I spent some of my college summers in New Mexico, where I developed a passion for real Mexican chorizo. However, my husband and I have been attempting to imitate that chorizo flavor in extra lean ground turkey because we have become very health-conscious. The pig chorizo in this dish is eerily similar to that found in our favorite taco trucks. Serve in omelets, breakfast burritos, tacos, burritos, quesadillas, etc. I advise serving on corn tortillas with lime juice, chopped onion, and cilantro on top.
| Prep Time: | 10 mins |
| Cook Time: | 8 mins |
| Total Time: | 18 mins |
| Servings: | 4 |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 3 dried red chile peppers, or more to taste
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons red chile powder
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon crushed dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ¾ teaspoon white sugar
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 ¼ pounds extra-lean ground turkey breast
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- ½ lime, juiced
- ¼ orange, juiced
Instructions
- Pulse dried red chile peppers in a spice grinder until coarsely ground.
- Combine ground chile peppers, apple cider vinegar, red chile powder, water, oregano, salt, garlic, cumin, sugar, and black pepper in a large bowl; mix well. Add turkey; mix until seasonings are well-incorporated.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add seasoned turkey; cook, stirring frequently to break up clumps, until no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in lime juice and orange juice. Continue cooking until browned, about 5 minutes more.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 196 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 4 g |
| Cholesterol | 88 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Protein | 35 g |
| Saturated Fat | 1 g |
| Sodium | 1235 mg |
| Sugars | 1 g |
| Fat | 4 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
My whole family enjoyed this recipe, but next time I make it, I’ll reduce the amount of oil and salt, even if that makes it less like chorizo.
I did make it and added a little more olive oil than the recipe called for. I am familiar with turkey and how dry it gets. I also added cayenne pepper instead of dried red peppers, I did not have any. I also did not use an orange. All in all, the meat was juicy and tender. We made taco salad and a pita Mexican pizza. I would definitely make this recipe again.
I haven’t eaten chorizo in decades because of the fat content. This recipe has convinced me to reintroduce this delicious sausage in my diet. I used it in another recipe, therefore not following step two, and my family loved it. I used Mexican oregano, smoked paprika, and New Mexico chile powder. Thank you for the recipe.
I love the flavor of chorizo, but I don’t really care to eat red meat so this twist with turkey was perfect for me. I used it to make a Picadillo recipe instead of regular chorizo which was a huge hit at our taco bar. I made it into chorizo breakfast patties that perfectly offset the sweet breakfast bread pudding I served them with. While this will never be an exact copy of the real thing the flavor profile hits most of the notes I wanted and really lends itself to adding that depth of flavor real chorizo is known for.