Here's one way to use up leftover turkey

Thanksgiving Day dinner's just a few days away and already a corner of my kitchen counter's covered with "To Do" notes and recipes I'm considering for the feast and a recipe for turkey chili that made with last year's leftovers.

Over the years I've turned the bird into tasty noodle soup, turkey tetrazzini, turkey divan casserole, fettuccine with whiskey-flavored turkey sauce, turkey gumbo and turkey stroganoff.

Last year's turkey chili turned out just OK. I figure the cooked all-breast meat turned dry and tough during the chili's long cooking. Feeling uncertain about making that recipe again, I almost tossed-in my kitchen towel and settled for turkey sandwiches. But I couldn't get chili off my mind.

I realized that by this time of year I've already made a pot or two of my lean beef chili. But, with this year's way-busier-than-usual schedule, I hadn't opened a can of beans, let alone tossed together a single batch of this cold weather comfort food.

Homemade chili can be a lean, fiber-rich, flavor-packed meal-in-a-bowl. The difference with that turkey chili versus a ground beef chili is the already-cooked meat. Last year, I'd learned the hard way that simmering roasted turkey in the pot doesn't improve its texture. Because that chili had great flavor notes I decided to give the recipe another try and deal with my tough turkey issue.

Instead of first browning the meat headed for chili, I started by using a small amount of good olive oil (not extra virgin) in my chili pot and then added chili powder, ground cumin, dried oregano, red pepper flakes and cayenne to the warm oil to release and increase their flavors.

Next, I tossed in the chopped onions and sweet green pepper into the fragrant pot and sauteed those until soft and the onions turned golden around their edges. At that point, minced garlic went in and cooked that until fragrant, maybe 30 seconds.

Then came the organic, fire-roasted diced tomatoes and fire-roasted crushed tomatoes along with fat-free, lower-sodium canned chicken broth (or turkey broth if I had it or could get it) and leftover turkey gravy. I let that mixture gently simmer for an hour to let the flavors develop and blend.

The kidney beans went into this flavorful stew for 5 minutes, just to get them hot and then the last thing in was the roasted turkey.

I gave it a good stir, turned the heat off and covered the pot so the turkey would get hot without getting dry and tough and absorb some of the sauce's flavor.

I ladled myself a bowl, topped it with a little grated reduced-fat Cheddar cheese and dug in. What a difference over last year! The chili's heat, at first subtle, blossomed and the turkey chunks were flavorful and still tender. Just what I wanted.

I'm not sure I would roast a turkey just to make this chili, but having some already roasted made this chili not only taste terrific, but easy to make.

Try it; you'll never want a leftover turkey sandwich again.

• Don Mauer welcomes comments, questions and recipe makeover requests. Write him at don@theleanwizard.com.