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You can prepare this Cajun Turkey with confidence. This extra juicy turkey is foolproof, stress-free, and easy for even first-time cooks, making it the perfect centerpiece for your Thanksgiving table.
Be sure to check out my popular Thanksgiving side dishes – Tini’s Macaroni and Cheese, Southern Sweet Potato Casserole, Honey Butter Cornbread, Cheesy Jiffy Corn Casserole, or my Scalloped Potatoes.
Thanksgiving Cajun Turkey
If you’re ready to impress your guests with a perfectly juicy turkey coated in Cajun butter, forget about Popeyes and dive into this outstanding Cajun turkey recipe from scratch. I brine my turkey a day ahead, generously slather it in a flavorful herby Cajun butter, and roast it to perfection. This easy recipe is simple and reliable, ensuring you can confidently serve an amazing turkey that will wow everyone at your gathering this year.
This Turkey Is…
- Brined – so be sure to plan to prep this a day ahead
- Big, bold flavor from the brine and the homemade Cajun butter that’s smothered under and over the skin.
- No-stress, super approachable even for first-time cooks
- Extremely juicy and tender
- Seriously hard to screw up!
Here are the Ingredients You’ll Need:
The list of ingredients needed for this Thanksgiving Cajun turkey is relatively short, but each ingredient is essential.
Turkey – you can use either a whole turkey or just the bone-in breasts. When I’m serving a group, I’ll usually make an entire turkey plus a turkey breast since more people prefer the white meat.
Brine – My favorite brine is Kosmos, which can be found on Amazon. However, I also have a popular go-to brine recipe that consists of water, kosher salt, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, and black pepper.
Cajun seasoning – a homemade bold blend of savory flavors and a kick of heat without being overly spicy. I use a combination of garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, chili powder, thyme, oregano, cayenne, brown sugar, salt, and pepper.
Butter – several sticks of salted butter at room temperature.
Olive Oil – In addition to butter, I use a small amount of olive oil to help brown the turkey and make the skin crispier. Additionally, if the butter becomes cold and has difficulty adhering to the skin, the olive oil can help.
Tools Needed for Making a Thanksgiving Turkey
- The Brine – I highly recommend the Kosmos brine over homemade – the flavor just doesn’t compare, and their Amazon reviews speak for themselves. It’s not a sponsored product; I’ve tried this many times, and my family and friends rave about it every time.
- Brining Bags – I used these brining bags, and I placed the bag inside the roasting tray since I didn’t have any deep tubs handy. Because the surface was flat, I needed some zipties to cinch the bag snug and ensure the entire turkey was submerged.
- Brining Tub – a deep vessel like this storage tub with a lid. You can either pour the brine in directly or still use the brining bags for easy cleanup.
- Thermometer – in addition to the pop-up thermometer provided, I like to use my own meat thermometer to verify the temp at the thickest part.
- Twine – a food-grade butcher’s twine to tie up the legs of the turkey if making a whole turkey.
- Roasting Pan – I love a roasting pan with a rack that allows the turkey to stay elevated upright in the pan.
- Foil – I often notice that some turkeys can be heavier on one side (especially turkey breasts), which causes them to lean or lie unevenly. To help keep the turkey balanced and upright, you can crumple up some aluminum foil and place it under the bird.
- Basting Brush – I love these for brushing the outside of the skin. Choose one that’s silicone and BPA-free.
- Food Handling Gloves – Since we are putting our hands underneath the skin and slathering butter all over it, gloves are important.
How to Make Cajun Turkey
Roasting a turkey for Thanksgiving isn’t difficult, but it does require some preventive measures and planning ahead. It’s an important responsibility to be the one making the turkey for Thanksgiving, so be sure to read these details. This will ensure success and will prevent scrambling around the kitchen.
Before you start:
If frozen, thaw the turkey first and let it sit on the counter for 1 hour before roasting it to remove the chill from the fridge.
First, we will start by brining the turkey in this tried-and-true turkey brine. I highly recommend brining the turkey first as it ensures the turkey will be tender from the inside out. Follow the brine instructions (as specified on the package or mine is listed in the notes section below).
Prep the turkey
Make the Cajun butter by combining the softened butter with Cajun seasoning. Mix until smooth, then set aside 1/2 cup of the butter for drizzling over the sliced turkey before serving.
Remove the neck and giblets from the cavities of the turkey and discard (or save for gravy if you prefer). If using a turkey breast, these are already removed.
Place the turkey upright on the roasting rack. Use crumpled foil underneath the turkey on either side if needed to help it sit upright evenly.
If using a whole turkey, tuck the wings underneath the body of the turkey and tie the legs together with butchers twice.
Use several paper towels to remove any excess moisture from the skin. You want the skin very dry to ensure even browning and crisping of the skin, you may need to repeat this step a few times.
Separate the skin by sliding your fingers under it to loosen and gently separate the skin, being careful not to tear it. Dab the turkey dry again if needed.
Massage half the butter under the skin and push it around evenly, massaging it under the skin.
Pat the outside of the skin dry again with paper towels.
Add 1 tbsp olive oil to the remaining butter and coat the outside of the skin evenly with the butter. The cold temperature of the turkey can cause the butter to harden and pull away from the turkey in some spots. Simply add a little olive oil to those areas, and it will help the butter to adhere again.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place the rack on the second level from the bottom.
Roast the turkey uncovered for about 13-15 minutes per pound. Monitor the turkey during the second half of the cooking time to prevent the skin from burning, ensuring it browns evenly. If needed, place tented foil on top of the turkey as it continues to cook.
Allow turkey to rest for 20-30 minutes before slicing. I love the NYT video tutorial on the best way to carve and plate a turkey.
My Tips for Cooking a Perfect Turkey
After making dozens of turkeys and testing these again and again in my kitchen, I can assure you that these simple tips will ensure your success while cooking this centerpiece of the table:
- Brining is often called an unnecessary step. After testing many turkey recipes, I find that brining yields a much juicier turkey, hands down. This step does add time to your prep, but it’s worth it – especially if you’re tasked with bringing it for family and friends and you want to ensure success.
- Don’t baste the turkey as it cooks – the constant need to open and close the oven will throw off the cooking times as the heat will drop. Instead, the butter coating ensures the turkey stays super juicy.
- Don’t cook stuffing inside the bird. Make a separate side dish for stuffing (like my cornbread dressing recipe) because the stuffing will cook before the turkey is done, resulting in dry stuffing.
- Let the turkey rest for 30 minutes before carving it.
- Don’t have a roasting pan with a rack? Instead, use a casserole dish or aluminum pan and arrange a layer of veggies on the bottom (onions, carrots, celery) and place the bird on top. The veggies will act like a rack to hold the bird up as it cooks.
- Save your pan drippings for making a homemade gravy.
- Carve your turkey breasts by removing them first, then slice to ensure each piece gets some crispy skin.
Side Dishes to Pair with Thanksgiving Cajun Turkey
The Cajun butter truly sets this Thanksgiving turkey apart from the rest. It packs a delicious punch with lots of flavor, while remaining neutral enough to pair well with your favorite side dishes. It’s not overpowering and complements all popular recipes like:
Tini’s Macaroni & Cheese
Easy Holiday Cranberry Sauce
Scalloped Potatoes
Slow Cooker Honey Baked Ham
Honey Butter Cornbread
Pecan Pie Trifle
Loaded Corn Casserole
Check out this video tutorial on how I made this Cajun turkey for our Thanksgiving. It helps to get a visual of the steps, as reading through the instructions can sound overwhelming.
Thanksgiving Cajun Turkey
Ingredients
- 12 lb whole turkey or 6 lb. bone-in turkey breast if frozen thaw it fully first
- Kosmos brine or my brine recipe is below in notes
- 3 sticks butter 1.5 cups/24 tablespoons
- 3 tablespoons Cajun seasoning see notes for my homemade cajun seasoning
- olive oil
For the Stuffing (only if using whole turkey)
- 1 large onion, not peeled
- 8 cloves garlic, halved and not peeled
- 1 small bunch parsley
- 1 lemon, quartered
- 1 apple, quartered
Instructions
Before you start
- Brine the turkey first as it ensures the turkey will be tender from the inside out. Follow the brine instructions as specified on the package or mine is listed in the notes section below. Allow turkey to dry out in the fridge after the brine for 6-8 hours before proceeding.
Prep the turkey
- Let the turkey sit on the counter for 1 hour before it goes in the oven, to remove the chill from the fridge.
- Make the Cajun butter by combining the softened butter with 3 tbsp Cajun seasoning. Mix until smooth. Set aside 1/2 cup of the butter for drizzling over the sliced turkey before serving.
- Remove the neck and giblet bag from the cavities of the turkey and discard (or save for gravy if you prefer). If using a turkey breast, these are already removed.
- Place the turkey upright on the roasting rack. Use crumpled foil underneath the turkey on either side if needed to help it sit upright evenly.
- If using a whole turkey, tuck the wings underneath/behind the body of the turkey. Stuff the cavity with all the stuffing ingredients then tie the legs together with butchers twice to tie up the turkey cavity.
Butter the turkey
- Use several paper towels to remove any excess moisture from the skin. You want the skin very dry to ensure even browning and crisping of the skin.
- Separate the skin by sliding your fingers under it to loosen and gently separate the skin, being careful not to tear it. Dab the turkey dry again if needed.
- Massage half the butter under the skin, pushing it around evenly and massaging it under the skin. Pat the outside of the skin dry again with paper towels.
- Add 1 tbsp olive oil to the remaining butter and coat the outside of the skin evenly with the butter using a basting brush. The cold temperature of the turkey can cause the butter to harden and pull away from the turkey in some spots. Just add a little olive oil to those areas, and it will help the butter to adhere again.
Roast the turkey
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place the rack on the second level from the bottom.
- Roast the turkey uncovered for about 13-15 minutes per pound. Monitor the turkey during the second half of the cooking time to prevent the skin from burning, ensuring it browns evenly. If needed, place tented foil on top of the turkey as it continues to cook.
- Allow turkey to rest for 20-30 minutes before carving and plating. Melt the remaining cajun butter and drizzle over the sliced turkey.
Notes
2 teaspoons salt
3 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons chili powder, add more if you like heat
1.5 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1.5 teaspoon cayenne pepper, add more if you like heat
1/2 teaspoon cracked pepper Homemade Brine (for a bone-in turkey breast, halve this recipe) 2 gallons of water
1.5 cups canning salt
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
10 large garlic cloves, smashed
1 tbsp black pepper Mix all the ingredients in a large food-grade container or turkey bag. Submerge the turkey so it’s fully covered. Brine the turkey for 1 hour per pound. Remove the turkey from the brine and discard the brine. Allow turkey to dry out in the fridge for 6-8 hours before cooking to ensure crispy skin.
This is by far the best turkey recipe I’ve made (after testing dozens over the years) and I’m thrilled for you to try it.