Have you ever had Panera’s turkey chili? If you haven’t, you should. It is surprisingly complex and packs a slight punch of heat. Big on flavor. It’s also very figure-friendly and has a good amount of protein. I love it. I really love it. But, I don’t want to pay to eat lunch at Panera every day, even if it is just a cup of soup… which let’s be honest, it wouldn’t just be a cup of soup. And even if I did somehow rationalize getting carry out for lunch that often, guess what? IT’S SEASONAL! Meaning, it’s not there all of the time, folks. As in, one day you’re going to go in there all expecting to get a warm, delicious cup of chili and it won’t be up on the board! That’s it, no warning, no goodbyes. It’s still in stores right now, but it’ll be gone soon and I’ll be turkey chili-less. And I couldn’t let that happen. So here’s what I came up with… Turkey Chili- the Best Panera Copycat.

I don’t know if you know this, but all restaurants or public places that serve food have to be able to provide you with a list of ingredients to their dishes. There are so many food allergies these days and the one good thing to come out of it is the fact that places have to be more transparent with what they’re putting into your food. A lot of the ingredients for these dishes can even be found online. So, that’s exactly where I started. Actually, it’s not. First, I looked through Pinterest and the internet for a Panera Turkey Chili copycat and NONE of them seemed all that similar. When I compared the actual list of ingredients to some of the copycats out there, a lot of them weren’t even close. I will say that there were a few surprising ingredients- tomatillos, for one. Once I had the ingredient list, I just simply omitted the ingredients that I couldn’t pronounce and had a solid list that was very promising. 

Let me show you how I made this Turkey Chili- the Best Panera Copycat 👇🏻

Grab a large stockpot or Dutch oven. Over medium-high heat, add 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 large diced carrot, and 1 diced sweet onion and cook until the veggies soften, about 5 minutes. 

Now add 1 Lb ground turkey and 3 minced garlic cloves. Cook, breaking up the turkey as it cooks.

Note: Now this is one area where my recipe differs. The original Panera recipe does not have ground turkey, but this helps to give the chili a heartiness. If you would rather leave out the ground turkey, just substitute with more chopped turkey breast.
Or vice versa… if you do not have any turkey breast available, substitute with more ground turkey.

When the ground turkey is cooked through, add 3 heaping cups of cooked turkey breast, 2 1/2 tbsp chili powder, 1/2 tbsp cumin, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp black pepper.

Cook for about 1-2 minutes, stirring to coat the turkey and veggies in the spices.

Add 4 oz canned green chilies and 2 tbsp tomato paste and cook for another minute.

Now add 6 cups turkey broth (can substitute with chicken broth), 14.5 oz canned diced tomatoes (and juices), 1 cup frozen (or canned) corn, 2 tbsp brown sugar, and the juice of 1/2 of a lime. Stir well.

Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low (keeping it at a low simmer), and cook for about 45 minutes until slightly thickened and reduced. 

After 45 minutes, add one 15 oz can of drained, rinsed kidney beans, one 15 oz can of drained, rinsed garbanzo beans, and 1 cup frozen (shelled) edamame.

Cook, uncovered, for about another 30 minutes until thickened. If, at the end of the 30 minutes, you would like your chili thickened more, you can continue cooking or add 1 tbsp of cornstarch (mixed with 1 tbsp water) and let it cook a few minutes until thickened. Once it has reached your desired consistency, stir chopped some chopped fresh cilantro into the chili and taste for seasoning. Add extra salt, pepper, chili powder or lime juice, if needed. 

**Note: This makes a lot of chili. It freezes really well and is awesome to have on hand for when you don’t feel like cooking! I actually put half of it into a freezer plastic bag right away, wait until it cools, and pop it right into the freezer for another day.

Enjoy!!

These are some of the recommended products that I used to create this delicious recipe! These are not only products that I use, but products that I love.

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Have you made this recipe? Thinking about it? I’d love to hear from you! Please leave your thoughts below in the comment section.

Don’t go so soon!! In the mood for chili? Check out these other great chilis…

Print Recipe

Turkey Chili- Panera Copycat

A delicious, homemade version of Panera’s popular Turkey Chili recipe! This chili has so much flavor and is super healthy! Makes a huge batch that freezes incredibly well! Or eat it all... trust me, you’ll want to!

Prep Time

20 Minutes

Cook Time

60-90 Minutes

Servings

Servings

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Large Carrot, diced
• 1 Medium Yellow Onion, diced
• 1 LB Ground Turkey
• 3 Heaping Cups Cooked Turkey Breast, chopped (May substitute with 1/2 Lb. Ground Turkey)
• 2 1/2 Tbsp Chili Powder
• 1/2 Tbsp Ground Cumin
• 1 Tsp Onion Powder
• 2 Tsp Salt
• 2 Tsp Pepper
• 2 Tbsp Tomato Paste
• 4 Oz Canned Green Chiles
• 6 Cups Turkey Broth (May substitute with chicken or vegetable broth)
• 14.5 Oz Canned Diced Tomatoes With juice
• 1 Cup Frozen Corn
• 1/2 Lime, juiced
• 2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
• 15 Oz Canned Red Kidney Beands, drained and rinsed
• 15 Oz Garbanzo Beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 Cup Shelled Frozen Edamame
• 1/2 Cup Chopped Fresh Cilantro
• 3 Garlic Cloves, minced Garlic Cloves, minced

Prep Time 20 Minutes Cook Time 60-90 Minutes Servings Servings Ingredients 2 Tbsp olive oil 1 Large Carrot, diced 1 Medium Yellow Onion, diced 1 LB Ground Turkey 3 Heaping Cups Cooked Turkey Breast, chopped (May substitute with 1/2 Lb. Ground Turkey) 2 1/2 Tbsp Chili Powder 1/2 Tbsp Ground Cumin 1 Tsp Onion Powder 2 Tsp Salt 2 Tsp Pepper 2 Tbsp Tomato Paste 4 Oz Canned Green Chiles 6 Cups Turkey Broth (May substitute with chicken or vegetable broth) 14.5 Oz Canned Diced Tomatoes With juice 1 Cup Frozen Corn 1/2 Lime, juiced 2 Tbsp Brown Sugar 15 Oz Canned Red Kidney Beands, drained and rinsed 15 Oz Garbanzo Beans, drained and rinsed 1 Cup Shelled Frozen Edamame 1/2 Cup Chopped Fresh Cilantro 3 Garlic Cloves, minced Garlic Cloves, minced

Instructions

1. To a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the olive oil, onion and carrots. Cook until soft, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the minced garlic and ground turkey and cook until cooked through, breaking it apart as it cooks, about 5 minutes. Then add the cooked chopped turkey breast, along with the salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, and onion powder. Cook for 1-2 minutes and stir well to incorporate spices.
3. Add the tomato paste and green chilies and stir well to coat everything, cook for 1 minute. Then add the turkey broth, corn, diced tomatoes (with the juices), brown sugar and lime juice. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium-low so that it is at a low simmer. Cover and cook for about 45 minutes until the chili begins to reduce and thicken.
4. Remove the lid and add the garbanzo beans, kidney beans, and edamame. Let simmer, uncovered, until the chili has thickened, about 30 minutes. If, at the end of the 30 minutes, you would like your chili thickened more, you can continue cooking or add 1 tbsp of cornstarch (mixed with 1 tbsp water) and let it cook a few minutes until thickened.
5. Stir in fresh cilantro and taste for seasoning. Add salt, pepper, chili powder or extra lime juice, if needed and serve. Enjoy!

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