Leftover Turkey Chili
After spending Thanksgiving day chopping, roasting, baking, and simmering, you may find yourself avoiding the kitchen in the days after. Sure, leftovers are usually plentiful, but even those get old after a few days. If you’re looking to change things up from the typical Thanksgiving-leftover flavor profile, I think this turkey chili might be just the thing to spice up your dinner rotation. Not only is this recipe extremely easy, but it also repurposes a lot of leftover turkey! I love recipes like this (you’ll also find me enjoying turkey pot pie and turkey chowder), because let’s be real, cold turkey sandwiches can only be enjoyed for so long… Today’s turkey chili is similar to (and even easier than) my best chili recipe. There’s very minimal prep-work involved, and the hardest part is letting it simmer for 30 minutes. The flavor is incredible too, with lots of spices (make it as hot or mild as you want), veggies, and beans. It’s a hearty dish that you’ll find yourself craving long after your Thanksgiving leftovers are gone!
What You Need
This turkey chili has a complex flavor, thanks in part to one important ingredient that may seem a bit unusual to you. Trust me though, it’s magical!
Shredded turkey. Leftover Thanksgiving turkey works perfectly here! Just shred it up nicely like you would a rotisserie chicken. If you are making this outside of Thanksgiving, you could use 1 lb of cooked ground turkey instead. Fire roasted tomatoes. I love using these for a bit of extra flavor; they’re subtly smokey and just so good! If you can’t find them, regular diced canned tomatoes will work just fine. Chili powder. My preference is to use a combination of ancho chili powder and regular chili powder. Ancho chili powder is slightly sweet and smokey (if you’ve had my potato soup, you know it’s a key ingredient there!). It’s usually sold in the spice aisle of your grocery store. If you can’t find ancho or prefer to use all plain chili powder, that’s fine too. Cocoa powder. Yes, cocoa powder! This is our magical secret ingredient. Maybe you’ve seen it in chili before… It certainly isn’t my own invention (chocolate and chilis have been paired together for centuries), but it’s one I’ve grown very attached to. Either natural or dutch process cocoa will work here.
SAM’S TIP: You can make this chili as spicy or mild as you like; simply adjust the cayenne pepper to taste. I like to start out with just a pinch and go from there. Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Leftover Turkey Chili
SAM’S TIP: Don’t forget the toppings! I love topping my turkey chili with diced avocado, shredded cheese, sour cream, and corn chips. You could also make tortilla strips at home from my chicken tortilla soup recipe and use them! I like to serve my chili with a side of buttermilk cornbread, jalapeño cornbread, or biscuits. If you have any leftover crescent rolls from Thanksgiving, those would work too! Enjoy! Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook