I don't play favorites. I Love all Turkey Chili recipes. If, however, I absolutely had to pick a favorite Turkey Chili-baby, it would be this one. I've been making this Cozy Turkey Chili for about 20 years. It's literally the recipe that made my boyfriend (now husband), who never wanted to eat leftovers ever, eat leftover chili for breakfast.
This recipe is the perfect way to use leftover Thanksgiving turkey OR can be made with turkey or chicken cooked just for this recipe. If your poultry is already cooked, then it comes together in a snap, If you need to cook your meat, you don't need to add extra time just an extra step.
Note about Toppings:
We are a toppings family. We love them ALL. We love diced jalapeño, bacon crumbles, shredded sharp white cheddar cheese, green onions, cilantro and lime. My husband would argue that bacon is an absolutely must. I would say that lime and white cheddar are what tie this dish together, but all the toppings are lovely.
Note about "Bottomings":
The opposite of Toppings is Bottomings, right? We love to have orzo underneath this chili, but any small pasta is fantastic. For a hearty crunch and some extra greens, we usually add a layer of fresh spinach or crunchy kale/cabbage mix. It's not a "healthy sacrifice." The added crunch is divine and it's just as comforting as the plain pasta version.
Note about Spice Level:
We used to make this chili with a medium spice level: we'd add a small minced jalapeño and sauté it with the yellow pepper and then add 2 cans of mild green chilis. We now have 3 kids and we keep things fairly mild: we use 1 can of mild chilis and skip the minced jalapeño. This milder version still has a tiny bit of spice to it, but it's easy tamed with the milk and cheddar cheese. (Adults can then add red pepper flakes and/or jalapeño slices to spice up individual bowls).
Note about Cooking Poultry for this Recipe:
If you're cooking turkey or chicken for this recipe, first bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil. Once it comes to a boil, add your chicken or turkey (I use white meat or a mixture of white and dark meat) and cook until the poultry reaches 165 degrees. Remove poultry from boiling water and keep low heat under your boiling water so it will be ready to cook your pasta. The turkey/chicken water will add AMAZING richness to the pasta you're going to cook.
Quick and Cozy White Turkey Chili
Recipe serves 5-6 as a main and is easily doubled. We always double it and freeze some. It reheats very well.
Total Time: 1 hour
Ingredients
4-5 slices of bacon (optional but encouraged)
2 tablespoons bacon grease or avocado oil
1 large yellow pepper chopped
1 medium yellow onion finely chopped
1 jalapeño seeds removed and diced OPTIONAL
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
2 medium cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups whole or 2% milk (plus possibly 1/2 cup extra)
1 can (roughly 15oz) creamed style corn
1 can (roughly 16 ounces) navy beans
1 or 2 4oz cans mild chopped green chilis
2-3 cups shredded turkey (about 12 ounces cooked turkey or about 1lbs pound raw).
8 ounces orzo or other small pasta
Salt and pepper to taste
Toppings for serving
4-5 slices of bacon, crumbled
4 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 green onions chopped
1 cup shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
1 lime cut into wedges
STEP ONE:
Set up a large (6-ish quart) pot of salted water over high heat to come to a boil for your pasta.
STEP TWO
Using a 6-8 quart dutch oven or thick bottomed pot that's wide enough to fry some bacon, fry your 4-5 pieces of bacon on medium-low heat until crispy (about 7 minutes). Remove bacon from heat, and set aside to cool. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of bacon fat.
STEP THREE
Return pot to stovetop over low heat. Add chopped onion, chopped yellow pepper, and diced jalapeño. Sauté on until the peppers soften and the onions start to become translucent (about 10-12 minutes). Then add minced garlic, 2 teaspoons cumin, and 1 teaspoon oregano. Stirring continuously, allow to cook for about 1 minute. Once spices have bloomed and garlic has started to soften, add 2 cups of milk, 4 oz can of diced green chilis, can of creamed style corn, can of drained and rinsed navy beans, 1 teaspoon salt, and a few grinds of pepper.
STEP FOUR
Increase heat to medium and allow milk/veggies/bean ingredients to come to a simmer then lower stove temperature to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes. While your chili simmers you can shred your meat. If using a kitchen stand mixer: add cooked turkey to bowl and use paddle attachment on low speed shred it. Further instructions for using the stand mixer can be found here. If you don't have a stand mixer: Use two forks (and some patience) to shred your meat into bite sized pieces.
STEP FIVE
Add your shredded turkey to your chili. If the chili seems too thick, and 1/4-1/2 cups more milk. Allow and allow chili to simmer for another 15 minutes.
STEP SIX
While the chili simmers prep any toppings you want to use, and cook your orzo according to package. Drain pasta. Taste your chili and adjust seasoning as needed. Serve hot with a layer of pasta and a good ladleful of chili and your favorite "bottomings" and toppings.
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