Leftover Turkey Chili

I never send guests home with leftover turkey. I want to save as much as I can for this incredible recipe. It doesn’t matter if it’s already been sliced, or still on the bone. The only thing that matters is that you want to remove as much of the skin as you can.

This recipe is not at all soupy. It doesn’t include any broth, so the ingredients simmer in the juices from diced tomatoes and salsa, only. It’s nice and thick with lots of texture, and as an added bonus, it will make your house smell amazing as it slowly simmers!

This recipe is similar to my spicy crockpot beef chili, with a few important differences. This recipe isn’t as spicy (although it could be if you use a spicy salsa), it includes corn, berbere spice instead of smoked paprika, and a little bit of barbecue sauce to turn up the flavor.

The Simple Process

First, we’ll dice bell peppers, onion, and jalapeños, and shred or chop our roasted turkey into whichever size chunks we like. 

Next, we’ll sauté the peppers and onion in a large skillet with olive oil.

Then, we’ll add chopped turkey and spices, and give everything a nice stir.

Finally, we’ll strain the beans and pour them, along with corn, salsa, barbecue sauce, and diced tomatoes into the pot with veggies and turkey. We’ll let it slow cook on HIGH for 4 hours and serve.

Ingredient Notes

diced tomatoes – Make sure you don’t use diced tomatoes with added flavorings like basil, and you don’t want “petite” diced tomatoes. You want nice, big, chunky ones.

black & kidney beans – I used black and kidney beans, but you can use just about any kind of bean for this chili. A few nice substitutions are black-eyed peas, cannellini beans, Pinto beans, great northern beans, lima beans, or navy beans.

corn – if you’re not a fan of corn in chili, feel free to substitute it with another bean!

salsa – A lot of flavor comes from your salsa, so make sure to choose a quality brand. I find the Dessert Pepper brand has the most flavorful salsas.

bell peppers – I love a nice mix of 3 different colors. It makes the chili prettier, but you can use any colors you like.

jalapeño – Don’t worry that the jalapeños will make the chili too spicy. A lot of the heat gets simmered out of them, so they only really add flavor. But if you’re very sensitive, feel free to use less than the recipe calls for.

turkey – I like to chop my turkey into small cube-like shapes to make it nice and chunky, but you may prefer to shred yours. Just be aware that slow-cooking the cooked turkey won’t make it fall apart into a shredded texture.

barbecue sauce – my 2 favorite barbecue sauce brands for this recipe are Stubbs Bar-B-Q Sauce and Jack Daniels Original BBQ Sauce. 

berbere spice – this spice includes cumin, coriander, cardamom, ginger, and other spices found in the Horn of Africa. It’s such an exciting blend that will give your chili a nice, warm flavor. But if you can’t find berbere though, you can substitute it with smoked paprika.

A Few Tasty Additions

• shredded cheddar
• crumbled queso fresco
• chopped parsley
• chopped cilantro
• sour cream
• guacamole
• chives
• crushed tortillas
• pickled onions
• fresh or pickled jalapeño

How to Easily Slice a Jalapeño 

To easily slice the center and seeds out of jalapeños, use an apple peeler! Slice the stem off, then use the apple peeler to scoop around the sides, inside the pepper. You can then easily remove the whole white center and shake out the seeds before slicing the pepper.

1. Dice 3 bell peppers, 1 large onion, and 3 jalapeño peppers.

2. Remove any skin and chop roasted turkey into small, chunky pieces. You’ll want 2 heaping cups of chopped turkey. You can also shred the turkey with 2 forks if you want a shredded turkey chili.

3. Add 2 tbsp. olive oil to a large, 14-inch skillet. Sauté peppers and onions, flipping them regularly, until brown. About 20 minutes.

4. Once peppers and onions are lightly brown, add chopped turkey, 2½ tbsp. chili powder, 2 tbsp. berbere spice, 1 tbsp. garlic powder, 1½ tsp. salt, and 1 tsp. pepper to the skillet. Give everything a nice stir.

5. Strain any juices from canned corn and beans. You don’t want those added to the chili.

6. Add 1 15.5 oz. can kidney beans, 1 15.5 oz. can black beans, 1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes (including juice), 16 oz. salsa, 1 15.5 oz. can corn and 1 tbsp. barbecue sauce to your crockpot (or Instant Pot) with turkey and cooked vegetables. Stir, place the lid on top, and slow cook on HIGH for 4 hours. With an Instant Pot, you’ll simply use the slow cook setting. Once done, remove lid, stir and serve.

Recipe Notes

1. If you don’t have enough leftover roasted turkey to make the recipe, you can always add some cooked ground turkey.
2. Add more salt if you intend to freeze it. Salt loses some of its pizazz over time. I add an extra half teaspoon of salt if I know I’ll be freezing it for later.
3. To reheat if not frozen, microwave an 8-ounce portion for 2½ minutes.
4. To reheat if frozen, microwave an 8-ounce portion for 3 minutes, remove and stir. Microwave for another 3 minutes.
5. You don’t want to freeze everything in one big chunk of ice. Unless you intend to thaw the whole thing at once, it’s too difficult to portion out for later. I use silicone “Souper Cubes” to freeze my chili into perfect 8-ounce portions.