Three Bean Turkey Chili aka Mexi-Rican Chili

Mexi-Rican Chili. WTH is that? It’s some serious goodness in your belly, that’s what! A combo of Tex-Mex and Puerto Rican flavors. Don’t fear the long list of ingredients. I’ve made it super easy for you to make this one-pot wonder. Just prep before you cook. Consider it pre-production for your chef d’oeuvre.

I like to make the chili early in the day to let the flavors combine before digging in at night. Why? Cause I get to eat it for lunch in a little cup with cheese melting all over it before anyone else. Yessssss.

You’ll also note my secret ingredients – Gigi’s Sazón Picante, dark ale and chocolate. There’s the Rican, Tex and Mex in that order!

Before I get a flood of messages about using cans… If you want to soak beans overnight and avoid cans of organic beans, go for it! You can also dice a pound of tomatoes instead of using canned tomatoes. That way, no cans. I also encourage gleeful experimentation. When you discover yummy tips and tricks through those experiments, please share them in the Comments! We love finding new ways to enjoy our recipes.

¡Vamos a cocinar! (Let’s cook!)

Ingredients

1 organic red onion

1 organic red, yellow or orange bell pepper

4 cloves organic garlic

1 bunch cilantro

1 Tbsp Gigi’s Organics Sazón Picante for sauce

1 Tbsp Gigi’s Organics Sazón Picante for ground turkey

1 Tbsp organic ground cumin

1 ½ - 2 tsps organic oregano

1 ½ - 2 tsps organic smoked paprika

¼ - ½ tsp organic cayenne

1 28oz can organic diced tomatoes

2/3 can organic tomato paste

1.25 - 1.5 lbs organic ground turkey

1 can organic black beans

1 can organic white beans

1 can organic garbanzo beans

1 bottle dark amber ale

1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa

½ cup organic chicken stock

Organic extra virgin olive oil

Option: 2 tsps chickpea flour for thickening

Fixins

Shredded cheese

Pico de gallo (salsa)

Avocado and/or guacamole

Chips and/or tortillas

Directions

Chop onion, garlic, pepper, cilantro. Prep all ingredients, i.e. have them close and ready to add.

In a deep pot sauté onion in two tablespoons of EVOO on medium heat until almost translucent. Add bell pepper and garlic. Sauté. Add cilantro. Sauté. Add one tablespoon of Gigi’s Sazón Picante. Mix well. Add the diced tomatoes. Wait for it… sauté.

Three bean veggie “sofrito”. For a vegetarian chili, skip the turkey and let this goodness simmer.

Season the ground turkey with one tablespoon of Gigi’s Organics Sazón Picante.

ProTip: Use a large spoon (or two) to blend the seasoning into the turkey to keep hands from getting ground turkey all over them.

Add turkey to your “sofrito” (the veggie sauté). With your cooking spoon, chop the turkey into the sauce. I like larger chunks of turkey instead of small bits like in a Bolognese. Up to you.

Add one tablespoon cumin, one-and-a-half to two teaspoons oregano, one-and-a-half to two teaspoons smoked paprika and one quarter to one-half teaspoon cayenne. I tend to add the smaller amount, then taste later and adjust if needed. Mix well. Simmer.

Beer time! Empty a bottle of that creamy, frothy dark ale into the sauce. Now drink one yourself. It’s noon, you say. Who cares? #fiveoclocksomewhere Drink and mix well!

Add a tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa. Stir, stir, stir.

Add black beans, white beans and garbanzo beans. Add ½ cup of chicken stock. Gently stir all this healthy goodness together. Cover pot and simmer low.

Drink a bit more in celebration that you got all those ingredients into the pot!

Taste and adjust seasonings.

Pro tip: Give all these flavors time to simmer together before adjusting.

Check consistency.

If too thick, add more beer and stock. If too thin, add masa. Traditionally, masa is made from corn flour. In Gigi’s kitchen, we use chickpea flour mixed with stock to thicken. That’s Gigi’s masa.

Pro Tip: Go easy on the masa. Your chili will continue to thicken as the beans break down.

Once your Mexi-Rican chili has the consistency you want, stir and turn off heat.

Serve in a deep bowl with shredded cheese melted on top. Add a dollop of salsa, chopped avocado and/or guacamole. I like to scoop my chili with Jalapeño Lime tortilla chips and flour tortillas. YUMMM!

Please share your Gigi’s inspired pics on our Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter. We love comments too.

¡Buen provecho!