Leftover Turkey Chili Recipe

❤️ Why You'll Love Our Easy Recipe

• It's a perfect way to use up leftover holiday turkey, making a hearty meal that the whole family will love.
• You don't need any fancy kitchen appliances to make this simple yet super flavorful dish.
• Leftover turkey chili can be made in advance to save you time and effort later on.
• It's a budget-friendly meal that's also versatile!

🧂 Ingredients

• Olive oil
• Turkey
• Yellow onion or white onion
• Garlic cloves
• Tomato sauce
• Chicken broth
• Cumin
• Chili powder
• Cayenne pepper
• Oregano
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• Black beans
• Kidney beans

🔪Instructions

This is meant to be a brief overview of the Leftover Turkey Chili Recipe. For step-by-step instructions and a full printable recipe card with ingredients, please scroll down to the teal box below.

1. In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat add oil and onions.
2. Cook for about 5 minutes or until onions are tender, then add the garlic and cook 1-2 minutes.
3. Add in tomato sauce, chicken broth, and seasonings. Stir to combine.
4. Mix in the beans and turkey.
5. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer for 30-45 minutes.
6. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

Equipment

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• Dutch Oven - 6 quart
• Measuring Spoons
• Dry Measuring Cups
• Liquid Measuring Cup
• Cutting Board
• Santoku Knife

⏲️ Storage

This is such a great way to use up turkey (in whichever form you have leftover) during the holidays.

To Store: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. (These are my favorite containers.)

To Reheat: Reheat on the stove at medium high heat until warm all the way through, or microwave individual bowls according to your microwave's instructions.

To Freeze: Freeze in air tight containers for up to 3 to 6 months.

To Thaw: Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.

How to Use Leftover Chili

Here are three of my favorite ways to use leftover chili to make a new meal or snack:

• Corn Muffin Chili Cups - these are so fun to make with kids!
• Chili Stuffed Peppers - traditional stuffed peppers get a chili makeover.
• Chili Potato Skins - perfect for game day snacking!

⭐Ang's Tips

✔️Make sure that you don’t skip the first step of softening the onions before adding in the rest of the turkey chili ingredients. Not only do you want to avoid crunchy onions in the chili but softened onions also do a great job of incorporating all the flavors in the pot.

✔️Using good quality turkey will increase the overall flavor of this dish. You could also consider browning the turkey with the tender onions in a larger pan with a bigger surface area than the pot or Dutch oven. This is totally optional but worth it if you want to achieve a better browning of the ground turkey - a trick that always intensifies those delicious meaty flavors!

✔️Avoid cooking the ground turkey on high heat otherwise, the flavors won’t develop as well and you may also end up with tough turkey instead of tender meat.

📖 Variations

• The great thing about this leftover turkey chili recipe is that you can use up a bunch of different leftovers. You can puree leftover veggies like sweet potatoes, and carrots or leave them whole and just throw them into the pot.
• Instead of using leftover cooked and shredded turkey you can use ground turkey or even leftover chicken.
• Thinly sliced celery or a chopped green bell pepper can be sautéed with the garlic and onions.
• For more heat in your turkey chili, add more chili powder or use red pepper flakes and increase the amount of cayenne pepper. A chopped jalapeno can also be added to the garlic and onions at the start of this recipe for an extra kick of heat!

🍴 Serving Suggestions

Our easy Turkey Chili is a hearty meal! A bowl of this leftover turkey chili can be enjoyed as a satisfying main dish, served with your favorite toppings such as:

• sour cream
• sliced jalapeno
• shredded cheddar cheese
• fresh avocado chunks
• tortilla chips
• green onions

If you’re looking for a separate side dish to accompany this leftover turkey chili recipe, then consider these tasty options:

• Buttery Dinner Rolls
• Garlic Cheddar Cornbread
• Cornbread muffins
• Baked potatoes

Related: Chili Side Dish Ideas

😋 Similar Recipes

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And you'll love this busy day soup recipe, too!