Deer Valley’s Famous Turkey Chili

When one thinks about Deer Valley Resort, they often think of unparalleled groomers and incredible skiing. What also often comes directly to mind is a particular menu item: the famous Deer Valley turkey chili.

The well-known dish was developed by both former Executive Chef Clark Norris and past food and beverage director Julie Wilson. Its original inception was developed for the American buffet at Snow Park Lodge.  

deer valley

The originally named southwest turkey, and now renamed Deer Valley turkey chili, is far and away the resort’s most popular dish. Each year they use more than 30,000 pounds of turkey to make over 200 gallons per day for their guests.

In over 30 years, this classic resort recipe has changed only one time. In 2013, the traditional flour-based roux was replaced with a masa and rice flour roux, making it even more delicious and more importantly, gluten free. It is the new roux, that really sets the turkey chili apart from others. A more traditional chili would be thickened with tomato paste, whereas the Deer Valley turkey chili doesn’t contain any tomatoes at all.

Deer Valley Turkey Chili
Deer Valley turkey chili in a bread bowl at Silver Lake Lodge

The recipe is so important to Deer Valley, that even with all the growth over the years they continue to make it from scratch, each day. The spices are always sourced from the same purveyors, and they buy the turkey from the same source, every year. 

Since this dish is “that good,” Deer Valley offers a number of ways to enjoy it throughout the resort.

  1. Head to Fresh Tacks Kitchen at Snow Park and share an order of the turkey chili nachos. 
  2. Make a pit stop at Silver Lake Lodge and get a side of bread with the turkey chili in a bread bowl.
  3. Ski on over to Empire Canyon Lodge and see if the turkey chili french fries are the way to go.
  4. On your way home, stop by Deer Valley Cafè and pick up Deer Valley turkey chili to-go, and see if you can recreate the famous chili.

See for Yourself

Want to see what each of these experiences look like firsthand? Head to our InstagramTikTok or  Facebook platforms to see a video.

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Kendall Kelley

Alpine Distilling