Award Winning Healthy Turkey Instant Pot Chili

Our Instant Pot Award Winning Chili Recipe is going viral but we couldn’t help but create a healthy instant pot turkey chili recipe for all of you looking for healthy instant pot recipes!

We hear you loud and clear. Cade and I are sitting on the couch watching the Olympics while the kids are in bed (Women’s Snowboarding to be exact, and Chloe Kim is KILLING IT!!!) and writing this Award Winning Healthy Turkey Instant Pot Chili recipe for you all because holy moly, the requests just keep pouring in!!

We almost didn’t post our classic chili recipe because we figured that everyone was totally set in their ways with their own favorite chili recipes, but boy were we wrong! It’s going crazy on our site!

Immediately we started hearing that we needed a vegetarian and a healthy chili recipe, but we can only test so much, so first up, our Award Winning Healthy Turkey Instant Pot Chili! It’s turkey bacon to still give that hint of bacon goodness, but in a more lean way, along with ground turkey, and lots of tomato flavor.

Alright, friends if it was you wanting a healthy Instant Pot dinner recipe, this turkey chili in an Instant Pot is for you!

What’s in Instant Pot Turkey Chili? 

For this healthy Instant Pot chili recipe, you’ll need ground turkey, turkey bacon, a mixture of black and pinto beans, fire roasted diced tomatoes, tomato paste, three kinds of peppers, red onion, chicken stock, and a variety of dried herbs and spices. 

We really wanted to create an Instant Pot turkey chili recipe that could be made with ingredients you already have on hand. You might need to pick up a few of these healthy turkey chili ingredients at the store, but I’m sure you have most of them in your pantry already. Instant pot chili isn’t hard to make, and we wanted to ingredients list to reflect that! 

How to Make Ground Turkey Chili in an Instant Pot

Turn your instant pot to sauté and cook bacon until crisp. Once cooked, remove the bacon and place on a paper towel-lined plate to absorb any extra grease.

Add the onions and peppers to the electric

Honey Roasted Chicken

Juicy, golden honey roasted chicken with crispy glazed skin that is pure comfort! This roasted whole chicken recipe is made for Sunday dinner!

Growing up my favorite meal was honey roasted chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy (actually I ate it plain with butter most times) fresh corn and jello. Yup, I said jello. I requested this dinner every year for my birthday dinner. It was perfection.

Then I grew up and forgot all about roasted chicken. Why? Because buying boneless skinless chicken took over my life. It was easy to buy, easy to freeze and defrost and easy to cook up. But, then I remembered my long ago love for roasted chicken and found this recipe.

I mean hello! Just look at the beautiful golden, delicious skin! I love bringing back old favorites. Don’t you? So many memories.

Ingredients for Honey Roasted Chicken

For the Chicken

• Whole Chicken: You want a chicken that weighs 3-4 lbs. This is good healthy protein!
• Seasonings: Salt, Pepper, and Smoked Paprika
• Aromatics: Onion, Lemon, Garlic, Thyme Sprigs, and Parsley
• Butter: Gets mixed with the seasonings to rub all over the chicken under the skin.
• Egg: Brushed on the skin and helps the skin get crispy.

For the Honey Glaze

• Cornstarch: helps thicken the glaze
• Water: combines with the cornstarch to thicken the glaze
• Honey: adds natural sweetness, flavor and thickness to the glaze
• Apple Cider Vinegar: adds flavor and acidity
• Chicken Broth: adds flavor and is the bulk of the base for the glaze
• White Wine: you can use real wine, cooking wine or just double the chicken broth
• Thyme: adds flavor and freshness to the glaze
• Butter: adds richness

The measurements for all the ingredients can be found in the recipe card down below. Keep scrolling for all the details!

Why Put Lemon in a Roast Chicken?

Lemon is a great aromatic that releases its flavor into the chicken as it roasts. It adds a delicious flavor to the meat along with the herbs, onions, garlic, etc.

Is Roasting Different Than Baking?

Roasting is done at a higher temperature (400°F and above) to create a browned, flavorful “crust” on the outside of the food.

Baking is done at a lower temperature.

Roasting is usually done in an opened, uncovered pan, and foods that are baked are usually covered.

How Do You Keep Chicken from Drying Out When Roasting?

My top tip for keeping chicken moist while roasting is to truss the chicken. Getting the wings

Teriyaki Chicken Casserole [+ Video]

This classic baked teriyaki chicken casserole recipe is easy to make and the perfect crowd pleasing recipe for a busy weeknight dinner or potluck.

It’s everything you love about takeout without leaving your house! Casseroles are great for dinner because they’re easy to throw together and comforting to come home to. This casserole combines chicken with a sweet savory glaze mixed with tasty fried rice and loads of healthy vegetables!

Before You Begin…

I know, this is kind of like a souped up fried rice, but I’m still calling it a casserole since we are adding in a few extras. We start with our ham fried rice recipe for the base of this casserole. If you haven’t already, you’re going to want to read that post because there’s a secret to making perfect fried rice. Both the fried rice and the teriyaki sauce can be made a day or two ahead of time.

How This Recipe Came to Be

One night after we made a huge batch of the fried rice, our fridge died. And I mean, died. We went just over two weeks without the dang thing while we waited for parts to come in. That first day I knew I needed to throw together a casserole because we didn’t have anything for dinner that night, so the teriyaki chicken casserole was born and what a blessing in disguise because it turned out awesome-sauce!

Well, there were a few months that were bitterly cold and we were feeling so grateful for a warm house. Because almost two weeks after the fridge died our furnace went out. Yaaaaaay. (Can you hear my sarcasm?). What a blessing it was that it was winter so we were able to keep condiments, butter, and such outside.

We learned that we can survive without the fridge. It changed our eating habits and was quite hard, especially for a food blogger, but it just took creativity for meals and helped us to remember to be grateful for our modern day conveniences.

And in the end we made a killer rice casserole recipe with teriyaki chicken, broccoli, fried rice and extra sauce. So maybe in the end the whole fridge debacle was worth it. Because this teriyaki chicken casserole is that delicious. 

Where Does Teriyaki Chicken Come From?

Teriyaki is a cooking technique where foods are grilled or broiled in a glaze of soy sauce, mirin and sugar. It is usually associated with Japanese cuisine, but the technique is used in many Asian cuisines. Teriyaki chicken is a Japanese-American cuisine.

What’s in Teriyaki Chicken Casserole? 

For this easy chicken casserole, you’ll need fried rice, a chicken breast, a packag

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup with Mini Grilled Cheese “Croutons” [+ Video]

This Roasted Tomato Basil Soup is easy to make, and we topped it with grilled cheese croutons just for fun! A simple dinner that kids will love!

I know that I can’t be the only one that still has tomato coming out her ears. Right? I was wracking my brain about what to do with our huge colander stacked high with tomatoes, when I suddenly thought, what if I use those flavors, but make a soup to help move us into fall?

DING DING DING! Creamy tomato basil soup with mini grilled cheese croutons was born.

I love those little grilled cheese bites that act like little croutons in the soup. I’m not even kidding, it’s so delicious together.

Ingredients in Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

To make this easy fresh tomato soup recipe, you’ll need the following:

• Fresh tomatoes
• Garlic
• Olive oil
• Onion
• Salt and pepper
• Dark brown sugar
• Chicken broth
  • PRO TIP: If you want to make this recipe vegetarian, swap the chicken broth for vegetable broth.
• Heavy cream
• Fresh basil leaves
• Baguette
• Fresh mozzarella cheese
• Butter

The measurements for all the ingredients are listed in the recipe card at the end of the post. I actually love to make several batches of this recipe so I can freeze a bunch to eat throughout the whole winter. There is just nothing more comforting than a warm bowl of tomato basil soup with a little fresh parmesan cheese sprinkled on top and a grilled cheese sandwich on the side for dipping! Yes please!

What Are the Best Tomatoes for Tomato Soup?

We recommend using Roma tomatoes or vine ripened tomatoes for this creamy tomato basil soup. Avoid using beefsteak tomatoes, as we find they lack the bold flavor this soup needs. Larger tomatoes also hold a lot of water which thins out a soup.

Should the Tomatoes Be Peeled?

Peeling the tomatoes is optional but I haven’t ever felt like it was necessary. Roasting the tomatoes softens the tomato skin and blending them breaks them down until you would never know the skins were on. If you do want to peel them, the skins should slide off easily right after roasting the tomatoes.

How to Make Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

Making tomato basil soup with fresh tomatoes is easier than you might think! Here’s an overview of the recipe:

1. Roast tomatoes: Roast the tomatoes until soft and then let them cool a little.
2. Blend: Add the tomatoes to a blender and blend until pureed.
   • PRO TIP: If you have an immersion blender, you can use that instead. Move the tomatoes to a large bowl or sauce pan and blend the tomatoes there. Then they are easily measured to make sure you have enough.
3. Sauté: Heat up some olive oil in a large sauce pot then add the garlic and onions and sauté until fragrant.<

Easy Baked Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs

Save this recipe for easy baked boneless skinless chicken thighs for a quick chicken dinner recipe ready in just 30 minutes!

This easy chicken thighs recipe is for those busy evenings when dinner would just be far too much work and the whole family is pacing the kitchen for food.

Chicken thighs are affordable, full of flavor, foolproof, and always end up juicy! And this recipe is so versatile, it can be served with just about anything! We will give you some suggestions down below.

Easy Dinners

I remember as a kid my mom would occasionally bust out a very easy dinner, which looking back now I know that meant she was probably exhausted from being our mom, but back then I thought she was just being awesome. Easy dinners would range from sausage links and Grandma’s Czech fried potatoes (you MUST make them), or baked bbq chicken to things as easy as hot dogs and mac n cheese in that big silver pot, chicken nuggets or even fruit and toast. Yes, this easy baked chicken thighs post is actually going to be all about the fruit and toast thing.

You see, fruit and toast was actually a favorite Saturday night dinner at our house growing up. Our family had 5 kids, 2 bunnies, a cat, and later a dog. Which is hilarious if you know me now. Anyway, Mom would be so busy and by the time Saturday hit dinner was the last thing she wanted to worry about.

All summer she had worked hard to bottle (can) fruit for us and we loved busting out a can of raspberries and some hot, buttered toast. Now that I’m the mom I’ve tried to do the same, but Cade will not have it. “Fruit and a piece of toast is not dinner. I’ll be starving!” has been heard coming from Cade’s mouth. He would much rather go out to eat, but I grew up in a home where we NEVER went out to eat. Or at least rarely. So I would rather stay in.

I’ve given up on fruit and toast but I still keep things simple like baking a few chicken thighs and serving them with a side of fruit or fresh cut veggies, which Cade does because heaven knows that’s just far too much work for a Saturday. Am I right?

Ingredients for Baked Chicken Thighs

• Chicken Thighs: boneless, skinless
• Olive Oil: helps stick the dry rub to the chicken and keeps the chicken from sticking to the pan
• Dry Rub: Kosher Salt, Smoked Paprika, Ground Mustard, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Ground Cumin, Italian Seasoning
• Red Onion: adds a little pop of flavor and texture

The measurements for all the ingredients can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.

Are Chicken Thighs Considered Lean Meat?

Some people prefer the taste of dark meat over white meat and consider it to be more tender and flavorful. They are considered to be a good source of lean protein.