Heat oil in large soup pot over medium heat and cook the onion 6-8 minutes or until it begins to brown and caramelize at the edges. Add the turkey and garlic to the skillet with the onions and season with the oregano, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper. Cook the turkey over medium heat gently stirring only enough to turn and brown trying not to break it up too much. (Ground turkey is somewhat dry and crumbly so it's best to not stir it much so it stays in bite-size chunks.)
Gently stir in the poblanos, green chiles, chipotle chiles in adobo, bell pepper, and carrots. Cook for 5 minutes to meld flavors and soften vegetables.
Add the beans, chicken stock, liquid smoke flavoring, and squeeze or lime (optional) to the pot and bring to a simmer for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft and the flavors meld.
Stir in the heavy whipping cream and then taste to add more of the seasoning or canned chipotle chiles for more spice, if desired.
Notes
Recipe Variations
Substitute 4 cups of leftover cooked turkey for the ground turkey—add the turkey with beans in STEP 4
Any combination of toppings like avocado, favorite cheese, chopped cilantro, scallions, sour cream, crumbled tortilla chips, or fresh chilies.
Add corn, hominy, or rice for some of the turkey meat to mellow the spice, and add a bit of carb content, should you want it.
Substitute sour cream for the heavy cream
Substitute crushed red chile flakes for the chiles in adobo
Use chicken, pulled pork, or turkey leftovers in place of the ground turkey
3 Ways to Make it Dairy-Free
Reserve one cup of the beans and puree them before adding them to the soup
Add 3 tablespoons masa flour with enough water to create a thin paste, then stir into the chili
Omit the cream and cheese or substitute non-dairy alternatives