Leftover Turkey Chili

  • Level: Easy
  • Yield: 8 servings
  • Total: 1 hr 35 min
  • Prep: 15 min
  • Cook: 1 hr 20 min
Put leftover roast turkey to good use in this simple, flavor-packed chili. Using fire-roasted tomatoes gives it an extra layer of toasty flavor, but regular diced tomatoes work fine, too. For a change-up from the traditional cornbread side, try it ladled over leftover mashed potatoes!
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Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 medium onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 small jalapeno, seeded and minced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/4 cup chili powder

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon dried oregano

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 to 4 cups leftover roasted turkey meat, white and dark combined, chopped or pulled into 3/4-inch pieces

One 28-ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

Two 15-ounce cans pinto beans

Leftover mashed potatoes or cooked rice, for serving 

Sour cream and chopped scallion, for serving

Directions

  1. Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft, about 6 minutes. Stir in the jalapeno and garlic and cook until they soften slightly, about 1 minute.
  2. Stir in the chili powder, cumin, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Add the turkey and stir until well coated in the spices. Pour in the tomatoes and chicken broth and scrape up any spices that may have stuck to the bottom of the pan. Bring the chili to a simmer on medium-low and cook, uncovered, on until the liquid has reduced by a few inches and the chili has thickened, about 1 hour.
  3. Drain and rinse one of the cans of beans; leave the bean liquid in the second can. Add all the beans plus the reserved bean liquid to the pot and heat until the beans are warmed through, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with more salt and pepper. Serve in bowls over potatoes or rice with a dollop of sour cream and sprinkle of chopped scallions.

Let's Get Cooking!

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Anonymous

Fabulous way to use leftover turkey. It was so good, we did not need to use rice or mashed potatoes. If you like a lot of kick, I would add a bit more jalapeño but it was great as is!

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