This leftover turkey chili takes your traditional holiday turkey and turns it on its head. A variation of the famous Deer Valley turkey chili, this version is slightly healthier and also gluten free. With great smoky flavors that aren’t too spicy, this chili helps you get the most out of Thanksgiving leftovers.
If you have leftover turkey coming out of your ears, then this turkey chili is for you.
When people think turkey chili, they often think of a white bean turkey chili. And it’s usually made with ground turkey. White chili is great, but I happen to be partial to this southwest version. It’s got lots of great spices without being overly spicy – and trust me, because I can’t do spicy foods.
This chili is smoky without being overpowering and is truly perfect on a cold day. I love to use leftovers from my Thanksgiving turkey for this because the flavors of the chili are so different from a traditional holiday meal.
My family likes to make this with our Traeger smoked turkey to make it more of a smoked turkey chili, but it will work with a turkey that’s been roasted, smoked, or grilled.
If you have other leftovers you don’t know what to do with, try these mashed potato pancakes and some gluten free cranberry orange muffins. Both change the flavor profiles of the original dish and give you a way to create something different out of your holiday smorgasbord.
Before we get into the recipe, let’s talk a little about Deer Valley.
What’s so special about Deer Valley chili?
First, the basics- Deer Valley is a ski resort in Park City, Utah. They serve many great dishes on site, but their turkey chili is one they get asked about all the time. They even sell a mix you can use to make their chili at home.
Now, I am not a big skier, but my parents are and I was dragged around on many a ski trip growing up. So while I haven’t personally been to Deer Valley, my dad came back from a trip there raving about their chili and my mom decided to try her hand at making it. I took her modified recipe, changed some things of my own, and this version was born.
Some of the key alterations I made were cutting the butter in half to make it a tad healthier, cutting out the flour so it’s gluten free, and toning down the spices as most of the copycat recipes I’ve seen call for a LOT of spice. I changed a couple of other things too to make it more to my family’s liking, and in my opinion, a little more kid-friendly.
Grab These Ingredients!
(Note: the full ingredients list, including measurements, is provided in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.)
- Cooked turkey – I use leftovers from my smoked turkey recipe, but you could use an oven-baked turkey as well.
- Beans – canned beans are easiest here. Having a combo of black and pinto beans provides a little variety in the chili.
- Corn kernels – you can use canned corn or frozen corn that’s thawed.
- Chiles – one anaheim and one poblano. Again, using different types provides some variety. Make sure all the seeds are removed before you start chopping them up otherwise your chili will be spicy!
- Bell pepper – I like to use a red one, but you could use any color.
- Leek – use the white part only for this recipe.
- Onion – I like to use a yellow onion, but white or red would also work.
- Garlic – use two large cloves. If you’re a garlic lover, you can definitely add more.
- Butter – this is for sauteeing the vegetables. You can use salted or unsalted, though I typically recommend unsalted so you have more control over how salty the chili is.
- Spices – chili powder, ground cumin, ground coriander, and ground black pepper. Make sure they’re decently fresh and haven’t been sitting in your cabinet for years as that will impact the flavor of the chili.
- Oregano – if you can, get really good quality dried oregano as it can really influence the flavor of the chili.
- Kosher salt – I use Diamond Crystal brand as it is less salty by weight than other brands. This gives you a little more control when salting your foods. If you have a different brand of kosher salt you may want to use slightly less than the recipe recommends.
- Chicken stock – if you have homemade turkey stock from your leftover turkey, you can definitely use that instead. Otherwise you can use a chicken broth or stock.
Why you’ll want to make this leftover turkey chili recipe
- It uses up any leftover turkey that otherwise might not get eaten, giving you more bang for your buck.
- The flavor profile of the turkey completely changes from happy holidays to smoky southwestern, so you don’t actually feel like you’re eating leftovers.
- It adds some great twists to the classic Deer Valley chili recipe, making it gluten free, slightly less spicy, and slightly healthier by cutting out some of the butter.
- Pair this chili with any leftover cornbread to use up two leftovers in one meal!
How to make leftover turkey chili
(Note: please see the recipe card at the end of this post for the complete written instructions.)
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