You will love this easy recipe for leftover turkey chili, a thick, aromatic stew of leftover turkey meat, onions, tomatoes, and spices.
Ready in about 45 minutes and a breeze to make, this is one of my favorite post-Thanksgiving meals!
A warm and comforting chili is one of my favorite ways to enjoy turkey meat on the days after Thanksgiving. During the year, I simply use chicken instead of turkey.
While there are many delicious ways to use up leftover turkey, including turkey stir-fry and turkey curry, a big bowl of chili is especially appropriate for the season. It's hot, spicy, and comforting.
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Ingredients
The list of ingredients needed to make this recipe isn't exactly short. But don't let that deter you! Lots of spices are essential to a good chili. And once you lay out the ingredients, the rest of the recipe is a breeze.
For the Seasoning Mixture
Chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, dried oregano, crushed red peppers, tomato paste, minced garlic, and water.
For the Chili
- Olive oil: This is my favorite oil, and I use it quite often in my recipes. But if you'd rather use an oil with a higher smoke point, you can use avocado oil instead
- Diced onion: I like to use yellow onion, which is a bit milder than white onion. But white onion works too.
- Diced bell peppers: Sometimes, I omit them, as I do in the video below. But they do add nice flavor and texture
- Kosher salt and black pepper: I use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Cooked turkey meat: Diced or shredded. Make sure to remove the skin. It will feel rubbery when cooked in a chili.
- Petite-diced tomatoes: Or use regular diced tomatoes and give them an extra chop.
- Dried bay leaves: You can omit these, although they do add a nice layer of flavor.
Variations
- Use ghee or avocado oil instead of olive oil.
- Experiment with your spices. For example, you can add dried thyme instead of oregano.
- Cooked chicken works well in this recipe. In fact, it's a great way to use leftover baked chicken breast.
Instructions
Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps for making this chili:
You start by cooking the onions and peppers in olive oil with salt. Add the seasoning mixture, then add the turkey meat and stir to coat.
Stir in the tomatoes and bay leaves. Add water and simmer the chili for 20 minutes.
Top with your favorite toppings and serve!
Expert Tip
I usually use white meat, but you can use a mix of white and dark meat. Just make sure that the meat is skinless. The skin would taste rubbery in chili.
Recipe FAQs
The onions, peppers, and tomatoes do add up, so this is not a very low-carb recipe. It has 13 grams of carbs and 4 grams of fiber per serving. Whether this works for you or not is up to you to decide.
I actually prefer to cook it quickly because the turkey meat is already cooked, and I don't want it to become overcooked.
Yes, that would be fine. Just as with the white meat, remember to take the skin off before adding it to the chili.
Serving Suggestions
This chili is substantial enough that you can simply serve it in bowls. It's a complete meal.
It's excellent when topped with shredded cheddar, sliced green onions, guacamole, and/or sour cream. If you'd like to serve it with something on the side, I recommend these tasty options:
Storing Leftovers
Most cooked leftovers, when properly and immediately refrigerated in a shallow airtight container, can be kept for 3-4 days.
But since we’re using leftover meat to cook this recipe, the leftovers could potentially spoil faster. So, when figuring out how long you can keep this dish, don't forget to take into account the number of days the turkey meat has already spent in your fridge.
More Chili Recipes
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Recipe Card
Leftover Turkey Chili
Ingredients
Seasoning mix:
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 3 ounces tomato paste - half a can
- 2 tablespoons fresh garlic - minced
- 2 tablespoons water
Chili:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion - medium, diced
- 2 bell peppers - medium, diced
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt - divided, or ½ teaspoon divided of any other salt
- 24 ounces cooked white turkey meat - skinless, shredded or diced; 5 cups
- 30 ounces petite diced tomatoes - undrained; if using regular diced tomatoes, give them an extra chop
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- In a small bowl, with a fork, mix together the seasoning ingredients to create a paste.
- Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes. Add the onion, bell peppers, and ½ teaspoon of kosher salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Add the seasoning mixture (use a small spatula to scrape it off the bowl) and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.
- Stir in the turkey meat until well-coated in the spices.
- Add the tomatoes, bay leaves, remaining salt, and black pepper. Add enough water to bring the chili to a thick stew consistency, about 1 cup.
- Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Serve immediately with your favorite toppings.
Video
Notes
- I usually use white meat, but you can use a mix of white and dark meat. Just make sure that the meat is skinless. The skin would taste rubbery in chili.
- Most cooked leftovers, when properly and immediately refrigerated in a shallow airtight container, can be kept for 3-4 days. But since we’re using leftover meat to cook this recipe, the leftovers could potentially spoil faster. So, when figuring out how long you can keep this dish, don't forget to take into account the number of days the turkey meat has already spent in your fridge.
Nutrition per Serving
Disclaimers
Cup measurements refer to the standard American cup, which is 240 milliliters. Most of my recipes are low-carb (or keto) and gluten-free, but some are not. Please verify that a recipe fits your needs before using it. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate, and the carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Nutrition info may contain errors, so please verify it independently. Recipes may contain errors, so please use your common sense when following them. Please read these Terms of Use carefully before using any of my recipes.
Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, and Country Living. 
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