo sauce are pretty easy to find-- usually in the International Aisle.  They come in a can, and I use about half of what a recipe calls for . Chipotles are smoked jalapenos, and they can pack some heat!  I freeze the remaining chipotles, and simply chop what I need-- it quickly thaws when I add it to a hot recipe. Easy!

At that point, I sleepily plug in the slow cooker, and nestle the insert into it's cozy spot.  I turn it on, at low, for the six hour setting (my slow cooker has a Keep Warm cycle), place the cover on and dinner will be ready when I arrive home.

 I have to admit that this recipe is a little fussier than adding a can of this and a can of that.  However, it is nice to walk into my house and to be greeted by the aroma of something savory.  The final steps are to skim off the fat from the surface with a wide spoon. However, I didn't find that much fat at all!  Next, I add a little honey, a little more tequila, fresh lime zest and lime juice.

Dinner is ready, along with a fresh salad and either corn bread or flour tortillas.

I decided to garnish the turkey chili with avocado and sour cream.

TASTING NOTES:  I decreased the chipotle from 1 teaspoon to 1/2 teaspoon (I'm whimpy about heat).  The chili has a tangy flavor from the tomatoes, with light notes of citrus from the lime zest and juice.  This is very different than a traditional beef-style chili, but it's a nice change.  It tastes "healthy". I don't know what to say if you have children to feed-- there isn't a lot of tequila, but I'm not going to risk Child Protective Services from paying you a visit.  If you leave out the tequila, I'm sure that the chili will taste fine-- or, you could skip adding more tequila before serving. The first two tablespoons, added at the beginning, would have long cooked out any alcohol. Your choice.
NOTE:  If you don't own a slow cooker, you could simply simmer this chili on low heat for a couple of hours. I'm sure it will be delicious.

This made a lot of chili for the three of us, so I froze half of it for one of those work nights when I am too tired to cook. That's when I'm glad that the microwave was invented!

A printable recipe card is at the bottom of this post.