This Smoked Turkey Chili Recipe is perfect for any leftover turkey from holiday dinners. Some basic dinners are always a go-to, but sometimes finding a new way to spice up those bland leftover meals is nice. Every year when turkeys go on sale for the holidays, I always pick up at least one extra for later in the year.
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I love to cook big holiday dinners, but I always have a ton of leftover meat! We had smoked a turkey (See the smoked turkey recipe and dry rub recipe -> here), and now we made a Turkey Noodle Soup (see it -> here) but still had more turkey left. I love White Chicken Chili, so we had to try Turkey Chili!! I love that I made so many meals from the 20lb turkey.
10 Quart Crockpot8 Quart Crockpot6 Quart Crockpot
I love to make food that has leftovers. This recipe can be easily doubled and made in an 8-quart crockpot to freeze the leftovers. I made it in my 4 quart crockpot this time around.
Smoked Turkey Chili Recipe Ingredients:
Leftover Turkey- You can use leftover oven roasted turkey, I used leftover smoked turkey
Smoked Turkey Chili Recipe Directions:
Spray your crockpot with a non-stick spray, or line the crockpot with a slow cooker liner. This makes cleaning up a breeze, and you won’t have to scrub your crockpot that much.
Open your cans of Butter Beans, Cannellini Beans, and Great Northern Beans and pour them into an over-the-sink strainer.
Rinse the beans with cold water and allow them to drip dry. By rinsing the beans, you remove excess starch and salt that can affect the chili taste.
Chop your red and green onion for the soup.
Shred and dice up the cooked turkey you intend to put in the chili. You can use just white or dark meat for this recipe it comes down the personal preference.
Dump all of the ingredients into your crockpot.
Give the ingredients a stirring to mix it all up.
*Note you can add more seasonings to this I knew I had seasoning on the smoked turkey that would add flavor to the soup*
Turn crockpot on low and allow to cook for 4 to 6 hours and serve.
The kids loved this dinner! I had hoped to have some leftovers to freeze, but they devoured it all for lunch the next day.
HOW TO STORE LEFTOVER turkey CHILI
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 to 5 days. You can freeze it in an airtight container or bag in the freezer for up to three months. Reheat in the microwave or stovetop to eat.
To freeze your chili, allow it to cool entirely, and then put it in an air-tight container. Store in the freezer for up to three months.
Storing leftovers properly requires the right tools! My preferred storage method is if the leftovers can be sealed in a food saver. If not, then an air-tight container or Ziploc bag for the fridge is the way I go. The air-tight container and a freezer Ziploc bag are the next best bet for freezing the leftovers. I also use a food scale to measure portions into serving sizes.
Freezable storage ContainersFood SealerFreezer BagsFood Scale
WHAT TO SERVE WITH turkey CHILI:
Bread: Cheesy Garlic Pull Apart Bread, Garlic Parmesan Bisucti Pull Part Bread, English Muffin Garlic Cheese Bread, Easy Cheesy Monkey Bread, Corn Bread, Krusteaz Corn Bread
Side Dishes: Air Fryer Bacon Asparagus, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Oven Roasted Baby Potatoes, Air Fryer Brussell Sprouts, Green Beans, Ceasar Salad, Acorn Squash, Green Salad, Baked Sweet Potatoes, Air Fryer Broccoli, Grilled Zucchini, Grilled Corn On The Cob, Air Fryer Zucchini Chips, Macaroni And Cheese, Broccoli Salad, Cole Slaw
GREAT TOPPINGS FOR Turkey CHILI
- Crumbled Cornbread
- Saltine Crackers
- Sliced Avocados
- Green Onions
- Sour Cream
- Guacamole
- Jalapenos
Other Chili Recipes To Try
When I started making chili, it seemed crazy how many possibilities there were, but it’s a fast, easy dinner to throw together! These are some of my family’s favorite combinations!
- Slow Cooker Chicken Chili
- Crockpot Beef Chili
- Instant Pot Beef Chili
- Dutch Oven Beef Chill
- Smoked Chicken Chili
- Slow Cooker Brisket Chili
- Pulled Pork Chili
- Stove Top Pork Chili
Smoked Turkey Chili Recipe
Ingredients
- 15 Ounce Cannellini Beans
- 15 Ounce Great Northern Beans
- 16 Ounce Butter Beans
- 4 Ounce Diced Green Chili
- 1 Pound Shredded Turkey
- 29 Ounce Chicken Broth
- Red onion
- Green Onion
- 2 Tablespoon Minced Garlic
- 1/2 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
- 2 Teaspoon Cumin
- 1 Pinch Oregano
- Pink Himylanian Salt
- Ground Black Pepper
Instructions
- Spray your crockpot with a non-stick spray,
- Open your cans of Butter Beans, Cannellini Beans. and Great Northern Beans and pour into an over the sink strainer.
- Rinse the beans with cold water and allow to drip dry.
- Chop your red and green onion for the soup.
- Shred and dice up the cooked turkey that you intend to put in the chili.
- Dump all of the ingredients into your crockpot.
- Give the ingredients a stirring to mix it all up.
- Turn crockpot on low and allow to cook for 4 to 6 hours and serve.
Justine says
Does the turkey not get dry being put in at the beginning already cooked?
Jenny says
No, our turkey was really juicy too after we smoked it!!