Deer Valley Turkey Chili Recipe

This famous Deer Valley turkey chili recipe is full of robust flavors with a touch of sweetness and a touch of savory that makes it the perfect combination. What might surprise you is the main ingredient—it’s not ground turkey, but shredded cooked turkey.

This recipe happens to be my favorite soup to make during the cold winter months. I love the aromas it fills the house with and the unique flavors that pop in my mouth. Anytime I make it for a potluck or get-together, everyone raves about it.

How I Discovered the Deer Valley Ski Resort’s Famous Recipe

Rumor has it that a chef from the Deer Valley Resort in Utah secretly shared Deer Valley’s legendary turkey chili recipe. This heavily guarded resort recipe was shared with me when I was a teenager visiting a friend’s church function in Arizona.

I have seen variations of this turkey chili recipe on the Internet and have tried several variations. However, I think mine is the best.

I don’t know if my version truly originated from a resort, but whoever decided to put all of these ingredients together is a genius. It is absolutely delicious.

How I prepare the Deer Valley turkey chili Recipe

It does take a little extra time to prepare this dish because it involves a lot of dicing, and I like to dice the ingredients very finely. One of the ingredients in the recipe is celery, and my husband doesn’t like celery. However, if I chop it really fine, he doesn’t even know it’s in there—score!

After dicing all of the ingredients, the steps are very simple.

• In a large pot, melt butter and sauté chilies, onion, celery, pepper, leeks, garlic, and oregano over moderately low heat until softened—about 15 minutes.
• Gradually add the flour cooking over low heat until the mixture is golden—about 15 minutes.
• Gradually stir in the chicken broth.
• In a blender, puree 1 ¼ c. of the corn.
• Add corn and the remaining ingredients.
• Continue to cook over medium until heated through.
• Serve with optional ingredients.

Substitutions

The original recipe uses brown sugar, but I substitute coconut sugar instead. I do this for two reasons—first, the brown sugar makes it too sweet, and second, the coconut sugar is a healthier alternative. The hint of sweetness really helps give this turkey chili the added flavor it needs. I just don’t like my main dish to be overpowered by sweetness, so that is why I use coconut sugar.

To be honest, this recipe is difficult to substitute. The robust flavors come from all of the ingredients merging. The following are the only substitutions I would suggest:

• scallions instead of leeks
• shallots in place of onions
• yellow or orange bell pepper in place of the red pepper
• garlic powder in place of the fresh garlic
• turkey broth or chicken broth instead of turkey stock or chicken stock

How to Serve the Turkey Chili

A great way to serve this famous Deer Valley chili is with a dollop of sour cream, cheddar cheese, and green onions on top. It’s also delicious served with tortilla chips or a cheese quesadilla.

this recipe is worth the effort

I hope you give this dish a try because it does not disappoint. My husband is a pretty picky eater, and he really likes this turkey and black bean chili. His favorite is still my Grandma’s Chicken and Dumplings, but on a cold day, he doesn’t complain when I make a big pot of hot soup, chili, or dumplings.

xoxo,
Molly

Deer Valley Turkey Chili

This turkey and black bean chili recipe is full of flavors with a touch of sweet and a touch of savory that makes it the perfect combination.

5 from 2 votes

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Ingredients

  

• 1 stick butter (I use grass fed butter)
• one 4 oz. can mild green chilies
• 2/3 c. finely chopped red onion
• 2/3 c. finely chopped celery
• 2/3 c. finely chopped red bell pepper
• 2/3 c. finely chopped leeks, white part only
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 T. oregano
• 1/4 c. flour
• 4 c. chicken stock or chicken broth
• 2 1/2 c. frozen corn, thawed
• 4 c. cooked, shredded turkey
• 2 cans of black beans, drained
• 2 T. chili powder
• 2 T. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 c. coconut sugar or brown sugar
• shredded cheddar cheese, optional
• sour cream, optional
• fresh cilantro, optional
• diced green onions, optional

Instructions

 

• In a large stock pot, melt butter and sauté chilies, onion, celery, pepper, leeks, garlic, and oregano over moderate low heat until softened—about 15 minutes.
• Gradually add the flour cooking over low heat until the mixture is golden—about 15 minutes.
• Gradually stir in the chicken broth.
• In a blender, puree 1 ¼ c. of the corn.
• Add corn and remaining ingredients.
• Cook until heated through.