Thanksgiving Leftovers: Turkey Chili

After everyone has eaten all the turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and pie that they can, having leftover turkey is almost a guarantee. There are critical temperature guidelines for storing and reheating leftovers safely. We have all the thermal tips you need, and a simple recipe application.

After a full day of Black Friday shopping, you want a meal that’s easy to prepare, and utilizing your leftover turkey is the way to go!

(Note: Read up on leftovers and food safety here in our post on Leftover Safety)

How to Use the Leftovers

➤ Turkey Chili

Leftover turkey can be eaten cold, or cooked and used in recipes. A great application for leftover turkey is in a soup, stew, or chili. Why? Because soups are typically boiled or simmered, and the boiling point surpasses the food safe temperature of 165°F (74°C) that your leftovers need to reach. We used leftovers from a smoked turkey to make this turkey chili. The smoky flavor from the turkey was perfect for this application, and it’s a great quick dinner recipe for the day after Thanksgiving when you don’t feel like preparing a complicated meal.

Use an instant-read digital thermometer like a Thermapen^® Mk4 to verify that your leftover turkey has reached at least 165°F (74°C).

➤ Thermal Tip: Just because the liquid in the chili is simmering doesn’t mean that all the beans, vegetables, and meat are all at the same high temperature. At one point while making our chili, while the liquid was simmering, most of the meat had only reached temperatures in the range of 145-150°F (63-66°C). Keep track of the temperatures reached before serving.

 

The Cook

SimplyRecipes.com Turkey Chili Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped fine
• 2 Tbsp. chili powder
• 1 Tbsp. ground cumin
• 2 15-oz. cans kidney beans, drained
• 3 15-oz. cans crushed tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 cup turkey or chicken stock
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 Tbsp. sea salt, plus more if desired to taste
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 3-4 cups shredded, cooked turkey meat
• Shredded cheese, chopped scallions, and sour cream (optional garnish)

Instructions

• In a large pot or dutch oven, saute the onions, peppers, and garlic over medium-high heat. Cook until golden and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the spices and cook for a minute or two longer. Add more oil if needed.

• Add tomatoes, beans, stock and the cooked turkey. Bring the mixture to a simmer and reduce the heat to low. Simmer until the chili reaches at least 165°F (74°C) throughout. To spot-check the temperature, stir the chili well and place the probe in the middle of the depth of the liquid. Also, check the internal temperature of some of the largest pieces of meat by piercing them with the tip of your probe.

• You may be surprised to see temperatures below the boiling point, and even below 165°F (74°C) when the chili is simmering. That’s because the liquid is simmering, but the solid foods in the mixture have not heated through yet. Continue to simmer until all the liquid and solid ingredients are at an even simmering temperature (212°F [100°C]).

• Before serving, season with salt and pepper to taste. The chili can be kept refrigerated for 2 days, or frozen for up to 2 months.

Safely Handling Leftover Turkey At a Glance:

1. Eat cooked food held at room temperature within 2 hours
2. Quickly chill to 40°F (4°C) or below
   • Store 3-4 days refrigerated
   • Store 3-4 months frozen
3. Thaw frozen leftovers gently in the refrigerator
4. Cook quickly to at least 165°F (74°C)

Have confidence in the safety of your leftovers after turkey day by always cooking the food to the right temperature. Super-fast, accurate readings with a Thermapen Mk4 make it easy.

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