White Bean Turkey Chili (with Leftover Turkey)
This recipe for White Bean Turkey Chili is the perfect way to transform your leftover turkey!
We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving, full of family, friends and delicious food!
In the spirit of the leftovers that are hopefully stuffing your fridge right now, we have an easy and warming white chili to share with you today.
White Bean Chili (White Chili)
I had never heard of white chili before moving to Wisconsin. I'm not sure if it's a Northern thing, or if my family just stuck more to the classic red chili with tomatoes, meat, and beans.
Now, I know there's quite a bit of debate about what really makes up a chili, but that is a discussion for another day. Today, we're just talking about white chili.
White chili gets its color from white beans and poultry (rather than kidney beans, tomatoes, and/or a red meat). Some white chilies are brothy and others are creamy, so we opted for a version that is somewhere in between. A flour rue gives this chili just enough thickness and heft to be considered a chili by our books.
Our Leftover Turkey Chili
Our Leftover Turkey ChiliThis chili brings white great northern beans together with leftover roasted turkey and corn. We've added some green chilies, which don't pack too much heat. But, if heat is your thing, feel free to throw in your hot pepper of choice. A jalapeno or even a habanero could be quite nice.
Tim looked at me a bit strangely when I suggested serving this chili with lime wedges in addition to the traditional sour cream and cheese that are our go-to chili toppings. But, we were both quite impressed with the way the bright acidity of the lime added to the smooth flavors and hearty texture of the chili.
Leftover Turkey Chili with White Beans
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 jalapeno, minced (optional)
- 1 ½ c great northern beans, dry, soaked overnight
- 1 c corn, frozen or fresh
- ½ lb (roughly 2 c) cooked turkey, diced
- 1 (4 oz) can chopped green chilies (check the ingredients list to be sure you are getting real ingredients and not chemical additives or lots of salt)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
- 4 c chicken or turkey broth (we prefer low sodium)
- 2 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour
For Serving (optional)
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
- ¾ c Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
- ½ c sour cream
Instructions
- Heat oil in the bottom of a soup pot or Dutch oven. Add onions, garlic and jalapeno. Sauté over medium heat until golden, 3-5 min.
- Add soaked beans, corn, turkey, green chilies, spices and broth. Cover your pot and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until the beans are tender, 40-50 min.
- Once the beans are tender, place the flour in a small bowl. Add roughly 1 cup of broth from the soup pot and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Add the flour mixture to the chili and turn the heat up to medium. Stir the chili to mix in the flour rue and simmer, uncovered for 5-10 minutes until the chili has thickened slightly.
- Serve with cheese, sour cream and lime wedges, as desired.
Nutrition
Sarah founded Curious in 2010 as a way to save her recipe creations and share culinary experiences. Her love for cultural cuisines was instilled early by her French Canadian Grandmother. Her experience in the kitchen and in recipe development comes from over 10 years working in professional kitchens. She has traveled extensively and enjoys bringing the flavors of her travels back to create easy-to-make recipes.
