Quick Leftover Turkey Chili Recipe

Try This Easy Chili Using Turkey from Thanksgiving or Christmas

Nov 21, 2008 Norman Kolpas

Most folks use turkey leftovers from Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner to make turkey soup, salad, or hash. This easy recipe transforms roast turkey into tasty chili.

This delicious, easy chili recipe assumes that there's some leftover turkey meat from Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas dinner. It also supposes that a dish in the refrigerator contains leftovers from a traditional corn bread-based stuffing or dressing that accompanied the bird, which makes a great easy thickener for the chili.

But don't wait until a holiday dinner to try the recipe. Whole turkey breast is to buy in the supermarket at any time of year, are easy to cook, and yield lots of leftovers on their own. And a pan of homemade corn bread, a quick weekend favorite, can also provide sufficient extra to go into a pot of chili.

Day After Thanksgiving Chili

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 medium-sized garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 medium-sized yellow onions, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon red (cayenne) pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon ground coriander
• 2 1/2 cups good-quality canned chicken broth
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1/2 tablespoon dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound leftover turkey meat, torn into 1/2-inch pieces (about 3 cups loosely packed)
• 1 cup leftover corn bread stuffing, coarsely crumbled, or 1 cup leftover corn bread cut into 1/2-inch cubes and mixed with 1/4 cup extra chicken broth
• 1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 2 medium-sized green onions, thinly sliced, for garnish

Directions:

1. In a medium-sized saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and onions and sauté, stirring frequently, until the onions turn translucent, 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Add the chili powder, cumin, cayenne, and coriander and sauté until the spices are very fragrant and slightly darkened in color, 1 to 2 minutes more.
3. Add the broth, wine, tomato paste, oregano, rosemary, sugar, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring and scraping with a wooden spoon to deglaze the pan deposits.
4. Reduce the heat to low. Stir in the turkey, stuffing or cornbread, and mushrooms. Simmer until the mixture is thick but still slightly liquid, about 15 minutes.
5. Ladle the chili into individual serving bowls. Garnish each serving with green onions.

Tips and Variations:

• Use leftover roast or rotisserie chicken meat in place of the turkey for a quick chicken chili.
• For spicier results, include a minced jalapeño or other small fresh chili pepper along with the garlic and onion.
• For a richer flavor, substitute red wine for the white wine.
• Try fresh shiitake, cremini, or Portobello mushrooms in place of regular mushrooms.

Holiday leftovers have never tasted more exciting!

Looking for other great poultry chili recipes? Try Hearty Ground Turkey Chili or Chicken Breast and White Bean Chili!

The copyright of the article Quick Leftover Turkey Chili Recipe in Recipes is owned by Norman Kolpas. Permission to republish Quick Leftover Turkey Chili Recipe in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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