The Best Turkey Chili is Easy Turkey Chili
Is there anything better than a hot bowl of chili on a cold day?
Here’s a favorite recipe from the archives that I recently remade, in preparation for the turkey leftovers we expect to have after Thanksgiving. The best turkey chili is leftover turkey chili. Using leftover turkey makes for some easy turkey chili. With kidney beans, tomato, bell pepper, garlic and loads of spices, this chili is terrific with leftover shredded turkey meat (especially the dark meat!)
Turkey Chili for All
Note that this turkey chili recipe makes a large pot of chili! Perfect for a gathering. Use leftovers as an easy sauce with pasta or filling for enchiladas.
You could also easily make this turkey chili recipe with cooked shredded chicken if no turkey leftovers are available. Serve this easy turkey chili loaded high with shredded cheese and diced onions, and better still, cornbread.
Turkey Chili (with Leftover Turkey) Recipe
PrintIngredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups chopped onion
- 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped fine
- 2 Tbsp chili powder (or up to 4 Tbsp if you like it spicier)
- 1 Tbsp ground cumin
- 3 15-ounce cans crushed tomatoes (fire roasted if you can get it)
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 cup of turkey stock or chicken stock
- Two 15 oz cans kidney beans, drained
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 Tbsp sea salt, plus more if desired to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 to 4 cups of shredded, cooked turkey meat
- 1 to 3 teaspoons sugar (optional)
- Shredded cheddar cheese, chopped green or red onion, sour cream for optional garnish.
Method
1 Sauté the onions, peppers, garlic, and spices: In a large, 8-quart, thick-bottom pot, heat the olive oil on medium high heat. Add the onions and green peppers and cook, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes.
Add the garlic, chili powder, and cumin, and cook, stirring, for a minute or two more. Add a bit more olive oil if needed.
2 Add tomatoes, beans, stock, cooked turkey: Add tomatoes, tomato paste, stock, kidney beans, oregano, salt, pepper, and cooked turkey meat. Bring mixture to a simmer and reduce heat to low. Simmer, partially covered, for an hour.
3 Add salt: Salt to taste. Add sugar to taste if needed to balance the acidity of the tomatoes.
The chili may be made in advance and chilled for 2 days, or frozen for 2 months.
4 Serve with toppings: Serve with shredded cheddar cheese, chopped red onion, and or sour cream. Serve alone, over rice, or with cornbread.
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Elise Bauer is the founder of Simply Recipes. Elise launched Simply Recipes in 2003 as a way to keep track of her family's recipes, and along the way grew it into one of the most popular cooking websites in the world. Elise is dedicated to helping home cooks be successful in the kitchen. Elise is a graduate of Stanford University, and lives in Sacramento, California.
Turkey Chili (with Leftover Turkey)
I was hesitant because i am a beef chili lover, but i love this recipe soooo much, i will definitely make it again!
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I made it! I followed all the steps. I did not make any changes. It was delicious. I plan to make it again in the future. Thank you for sharing your family recipe.
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Loved this recipe! Excellent flavor the evening I cooked it. made recipe exactly as written. Perfect!
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The spices are a perfect combination.
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I just made this with our turkey leftovers a few days ago, and my family loved it! I said to my husband “this is probably the best chili I’ve ever had”. Super flavorful! I didn’t change anything about the recipe. I will be using this again over the winter months and will use ground turkey next time. Thanks!
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