Cajun Turkey Recipe (Cajun Butter Turkey)
This Cajun Turkey Recipe is juicy, buttery, and bursting with bold Southern flavor. A simple dry brine keeps the meat tender, while a rich Cajun butter rub adds smoky spice and locks in moisture. Roasted with onions, celery, and peppers, this Cajun Butter Turkey is everything you want in a main dish for the holidays. Whether it’s Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any family gathering, this turkey will have your family and friends coming back for seconds (and thirds!).
Cajun Turkey Recipe
I’ve always been intimidated by cooking a turkey during the holiday season. I’ve also always been grateful that someone else handled that task at our big, extended family get-togethers.
But then a couple of years ago, my husband decided he wanted to fry a turkey. And WOW – it was incredible. But it was also a lot of work and it felt kind of dangerous (have you seen those fried turkey videos?)
Then I heard about the Popeyes Cajun Turkey. They’re super popular in the south and apparently, some of the best turkey you’ll ever eat. Except it just felt wrong to order a turkey for Thanksgiving. Like… isn’t everything supposed to be homemade? Either way, I wanted to make one at home so I decided to scratch the traditional turkey recipe and go for a Cajun rub with butter and hopefully… a lot of delicious flavor.
And it was a success! Check out this beautiful bird!!
Cajun Butter Turkey
So, since I haven’t ever actually had an official Popeyes turkey, I won’t call this a Popeyes Cajun Turkey copycat recipe… but I will say it’s a delicious, juicy turkey that will not disappoint!
If you’re looking for a crowd-pleasing holiday centerpiece packed with bold Southern flavor, this Cajun Turkey is it! Juicy, buttery, and seasoned all the way through with a smoky-spicy Cajun kick, this bird is anything but boring.
To start, you won’t do a traditional turkey brine, but instead a dry brine, then mix up homemade Cajun spices with softened butter for the most flavorful turkey! It was not nearly as much hard work as I anticipated and the outcome was over-the-top impressive!
Video
Supplies Needed
- Large roasting pan and rack
- Medium mixing bowl
- Paper towels
- Kitchen twine
- Meat Thermometer or Instant Read Thermometer
Ingredients
Using very common pantry ingredients to make a homemade Cajun seasoning, you may already have everything in your kitchen to make this delicious Thanksgiving turkey! Just hit up the grocery store for a frozen or fresh turkey and you’ll be reach to go!
- Turkey, thawed
- Kosher salt
- Salted butter, room temperature
- Lemon, juiced
- Garlic cloves, minced
- Fresh parsley, minced
- Brown sugar
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Italian seasoning
- Black Pepper
- Smoked paprika
- Onion, peeled and quartered
- Green bell pepper, deseeded and quartered
- Celery stalks, quartered
- Chicken broth
Find the complete recipe with ingredient measurements in the recipe card below.
Substitutions
Lemon – Fresh is best here, but if you need to use bottled lemon juice, you will need 2-3 tablespoons.
Fresh parsley – If using dried, you will need 2 teaspoons instead of tablespoons. The flavor will be more earthy and concentrated than if you were to use fresh herbs, which would give you a more vibrant and brighter peppery flavor.
Italian seasoning – If you want to change the flavor profile, you could use a Cajun or Creole seasoning rub. You can also make your own Italian seasoning instead of the pre-mixed seasoning. Or you can get creative and use your favorite seasonings – there’s no wrong answer!
Green bell pepper – Other alternative options would be to use a red, orange, or yellow bell pepper.
Chicken broth – Chicken stock or vegetable broth are alternative options as well.
How to Make a Cajun Turkey
It’s not nearly as hard as you think to make a delicious turkey for Thanksgiving or any other special occasion! Follow these 10 steps and you’ll have that bold flavor and Cajun Turkey taste that is irresistible!
- Sprinkle the salt all over the inside and outside of the entire turkey. Place turkey in the refrigerator. Let the turkey rest uncovered for 24 hours. This is called dry brining.
- When it’s time to roast the turkey, preheat the oven to 325°F. Place a roasting rack into your roasting pan.
- Pat your turkey dry with paper towels, and place it into the roasting pan. You do not need to wipe off all the salt!!
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the butter, lemon juice, garlic cloves, parsley, brown sugar, onion powder, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and smoked paprika.
- Separate the skin of the turkey from the breast by inserting your hand between the layer of skin and the turkey breast and gently moving your fingers back and forth to release it.
- Take half of the herb butter mixture and insert it between the skin and the turkey breast, pressing it around so the turkey breast is covered with the butter mixture. Spread the remaining seasoning around the outside of the whole turkey.
- Add your onion, bell pepper, and celery into the cavity of the turkey. Using kitchen twine, tie the legs of the turkey together.
- Pour the chicken broth into the bottom of your roasting pan.
- Bake for 14 minutes per pound of turkey or until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. The cooking time will vary based on the size of the turkey, but an average 12-pound turkey will need to cook a little under 3 hours. Use a meat thermometer or an instant-read thermometer to verify!
- Transfer the turkey to a cutting board and allow it to rest for 30 minutes before you begin cutting it for Thanksgiving dinner!
Pro Tip
Use the turkey drippings from the bottom of the pan to make gravy for mashed potatoes!
How should I store my Cajun Turkey?
Refrigerator: Leftover Cajun Turkey should be stored covered or broken down and in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. To freeze, place it in an airtight freezer-safe container or large plastic bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
Freezer: You can freeze it for 6-8 months if you vacuum-pack it. Defrost on the counter for 3-4 hours or overnight in the refrigerator before reheating. To reheat, place your leftovers in an oven-safe dish and cover with foil. Heat at 350°F for 15-20 minutes or until thoroughly reheated.
What should I serve with my Cajun Turkey?
There are so many amazing Southern side dishes that go with Cajun Turkey. Here are some of our favorites…
- Louisiana Dirty Rice
- Southern Green Beans
- Crockpot Funeral Potatoes (Cheesy Potato Casserole)
- Instant Pot Black-Eyed Peas
- Cream Cheese Corn (Easy Casserole Recipe!)
- Easy Crockpot Collard Greens
- Instant Pot Corn on the Cob (Fresh or Frozen!)
- Cheesy Green Bean Casserole (Keto!)
- Sweet Potatoes
- Cornbread Dressing and Cranberry Sauce
FAQ
No, as a general rule, you should not need to cover your turkey during the dry brining or cooking process. However, if your turkey is starting to get too brown, then you should loosely place aluminum foil over it. You don’t want to seal the foil, as you still want the warm air to circulate around the turkey; you just want to remove the direct heat from the top to keep it from burning.
No, do not rinse the salt off from the night before. I know it seems like you should, but it is a part of the process for keeping the turkey super moist throughout the cooking process.
Yes, if you would like to use a pre-brined turkey, then you can just skip the step of adding the salt and letting it sit in the refrigerator overnight. Still ensure you pat the turkey dry before you move forward, though, because you want to start with a dry turkey.
With this recipe, it is not necessary to inject the turkey. However, if you still want to, you can. The butter under the skin will melt down into the meat and help keep it super moist.
When you are checking the internal temperature of meat, you always want to check the temperature at the thickest part of the meat. So here it would be the thickest part of the breast.
No, the turkey will cook breast side up throughout the entire cooking process. There is not much meat to the back of a bird, so to ensure it cooks all the way through, it must remain breast-side up, as this is where most of the meat in the bird is located.
Cajun Turkey Recipe (Cajun Butter Turkey)
- Total Time: 27 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 10-14 people
Description
This Cajun Turkey Recipe is juicy, buttery, and bursting with bold Southern flavor. A simple dry brine keeps the meat tender, while a rich Cajun butter rub adds smoky spice and locks in moisture. Roasted with onions, celery, and peppers, this Cajun Butter Turkey is everything you want in a main dish for the holidays. Whether it’s Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any family gathering, this turkey will have your family and friends coming back for seconds (and thirds!).
Ingredients
- 10 – 15 pounds of turkey, thawed
- 1/4 cup kosher salt
- 2 cups salted butter, room temperature
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon pepper
- 1/2 tablespoon smoked paprika
- onion, peeled and quartered
- 1 green bell pepper, deseeded and quartered
- 2 celery stalks, quartered
- 32 ounces of chicken broth
Instructions
- Sprinkle the salt all over the inside and outside of the turkey. Place the turkey uncovered in the fridge for 24 hours.
- Pat your turkey dry with paper towels, and place it into the roasting pan. You do not want to wipe off all the salt!
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Place a roasting rack into your roasting pan.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the butter, lemon juice, garlic cloves, parsley, brown sugar, onion powder, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and smoked paprika.
- Separate the skin of the turkey from the breast by inserting your hand between the layer of skin and the turkey breast and gently moving your fingers back and forth to release it.
- Take half of the butter mixture and insert it between the skin and the turkey breast, pressing it around so the turkey breast is covered with the butter mixture. Spread the remaining butter around the outside of the whole turkey.
- Add your onion, bell pepper, and celery into the cavity of the turkey. Using kitchen twine, tie the legs of the turkey together.
- Pour the chicken broth into the bottom of your roasting pan.
- Bake for 14 minutes per pound or until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Transfer the turkey to a cutting board and allow it to rest for 30 minutes.
Notes
- Use the turkey drippings from the bottom of the pan to make gravy for mashed potatoes!
- Do not wipe the salt off the turkey before covering with the buttery Cajun rub.
- You do not need to cover the turkey during the 24-hour brine OR the roasting process! However, if your turkey is starting to get too brown, then you should loosely place aluminum foil over it. You don’t want to seal the foil, as you still want the warm air to circulate around the turkey; you just want to remove the direct heat from the top to keep it from burning.
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: ~3 hours
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: American
