This Cajun Turkey adds a flavorful twist to your holiday table- it's easy to make and comes together quickly for a tender, juicy turkey dinner the whole family will love!
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Why You'll Love This Cajun Turkey Recipe
I absolutely love hosting Thanksgiving - so much so, that I insist on hosting each year and have created a guide that I put out each year about hosting Thanksgiving (get yours here!).
My favorite part is making the turkey- which I think can be super intimidating for people. I can totally see why that is, it's a pretty large bird, considering the size of most cuts of meat people are cooking with on a daily basis.
This particular turkey recipe adds a delicious twist on your traditional turkey. The Cajun seasoning adds a flavorful kick with a nice freshness brought by the lime zest. Here's why you'll love it:
- Easy to make
- Minimal ingredients
- Cooks quickly
- Tender and juicy
Ingredient Information and Substitutions
- Turkey- This recipe was created for an 11-14 pound turkey. You can go bigger but you'll want to double the compound butter recipe and extend the cooking time. You also may not be able to spatchcock the bird as it might not fit into the typical roasting pan. I'd instead encourage you to make two smaller birds instead of one huge bird.
- Butter- I like salted butter for even more flavor. I've also tested this with vegan butter and it tasted great!
- Seasonings- Cajun seasoning is the base of it all along with Kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder and onion powder.
- Lime Zest- Don't skip this- it adds the perfect punch of freshness!
- Veggies- I always put plenty of chunks of onions and smashed garlic at the bottom of my pan for nice flavorful juices to add to my gravy.
- Gravy- In addition to the pan juices, I make a roux with butter and flour and use turkey broth (I make this ahead- try my easy turkey stock recipe and freeze it for the holiday!).
How To Make Roast Cajun Turkey
Step 1- Spatchcock your bird.
Cut the backbone out of the turkey, flip it over and press down hard on it until you hear a crack and the turkey lays flat (I wrote an entire post on how to spatchcock a turkey if you need more details). Please the turkey in the back of the fridge (uncovered if possible) and let it chill overnight.
Step 2- Prep the pan.
The day of cooking, spray the roasting pan with cooking spray and add chunks of onions, smashed garlic cloves, salt and pepper. Pour in 2 cups of water and place a metal rack on top of the veggies. Spray the rack with cooking spray and set aside.
Step 3- Make the compound butter.
Place softened butter, cajun seasoning, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and lime zest in a medium bowl and mix until well combined.
Step 4- Prepare the turkey.
Remove the turkey from the refrigerator 1 hour prior to cooking and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Rub ⅓ of the compound butter on the underside of the turkey, ⅓ of the butter under the turkey skin and the remaining ⅓ of the butter on the outside of the skin on top of the turkey and place the turkey bone-side down into the prepared pan. Tuck the wing tips under the bird. Place an oven-safe thermometer probe into the thickest part of the breast, being careful not to hit any bone.
Step 5- Roast the turkey.
Place the turkey into the oven and check every 30 minutes to make sure it's not browning too quickly. If it is, cover the spots with foil to avoid burning. Add more water into the bottom of the pan if it's drying up.
Step 6- Rest the turkey and make the gravy. Carve the turkey.
Once the turkey reaches an internal temperature on 160 degrees F at the thickest part of the breast, remove it from the oven and place on a large cutting board to rest for 20-30 minutes.
While the turkey rests, strain the pan juices and run through a fat separator. Add to the turkey broth. Make a roux in a large sauce pan and whisk in the broth and pan juices. Stir often over medium until thickened. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
Carve the turkey after resting time is over and serve immediate with gravy.
Frequently Asked Questions
You don't, but I prefer to because it cooks quicker and much more evenly, resulting in a juicier, more perfectly cooked bird.
If cooking it whole, plan for a longer cooking time and instead place the probe into the thickest part of the turkey thigh without touching any bone.
We did not find it to be spicy- my kids loved it and they do not like spicy food! We used the McCormack brand cajun seasoning. If you prefer more of a kick, you can always add some cayenne pepper or even a little more cajun seasoning.
As a general rule, allow 24 hours of thaw time in the refrigerator for every 4 pounds of meat.
Uncovered so you get perfectly crispy skin. If you find certain spots are getting too dark too fast, cover those spots with foil as the bird is cooking.
The biggest thing is to make sure you cook by temperature and not time. Spatchcocking the bird will make it easier for it to cook more evenly and I always take it out at 160 degrees F and then rest for 20-30 minutes. During the resting time the temp will go up to 165 degrees F and the juices will redistribute throughout the bird resulting in a tender, juicy turkey.
Tips For Making This Cajun Recipe For Turkey
- Spatchcock the bird- seriously- this is the best and easiest way to get a perfectly cooked bird every time and it cooks faster! I wrote an entire post on how to spatchcock a turkey.
- Leave the turkey uncovered over night in your fridge- if there's the space to do this safely (and avoid cross contamination by touching other things). This allows the skin to dry out and become crispier as a roasts.
- Remove your turkey from the fridge 1 hour prior to cooking- This helps remove the chill of the fridge and allows for more even cooking and easier spreading of the compound butter.
- Check the bird periodically throughout cooking- if the water in the bottom of the pan has dried out, add more. If any spots get too dark, cover with foil.
- Cook by temperature, not by time- to avoid overcooking. Place the probe in the thickest part of the breast (or thigh if the bird is not spatchcocked) and make sure it doesn't touch any bone.
- Rest the turkey after roasting- for a more juicy turkey and crossover cooking. 20-30 minutes works great!
- Don't throw out the pan juices- they add amazing flavor to your gravy! Strain and run through a fat separator.
- Ingredients to prep ahead- Spatchcock the turkey, make the compound butter, cut the onion and smash garlic.
- Leftovers and storage- This makes awesome leftovers that last for 4-5 days covered in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave or in the oven- a little turkey stock or chicken stock while reheating helps avoid drying out. The cooked turkey also freezes well in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
What To Serve With Roasted Cajun Turkey
Round out your holiday feast with these amazing recipes:
- Smoked Gouda Mashed Potatoes
- Garlic Green Beans
- Savory Sweet Potato Casserole
- Ciabatta Dressing
- Pumpkin Pie
Other Tasty Roast Turkey Recipes
Hosting Thanksgiving?
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Cajun Turkey Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Compound Butter:
- 1 cup salted butter 2 sticks
- 2 teaspoons cajun seasoning
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ teaspoon onion powder
- ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 limes
Turkey
- Cooking spray
- 3 large onions cut into large chunks
- 5 cloves garlic peeled and smashed
- 1 teaspoons kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 14 pound whole turkey (11-14 pounds)
- 2 cups water
Gravy
- 8 Tablespoons butter
- 8 Tablespoons flour
- 3 cups turkey stock warmed
- 1 cup pan drippings
Instructions
Make the compound butter:
- In a small bowl, make the compound butter by mixing butter, cajun seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper and zest of 2 limes until well combined. Set aside.
Prep the turkey:
- Remove spatchcocked turkey from refrigerator 1 hour prior to cooking to bring it closer to room temperature.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees with the rack in the middle position.
- In a large roasting pan place onions and garlic cloves and sprinkle with salt and pepper and pour in water. Place a rack on top of them and grease rack with cooking spray.
- Place turkey breast-side-down onto the rack. Rub ⅓ of the compound butter onto the bottom of the turkey.
- Turn the turkey over so the breast side is facing up. Take your hand and carefully push it under the skin of each part of the turkey, separating the skin from the meat. Evenly distribute another ⅓ of the compound butter onto the meat under the skin of the turkey.
- Rub the last ⅓ of the compound butter all over the top of the skin of the turkey so that the full turkey is covered.
- Gently tuck the wing tips under the to of the turkey breasts to prevent burning and place the pointed part of the meat thermometer into the thickest part of the breast, making sure you don't touch the bone (if you have duel probes, place the other into the thickest part of one of the thighs, making sure you don't touch the bone).
Roast the turkey:
- Place the turkey into the preheated oven on the middle rack. Plan on checking the turkey every 30 minutes to make sure the skin isn't getting too brown and the liquid in the bottom of the pan hasn't evaporated.
- Roast the turkey until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the breast meat is 160 degrees.
- Remove the turkey from the oven and place on a large cutting board. Rest turkey for 20-30 minutes.
- While turkey rests, strain 1 cup pan juices for gravy and run. through a fat separator if you have one and make the gravy (directions below).
- Once fully rested, carve turkey and serve immediately.
Make gravy:
- Melt butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat.
- Whisk in flour until no lumps remain. Cook 2 minutes, whisking frequently.
- Slowly whisk in warmed broth and pan juices.
- Simmer until thickened, whisking periodically. Hold at low heat stirring periodically until ready to serve. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.
Video
Notes
- Spatchcock the bird- seriously- this is the best and easiest way to get a perfectly cooked bird every time and it cooks faster! I wrote an entire post on how to spatchcock a turkey.
- Leave the turkey uncovered over night in your fridge- if there's the space to do this safely (and avoid cross contamination by touching other things). This allows the skin to dry out and become crispier as a roasts.
- Remove your turkey from the fridge 1 hour prior to cooking- This helps remove the chill of the fridge and allows for more even cooking and easier spreading of the compound butter.
- Check the bird periodically throughout cooking- if the water in the bottom of the pan has dried out, add more. If any spots get too dark, cover with foil.
- Cook by temperature, not by time- to avoid overcooking. Place the probe in the thickest part of the breast (or thigh if the bird is not spatchcocked) and make sure it doesn't touch any bone.
- Rest the turkey after roasting- for a more juicy turkey and crossover cooking. 20-30 minutes works great!
- Don't throw out the pan juices- they add amazing flavor to your gravy! Strain and run through a fat separator.
- Ingredients to prep ahead- Spatchcock the turkey, make the compound butter, cut the onion and smash garlic.
- Leftovers and storage- This makes awesome leftovers that last for 4-5 days covered in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave or in the oven- a little turkey stock or chicken stock while reheating helps avoid drying out. The cooked turkey also freezes well in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
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