Deer Valley Turkey Chili
"The best turkey chili I have ever tasted."
Most people who skied at Deer Valley, UT will say the Deer Valley Turkey Chili is amazing. I agree so I would like to share this recipe with you.
The photo below is of me volunteering at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Park City, Utah. I worked at the finish line for the men's and women's bobsled and skeleton events. We helped the athletes get their equipment off the ice and to the scales to ensure they were within weight limits.
I had a blast watching and participating in all the U.S. team's victories in the two, and four-person bobsled and the incredible gold medal won in the men's skeleton. It was electrifying!
On another note, after being served chili and hot dogs every night for 11 days in the volunteer dining tent, I now know where they came up with the Games motto, "Light the Fire Within."
A neighbor gave me my all-time favorite chili recipe a couple of years ago. She served it at a pre-Christmas party for some of the neighbors. It is supposed to be the actual recipe used for making the famous Deer Valley Chili.
It turned out not to be the exact recipe. Instead, I found this out from someone who used to work in the kitchens of Deer Valley, who contacted me by email and told me I was missing an ingredient - coriander. It's now in the recipe.
Deer Valley, the host of the 2002 Olympic mogul, slalom, and freestyle aerial venues, was voted one of the top ski resorts in Ski Magazine. It is famous for its excellent service and incredible food.
Their Deer Valley chili is one of their most famous dishes, and I am happy to offer this version to you.
📖 Recipe
Deer Valley Turkey Chili
Ingredients
- 2 cups dried black beans
- 10 cups water
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 2 medium Anaheim chilies seeded, chopped
- ⅔ cup red onion chopped
- ⅔ cup celery chopped
- ⅔ cup red bell pepper chopped
- 1 large leek white part only
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano crumbled
- ¼ cup corn flour
- 1 teaspoon cayenne
- 2½ tablespoons ground cumin
- 2 tablespoons ground coriander
- 1 teaspoons salt
- ⅛ cup sugar
- 4½ cups chicken stock
- 2¼ cups frozen corn thawed
- 4 cups cooked turkey diced
Toppings
- cheddar cheese grated
- red onion
- sour cream
- fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Soak black beans in a large pot overnight. The next day you will drain & cook them.
- Seed and chop the chilies, chop the onion, celery, red pepper, and leek.
- Mince the garlic and get the rest of the ingredients ready to cook.
- Add 10 cups water and pepper to the drained beans. Please bring them to a boil, and simmer for 1½ hours. Drain.
- Melt butter in a pot; add chilies, onion, celery, bell peppers, leek, garlic, and oregano. Cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low.
- Add the flour and spices, and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the sugar and 4 cups stock and bring to a simmer.
- Puree 1¼ cup of the corn with the remaining ½ cup of stock. Add this to chili.
- Mix black beans, turkey, and the remaining cup of corn. Simmer all for 25 minutes.
- Garnish with grated cheddar cheese, red onion, sour cream, & fresh cilantro.
Mary
This chili is just EXCELLENT. I have been making the "kit" version for many years and had noticed that the recipe had been changed (and not for the better). This year I made your recipe because I needed to be sure it was gluten free (used Bob's Red Mill corn flour). What a pleasant surprise---the Chili was up to it's old standards---just great! Thanks so much.
Robert A Miller
Great call on the corn flour!
Jeri
We spent years skiing in Deer Valley and loved the Turkey Chili. A long time ago, I found a recipe online and the only problem was it called for raw turkey. Other than that, the recipe was pretty much the same as yours. When I made it with raw turkey, the recipe was fine, except for the turkey which was tough.
I made your recipe yesterday and used cooked turkey. I did add the turkey during the last ten minutes of cooking, though, and it was tender and perfect. My guests loved the chili!!!
This recipe is exactly the way I remember it from Deer Valley.
It brings back happy memories.
K. Jensen
This chili recipe is not correct. Chili powder has been omitted leaving the chili the color of dishwater. The cayenne is too much.
Rochelle Neal
How much chili powder do you recommend adding? Thank you.
G. Stephen Jones
No chili powder necessary in this recipe Rochelle. Plenty of other great spices to give it flavor.
Anne Mellenthin
Have been skiing in DV for many years and agree that the package they sell is a joke/soup. This is a pretty good approximation. I used chicken breasts instead of turkey and 1/8 tsp. of cayenne. Still quite spicy with the ancho chili. The DV chili has more sauce as a percentage of the whole but this one is probably healthier. I also have heard that they cook theirs overnight. It would be interesting to throw all the ingredients in a crock pot for 8 hours on low and see how it would come out. Thanks for the great recipe.
carol
I have it on good authority that at Deer Valley they make this at least a day ahead and that makes the difference between "soup" and "chili".
G. Stephen Jones
Interesting idea for cooking it in a crockpot. Let me know your results.
kristen friedman
can DV chili be frozen?
G. Stephen Jones
I don't see why not Kristen but I expect it will loose a little flavor.
Meredith
Can I use ground turkey in this recipe?
G. Stephen Jones
I don't see why not but I would brown it first before adding to the chili.
Becca
Thanks for the awesome recipe. I made this on Thanksgiving because I wanted to do something other than plain old turkey. It's been a while but it reminds me exactly of the way it tasted at Deer Valley. I used ground turkey (prefer the consistency) instead and used a crock pot instead of simmering on the stove. It was great!
Rich
Just finished your recipe using leftover Thanksgiving white meat and then used the turkey carcass for the stock. The recipe is almost identical to DV except for the spicey kick ( and I already cut cayenne in half)
I will make this again and use Anne's 1/8 cayenne. I will also cut the cumin slightly, it is a bit over powering.
Excellent work! Thanks for posting it!
Bryan
Your recipe does not contain corn. The DV chili most definitely has corn in it, creamed and kernels.
The Reluctant Gourmet
Ingredient #19.
Kelli Eisenhart
I have been using your recipe for years! I always use chicken in mine and make a HUGE stock pot of it. I then use my vacuum sealer and make dinner portions to put in the freezer. It is the most delicious dinner in those cold winter nights here in Utah. My husband has been going to deer valley for the last 30 years and said this is the closest recipe (other than actually being at DV). Thank you for taking the time to post this recipe and letting our family use it for years.
G. Stephen Jones
You are very welcome Kelli.
Claudia Porter
The "authentic" Deer Valley turkey chile recipe on Epicurious calls for 2.5 TBSP of chili powder and omits the cayenne. Just fyi . . .
G. Stephen Jones
Thanks but I'll stick with my recipe.
Kim
probably fine to use canned black beans instead of dried right?
G. Stephen Jones
Of course you can. Will it taste the same? Some say there's nothing like starting with dried beans others say it doesn't make a difference. I'll let you decide.
Lisa
I love Deer Valley chili! I’ve made this from another site’s recipe before but am very excited to try yours. However, I am not going to cook my own beans. Would you recommend a substitution of four cans? Usually I think the ratio is 1/2 cup dried beans = one can but that seems like a lot to me. Would this be what you recommend? Thanks! Excited to make this for my parents—I grew up skiing DV with them (I was even one of the first kids ever in their ski school). I know they will love it!
G. Stephen Jones
Hi Lisa, depending on the size of your can of beans, 1/2 cup dry beans yields about 1 1/2 cups of cooked beans which is equivalent to one 14 - 16 oz can of beans. So 2 cups of dry beans would be equivalent to about four 14-16 oz cans of beans.
Big Guy
Great recipe Stephen. I worked the finish line of the moguls and the judges box for the aerials in 2002 and still work at Deer Valley seasonally these days. The only thing I change with this recipe is if available I cut the corn off cobs and I cut down on the butter and sugar just for health reasons. I believe the Market here in Park City still sell the mix for those that are in for the quick fix.
Darcy
Thank you for posting this! I love the DV chili and have made your version of the recipe twice and my whole family loves it and agrees that it tastes "just like it does at the lodge". Thank you so much for doing this!
Niki
I just got back from Deer Valley and had their turkey chili twice. It was so good I just had to try to find an accurate recipe to serve at home. I studied yours and the one from Epicurious but decided on yours primarily because you do not include chili powder. The color of the DV chili is NOT at all red so I thought, correctly as it turned out, that the original doesn't contain chili powder. I also read the comments about cumin and cayenne, so held back on both of those. However, I think your recipe completely nailed it with the exception of the quantity of cayenne. I added a scant 1/4 t. and it was plenty hot for us. I used 3 cans of black beans instead of making my own and I think that is the correct proportion of beans to the rest of the chili. This is a keeper recipe and exactly what DV serves, thanks!!
G. Stephen Jones
You are welcome Niki and thanks for contacting me.
Debbie
Hi there!
I came across this post while looking around for another recipe. So, I too worked the finish for the 2002 Olympics for Bobsled and Skeleton! I’m in your photo, I think talking with a Great Britain athlete (over by the scale, front of sled) :)) I also worked in the bakeries at Deer Valley for almost 18 years. I’ll have to try out your version. Deer Valley’s turkey chili is the best! Nice to come across your post.
Cheers!
Debbie
G. Stephen Jones
Hi Debbie, how are you? It's been a long time since that adventure. I didn't remember you worked at Deer Valley. Thanks so much for reaching out. I'll send you a copy of the photo and any others I have of you to your email address. Happy Holidays.
Terry Wilson
Thank you for this recipe! I think the spices are right on. A previous recipe I had used cans of creamed corn instead which works well. I have tried both dried and canned beans over the years, and both are excellent. I have customized it by adding baby spinach leaves and chopped cilantro for the last minute of simmering and topping it off with salted avocado cubes, shredded Irish cheddar and crushed tortilla chips. Doesn’t get any better after any snow sport!
G. Stephen Jones
Thanks Terry for those great suggestions. Happy Holidays.
Cynthia Carosella
Ha! Made the chili last night and finished it off with the exact same ingredients as you! Perfection in a bowl!
Ro S
EXCELLENT! Thanks for posting this Stephen. I too worked the 2002 Olympics, at Deer Valley! After many years working at Deer Valley and eating plenty of my share of the Turkey Chili, I must say this is spot on. Maybe a bit more spicy but I loved it. I omitted the sugar and used a can of cream corn instead of the purée method. Worked fine!
G. Stephen Jones
Thanks for letting me know Ro. What event did you volunteer at?
Sandra D.
Hi. Thanks for posting this! I live in PC and have 10 house guests coming to visit for a ski trip. I figured this would be perfect after a day on the mountain. Question though: Do you cook the turkey yourself before making the chili or is there a store bought option that will work? Trying to simplify. Thanks!
G. Stephen Jones
Hi Sandra, we usually make this recipe after thanksgiving when we have plenty of turkey available. You may be able to find cooked turkey at the market or even buy a piece at the deli section and cut it up since it is already cooked. This way you can choose the style of turkey you like.
Cynthia Carosella
Thank you for your recipe which I have followed for years and seems to be the most similar to the original. I haven’t skied DV since 1997, but I still make a post-Thanksgiving turkey chili every year.
Regarding the spices, a previous rendition I had listed the cumin and coriander quantities as 2.5 and 2 teaspoons, not tablespoons, which suits my tastebuds. I’ll skip the cayenne if making it for elderly relatives and friends.
This has to be the best aprés-ski chili anywhere. Even Stephen Colbert has mentioned it on his show several times. All best!
G. Stephen Jones
Hi Cynthia, thanks for reaching out. I did not know Colbert was a fan.