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Want to change up that leftover turkey? This turkey chowder is the ticket! Creamy and flavorful and a welcome change for leftovers.
We love a good chowder recipe, this turkey chowder is unique, but also try my easy clam chowder!

Table of Contents
If you are like me you like to use up all the leftover turkey. Roasted turkey is such a nice change from the rest of the year’s meals and I always want to make as many meals as possible with it.
We often make turkey noodle soup, but this year I went in a different direction. I made creamy decadent turkey chowder that has chopped leftover turkey and small diced vegetables. This chowder is as good as any fancy restaurant!
How to make turkey chowder in the crockpot:
- Leftover turkey – Use up that extra turkey. Note that I DO NOT use turkey more than 3 days old. It tends to get a stale taste if left too long in the fridge.
- Vegetables – Carrots, celery, onion, red potatoes
- Corn – One can of cream-style corn and one can of drained kernel corn.
- Broth – I make slow cooker turkey stock from the leftover turkey bones (or you can use chicken broth).
- Cornstarch – This will give the soup a thick chowder like consistency. Make a slurry from cold water and cornstarch and add at the end of the cooking time. Cook for 30 more minutes.
- Heavy Cream – Adds flavor and helps to thicken the soup more.
How long do I cook?
- Place the lid on the slow cooker.
- Cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 8 hours.
- Now you will need to add a cornstarch slurry and continue cooking until thickened. See the next step on how to do this.
How do I add cornstarch to a soup in the slow cooker?
- Mix equal parts of cold water and cornstarch and whisk together, this is called a cornstarch slurry.
- Add to the hot soup in the slow cooker. Stir.
- Add the heavy cream along with the cornstarch slurry to make this chowder creamy.
- Turn the slow cooker to HIGH and cook for 30 minutes more, this will get the soup up to temperature so the cornstarch will activate and thicken.
- Serve and enjoy!
Can I use chicken instead of turkey?
- Yes, you can use raw chicken breasts or cut up leftover chicken in this recipe.
- The same amount of cooking time for raw or cooked, for the vegetables take just as long to cook.
More turkey soups to make in your crockpot:
- Slow Cooker Turkey Stock
- Slow Cooker Turkey and Gravy
- Slow Cooker Turkey and Dumplings
- Slow Cooker Turkey Noodle Soup
- Slow Cooker Southwest Turkey Soup – Recipe from A Mindful Mom
- Slow Cooker Turkey and Brown Rice Soup
- Slow Cooker Turkey Dumpling Soup – Recipe from Mildly Meandering
- Slow Cooker Cajun 15 Bean Soup with Turkey
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Slow Cooker Turkey Chowder
Ingredients
- 2 cups cubed leftover turkey
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1 cup diced onion, (or diced leeks)
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 2 cups red potatoes
- 15 oz. can cream-style corn
- 15 oz. can whole kernel corn, drained
- 1 tsp. basil
- 1/4 tsp. thyme
- 2 tsp. dried parsley
- 4 cups turkey or chicken broth
- 1 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
- 1/4 cup cornstarch, (WAIT TO ADD)
- 1/4 cup cold water, (WAIT TO ADD)
- 1 cup heavy cream, (WAIT TO ADD)
Instructions
- Add the turkey, veggies, seasonings, and broth to the slow cooker (WAIT TO ADD THE CORNSTARCH, WATER AND HEAVY CREAM).
- Stir.
- Place the lid on the slow cooker. Cook for 4 hours on HIGH or 8 hours on LOW.
- When the cooking time is up, whish together the cold water and corn starch, stir into the chowder. Stir in the heavy cream.
- Cook on HIGH for 30 minutes longer or until soup thickens.
- Serve and enjoy!
How to Video
Sarah’s Notes
- Yes, you can use raw chicken breast or cut up leftover chicken in this recipe.
- The same amount of cooking time for raw or cooked, for the vegetables take just as long to cook.
Nutrition
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
Recipe adapted from Just a Pinch – Turkey Soup Continental
My husband loved this…will definitely make it again. I personally thought two cans of corn was too much, but he did not. Also added a little more broth right before adding cornstarch and cream; again a more personal choice so it wasn’t so stew-like.
Can I use frozen vegetables with the potatoes?
can you half the recipe for a 3 qt?
Yes! That will work great.
What is considered a serving size?
I don’t have that information. I apologize.
Can I use regular whipping cream instead of heavy cream?
Yes, will work fine. Won’t be quite as thick but will work.
Thank you for the amazing recipe!!!! I made it today and I love it!!!!!
This recipe is awesome! I rarely follow recipes without changing a little something to my liking. I followed it exactly as instructed, it was perfect! I just made it today with leftover turkey from our Christmas dinner yesterday. Will definitely be making it again! Thanks!
Can you use 2 cans of whole instead of cream corn
Yes, that will work fine.
Can’t wait to try this! Think russets would be comparable? I prefer the others but have these on hand.
I think they will do fine!
Hi, Sarah! I’m a long-time fan and first time poster. This recipe came out so unbelievably good that I wanted to share my results with you. I started with leftover smoked turkey and turkey bone broth I made after Thanksgiving. Then, I made your recipe exactly as written. The chowder is flavorful and a perfect comfort food for the cold winter weather we’re having. It’s better than any chowder I have had before and is perfect to curl up with on a cold pandemic day. I’m not gonna lie: I’m feeling super gourmet and kitchen-accomplished right now; my chowder looks like it should be in a magazine. I ordered another smoked turkey online to be delivered in a few weeks from now since I finally have a way to use up leftovers and not waste anything. Thank you for your website and especially your videos. I’m learning to cook more at home and the videos help a lot. I cannot wait to check out your other leftover turkey recipes! #Winning
So great to hear! Now I need to order myself a smoked turkey. Great idea.