Ready in about 45 minutes and a breeze to make, this is one of my favorite post-Thanksgiving meals! A warm and comforting chili is one of my favorite ways to enjoy turkey meat on the days after Thanksgiving. During the year, I simply use chicken instead of turkey. While there are many delicious ways to use up leftover turkey, including turkey stir-fry and turkey curry, a big bowl of chili is especially appropriate for the season. It’s hot, spicy, and comforting.
Recipe Card
For the Seasoning Mixture
Chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, dried oregano, crushed red peppers, tomato paste, minced garlic, and water.
For the Chili
Olive oil: This is my favorite oil, and I use it quite often in my recipes. But if you’d rather use an oil with a higher smoke point, you can use avocado oil instead Diced onion: I like to use yellow onion, which is a bit milder than white onion. But white onion works too. Diced bell peppers: Sometimes, I omit them, as I do in the video below. But they do add nice flavor and texture Kosher salt and black pepper: I use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cooked turkey meat: Diced or shredded. Make sure to remove the skin. It will feel rubbery when cooked in a chili. Petite-diced tomatoes: Or use regular diced tomatoes and give them an extra chop. Dried bay leaves: You can omit these, although they do add a nice layer of flavor.
You start by cooking the onions and peppers in olive oil with salt. Add the seasoning mixture, then add the turkey meat and stir to coat. Stir in the tomatoes and bay leaves. Add water and simmer the chili for 20 minutes. Top with your favorite toppings and serve! It’s excellent when topped with shredded cheddar, sliced green onions, guacamole, and/or sour cream. If you’d like to serve it with something on the side, I recommend these tasty options:
Keto cheese muffins Almond flour cheese biscuits Keto cornbread
But since we’re using leftover meat to cook this recipe, the leftovers could potentially spoil faster. So, when figuring out how long you can keep this dish, don’t forget to take into account the number of days the turkey meat has already spent in your fridge.
