Have any leftover turkey or chicken? Turn it into a comforting bowl of White Turkey Chili. Hearty White Turkey Chili filled with beans, turkey (or chicken), onion, garlic, herbs and spices. The perfect hearty recipe for the day after Thanksgiving, when you have so much meat left you don’t know what to do with!
BEST TURKEY CHILI RECIPE
If your family is anything like ours and eats all of the sides at Thanksgiving, this recipe is for you. Especially if you love creamy soups and chili. If you don’t want the heat, simply leave out the chilies! There is so much flavour thanks to the herbs and spices that you won’t miss the heat.
It’s so easy to turn leftovers into a hearty meal that everyone loves. Especially when turning those leftovers into something EASY with minimal cooking and zero effort. I mean, after the cooking marathon that is Thanksgiving, the last thing you want is to be trapped in the kitchen with MORE cooking.
That’s where this Turkey Chili recipe comes in.
I made this Turkey Chili recipe with a creamy soup in mind, adding half and half (or evaporated milk) to the broth. There’s something about creamy soups that soothe the soul on a cold and miserable day.
I also added more broth to make more creamy liquid to mop up with garlic bread.
I love winter.
WHAT GOES IN CHILI
To make this Turkey Chili recipe as simple as possible with minimal prep work after all the tiring prep work from thanksgiving week, I have tried to keep this recipe as easy as possible. If you’re as tired as I am, you need the break!
- Leftover turkey meat — OR you can use store bought rotisserie chicken. You can also cook up our Lemon Garlic Roast Chicken if you want to try this recipe but have no leftovers.
- Any juices from the meat leftover with the meat. YES, throw it in! I call it liquid gold because pan juices are always loaded with flavour.
- Onions and garlic — use fresh if possible. To cut prep work down even more, you can use frozen chopped onions (thawed) and minced garlic.
- Canned white beans (cannellini beans) — any type of beans will work.
- Herbs — I use fresh cilantro and dried oregano. You can also throw in chopped fresh parsley, or use dried.
- Jalapeños — or green chilies. I use canned, again, to cut down on prep work. However, you can use fresh!
If you have any veggies lying around, feel free to throw them in. Carrots, peas, spinach, corn and green beans also taste amazing with this Turkey Chili.
HOW DO YOU MAKE TURKEY CHILI
Shred whatever meat you are using. I cheat on time here and let the onions sauté on low heat while I shred. That way as soon as I’m done with shredding, the garlic goes in first to release its flavour, followed by the meat.
Broth (or stock), herbs, spices and jalapeños follow that, and the whole recipe its done in 15 minutes!
You have a choice here to use half and half (an American product that is half milk, half cream), evaporated milk, or heavy cream. To make your turkey chili nice, thick and creamy, I suggest blending cornstarch with your choice of cream, mixing it into the white chili, then adding the rest of your cream.
HOW DO YOU ADD FLAVOR TO TURKEY CHILI?
The flavours in this turkey chili are robust thanks to the combination of pan juices, ground cumin, herbs, aromatics and beans.
Taste test and add more cream, more herbs, seasonings, spices (like cinnamon) or whatever else you like. This recipe is so versatile you really can make it your own to suit your tastes!
Looking for more Chili Recipes or Creamy Soups? Try these recipes!
Beef Bean Jalapeño Chili
Slow Cooker Creamy Tortellini Soup
Chili Mac
Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
Creamy White Turkey Chili
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 large onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 quart chicken stock or broth
- 2 oz canned jalapeños chopped, or green chilies, adjust to your heat preference or leave them out
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried)
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 pounds turkey meat or chicken, shredded, cooked
- 45 ounces cannellini beans or white beans
- ¾ cup half and half evaporated milk or heavy cream, divided
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 pinch salt to taste
- 1 pinch pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat oil in a pot over medium-hight heat; sauté onion until soft. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant (about 30 seconds).
- Stir in stock or broth, jalapeños, cilantro, cumin and oregano. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add turkey (or chicken) and beans; simmer for 5 minutes.
- Mix cornstarch with ¼ cup of half and half, evaporated milk or cream. Stir into the chili. Add in remaining cream, mixing well to blend.
- Take off the heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Adjust spices and heat to suit your taste.
- Serve warm.
Vicki says
Just made this chili tonight with leftover T’giving turkey. It was excellent! The best white chili that I’ve made so far. My husband and adult sons all said it was a keeper. Served with chips, sour cream, cheese and avocado. So good! Thanks so much!
Karina says
Hi Vicki, I’m thrilled to hear that you made the chili with Thanksgiving turkey and that it turned out excellent! It’s wonderful to know it’s the best white chili you’ve made and that your family enjoyed it. Serving it with chips, sour cream, cheese, and avocado sounds delicious. Thank you for your kind words, and I’m delighted the recipe is a keeper for you!
Liz Poff says
Thank you for the recipe. Yummy!!!!
r.a. says
We had this for dinner last night with some of our left over Thanksgiving turkey. This was a delicious change in using leftovers and a recipe we will make again and again. I love red chili but this is a great alternative for a change of pace. We don’t eat flour so omitted that but it still came out thick with cooking it down a bit and adding whipping cream. Thanks for another winning recipe!
sarah says
This is a great recipe–all of my guests complimented me on this dish and asked for the recipe. I doubled the recipe to feed a crowd. Used boneless skinless chicken thighs prepared in the insta pot and then shredded. I also prefer thicker chili, so I used an emulsion mixer before i added all the beans and chicken to give it more texture. It was delicious and the perfect consistency!
Megan says
Can you make this with ground turkey?
Karina says
Absolutely Megan!
Denise says
Thanks for sharing – this is a great recipe – and such an easy way to use up leftovers! We boiled the turkey carcass for broth, and used fresh jalapeno and heavy cream, as you suggested – super yum!!
Elizabeth says
Hi, thanks for sharing this recipe. The instructions say to add coriander but there is no coriander in the ingredient list. Should that say cilantro?
Karina says
I apologize, I do not see where it says coriander. It would be cilantro though if that is the ingredient you are looking for. Thanks for choosing one of my recipes and commenting! XO
B&R Food Services says
thanks for sharing this recipe about creamy white turkey chili…it’s amazing