Looking for a change in your normal “what kind of chicken are we having tonight” dinner? Turkey is a good and healthy substitute for most meals, and this easy leftover Thanksgiving white turkey chili will hit the spot.
This easy leftover Thanksgiving white turkey chili recipe is one of mine and my brothers favorite soups. A couple of years ago my brother received a smoker as a gift and since then has been smoking just about everything you could think of from meats to side dishes. So of course when thanksgiving came around that year, he happily volunteered to smoke the turkey.
My mom insists on doing a ham and turkey every year for Thanksgiving and we never come close to finishing either of them. We discovered a recipe from a TikTok video for an idea of what to do with all that leftover Thanksgiving turkey. The recipe has since changed some and become a family favorite meal that we look forward to after Thanksgiving and throughout the year.
My husband and I recently went back home to West Virginia to visit our families for Mother’s Day weekend. While we were there my brother surprised me by smoking us both a wild turkey given to him by a friend so we could make our White Turkey Chili.
When I don’t have the luxury of getting a smoked turkey from my brother, I defer to making the turkey in my instant pot pressure cooker. This method is equally as great because in this process you end up with both a juicy and tender turkey, as well as, the homemade turkey broth that goes right into the soup and adds a ton of flavor. But don’t worry, if you don’t have a smoker nor a pressure cooker, this recipe will still be a hit! You can roast the turkey in the oven as an alternative method.
After the turkey is made, the rest of the recipe comes together very quickly. That’s one of the things I love about making soups, they’re quick to put together but feel like they’re full of love. And for those of you that think soup is only a fall/winter time meal, think again. A soup in the spring/summer is just as comforting.
This recipe is packed with flavor from the turkey, homemade turkey broth, garlic, jalapeño and poblano peppers, salsa verde, cheddar cheese and cream cheese, and topped with cilantro. It’s definitely not your average soup. Of course, if you’re not a person who enjoys spice you can swap out the jalapeño and poblano peppers for bell peppers or just leave the peppers out all together.
Smoker Method
My brother had a friend give him a wild turkey killed in southern West Virginia. The turkey weighed approximately 22 pounds and was smoked for roughly 5 hours with the temperature ranging from 200-250 degrees Fahrenheit. He used mesquite wood chips in the smoker to enhance the flavor of the turkey. He prepped the turkey with a mustard/honey mixture used for binder with molasses, garlic salt, cracked black pepper chili powder, and injected garlic butter into the meat prior to putting it in the smoker. My brother and I split the meat so in the recipe I’m using about 2-3 lbs of turkey.
Instant Pot Method
Start by adding 1 cup of water and 1 lemon sliced to the internal pot. Place garlic cloves, sliced onion and favorite herbs – we use parsley and basil – inside the turkey. Place trivet inside the pot and the turkey on top. Set to high pressure cook for 40 minutes (*time dependent on size, see notes). Allow a natural release and then remove the turkey and allow to cool before shredding. Make sure to save the broth in the pot to use as the base of the soup!
Oven Method
Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. You should begin with a room temperature turkey and coat the outside skin with a butter and herb mixture. You can use whatever mixture you like, we typically use basil, parsley, minced garlic or garlic paste, and some salt. Once the turkey is prepped, place it in a roasting rack and place on the lowest shelf in the oven. The turkey cooks best low and slow, so best to allow around 3 hours or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
Prepare ingredients for White Turkey Chili
After you’ve chosen your method of cooking the turkey, or using leftover Thanksgiving turkey, you’ll want to prep the other ingredients. Set out the cream cheese to allow it to soften while you work on everything else. Once the turkey is cooled enough to touch you’ll need to shred it. Shred cheddar cheese, only about half will go in the soup and you can use the other half as a topping. Dice one medium red or yellow onion, one large poblano pepper, and one medium jalapeño pepper. Remove the skins from 4 garlic cloves and mince. Measure out 2 tablespoons of cumin, and one tablespoon of each paprika and chili powder. Pour 3 cups of homemade turkey broth from instant pot or store bought chicken broth into a measuring cup. Lastly, measure 1/3 cup of salsa verde.
Cooking Easy Leftover Thanksgiving White Turkey Chili
Place 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over low-medium heat. Allow oil to heat for 1-2 minutes. Place diced onions and peppers in pot with oil and allow them to soften. Once softened, add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Stir occasionally and be careful not to allow garlic to burn. Add cumin, paprika and chili powder to pot and stir. After a few minutes add in broth and stir. Add softened cream cheese to shredded turkey, and then add mixture to soup. Stir again. Then add the salsa verde and half of your shredded cheese. Stir once more, place lid on pot and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.
Serve
Toppings are so much fun and allow everyone to individualize their own serving. Suggested toppings include shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, cilantro, avocados, or tortilla strips. Or anything else that makes you happy! Ready to serve!
Leftovers
Store white turkey chili leftovers in airtight container in the fridge for 4 days. I recommend only adding toppings to your serving when ready to eat it. You can also freeze the leftovers and they keep for up to 3 months. Make sure to label the container with the date the soup was made.
White Turkey Chili
Equipment
- 1 large pot (Dutch oven)
Ingredients
- 2 lbs shredded turkey see notes
- 24 oz chicken/turkey broth see notes
- 1 can white northern beans rinsed and drained
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 8 oz sharp cheddar cheese freshly shredded
- 1 medium red/yellow onion diced
- 1 large poblano pepper diced
- 1 large jalapeno pepper diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup salsa verde
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp cumin
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Set out cream cheese to soften while prepping other ingredients.
- Shred turkey once cooled from desired cooking method (smoker, pressure cooker, or oven). Set aside in bowl to add to soup later.
- Shred 8 ounce block of sharp cheddar cheese. Set aside in bowl to add to soup later. You will only use half of the shredded cheese in the soup, the rest can be used for topping when serving.
- Dice onion, poblano and jalapeno peppers. Making sure to remove seeds from peppers.
- Place large pot/dutch oven on stove and add 1 tbsp olive oil to pot. Use low-medium heat to heat oil for 1-2 minutes.
- Add diced vegetables to pot (onion, poblano and jalapeno peppers) and allow to cool until softened (about 7 minutes). Stir occasionally.
- Add minced garlic to pot with vegetables and cook until fragrant (about 2 minutes). Be careful not to burn garlic.
- Add to pot 2 tbsp cumin, 1 tbsp chili powder, 1 tbsp paprika, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook another 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Next pour 24 ounces of chicken broth (or homemade turkey broth from instant pot if this method was used to cook turkey) into the pot and stir.
- Add softened cream cheese to bowl of shredded turkey and mix to combine. Once combined add to pot and stir.
- Lastly add 8 ounces of shredded cheese and 1 cup of salsa verde. Stir to combine. Turn heat to low and cover pot. Allow to simmer for about 20 minutes.
- Top with cilantro, sour cream, avocado, more shredded cheese, tortilla strips or whatever your favorite toppings are!
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