This delicious low carb smoky bacon and turkey chowder recipe is a great way to use up any leftover turkey or chicken! Don’t have any leftovers? Pick up a rotisserie chicken on the way home and you can be eating this delicious low carb chowder in no time!
Last year I made this Pumpkin Chicken (or Turkey) Chili with my turkey leftovers, which was a huge hit with the entire family. Finding myself with another bounty of leftover turkey recently, I wanted to try making a creamy and satisfying chowder with it.
In addition to starting with a applewood smoked bacon, I also added a bit of liquid smoke flavoring to the broth which pushed this chowder over the edge into something extraordinary!
The bacon pieces that I cooked into the soup rendered down to silky morsels that delivered amazing flavor in every bite. I did manage (barely) to save some of the crispy bacon to garnish the soup with, and that added a satisfying crunch and burst of bacon flavor at the end.
I was originally planned to use cauliflower in place of potatoes, but I decided to splurge a little by using a small amount of sweet potatoes instead – they added a lovely color and slight sweetness that perfectly complemented the creamy, smoky broth. If you want to further reduce the carb count though, cauliflower would work well as a low carb potato substitute in this recipe.
This is comfort in a bowl people. You might think you’re sick of turkey by the end of this weekend, but I promise that if you try this chowder you’ll consider roasting another one ASAP just to have leftovers so you can make it again!
And if you don’t want to go to all that trouble you can simply purchase a rotisserie chicken and a package of bacon from your local grocery store and make this delicious low carb chowder any time of the year!
Low Carb Smoky Bacon & Turkey Chowder Recipe
- Yield: 8 generous servings 1x
Description
Put those turkey leftovers to good use in this delicious low carb and gluten free turkey chowder recipe flavored with bacon and cheddar cheese!
Ingredients
- 8 oz bacon
- 1 large shallot, peeled and chopped
- 1/2 cup celery, chopped
- 8 cups turkey (or chicken) stock
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 1/2 cups raw sweet potato, peeled and chopped
- 4 cups cooked turkey meat, shredded or chopped
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1/2 tsp liquid smoke
- 1 tsp xanthan gum
- 1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Chop the raw bacon into 1 inch pieces.
- Brown the bacon in a medium saute pan until slightly crisp.
- Remove about 1/4 cup of the bacon, crumble and set aside for garnish.
- Add the shallots and celery to the bacon and grease in the pan, cooking until soft – about 5 minutes.
- Add the turkey stock, whipping cream and shredded cheddar cheese, whisking until melted and mostly smooth.
- Carefully add the sweet potato, turkey, parsley, and liquid smoke.
- Simmer about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
- Whisk in the xanthan gum and cook for 5 more minutes or until slightly thickened.
- Stir in the fresh thyme, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve hot, garnished with cooked bacon and more fresh thyme leaves.
Notes
Approximate nutrition info per serving: 328 calories, 19g fat, 6g net carbs, 29g protein
- Category: Keto Soup Recipe
Nutrition
- Serving Size: about 2 cups
- Calories: 328
- Fat: 19g
- Carbohydrates: 6g net
- Protein: 29g
Jaime says
I made this last night to use up some leftover turkey from Thanksgiving. It was well-received by my entire family, and the best part is that it’s a way to use up all that turkey without tasting “Thanksgiving-y” if you know what I mean. I think the bacon and the liquid smoke help with that. It’s so comforting and nourishing, and great on a cold day. I will definitely keep this recipe in my rotation!
Linda Holland says
I haven’t tried this recipe because I just found it. I’m planning to make it in a couple of days. I have to go shopping first. It looks delicious. I saw your picture at the end. You have the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen. I wish I had eyes like yours.
Deborah says
Mellissa,
Found your site a few weeks ago and LOVE the recipes. Have only tried a few but ques: Have you thought of using the ‘built in recipe converter’ (not sure what it’s called) in your recipes? I am a recent widow and try to make 1-2 servings; and dividing is sometimes hard.
Thanks for your time.
Tom K. says
This recipe is spectacular! I used leftover smoked turkey along with cauliflower for the low carb version and can’t get enough of it. Will be making it again and again. Thank you!
Stew Ness says
I just made this tonight and used turnips instead of sweet potatoes……it was just like having regular potatoes in chowder….really really good!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Great idea, can’t wait to try it with turnips!
Debbie Dowling says
I made this yesterday and it is delicious. To make it a little thicker, I steamed cauliflower and mashed it and added it to soup. The flavors are so good. Thanks for the recipe.
Michelle says
I just made this, no parsley or fresh thyme on hand, so made do with dried thyme, a pinch of sage and a teaspoon of cinnamon.
No xanthum gum, so I just added half a cup of smoked Gouda in addition to the half a cup of white cheddar. I turned out great!
Thank you
Mary says
Ooh smoked Gouda! I have some at home. That’s a great idea. I might make this today!