This Cajun turkey recipe is perfect for your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner menu. The turkey is flavored with a spicy Cajun butter, seasoned with aromatic spices, and roasted until the skin is perfectly crispy and the meat is juicy and tender.
If you want to add a little spiciness to your turkey dinner, I've come up with a fool-proof Cajun turkey recipe that you can make at home, giving you a juicy and flavorful turkey everyone will rave about.
❤️ Why you'll love it
The Cajun turkey is loaded with a blend of spices and a homemade Cajun butter that gives you a flavorful turkey. The combination of the Cajun butter and the turkey marinade makes the turkey juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside.
My family voted this turkey the best and juiciest turkey they ever tasted, hands down!
🥘 Equipment Used
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You'll need a good-sized roasting pan to cook the turkey in and a turkey injector to add some extra Cajun flavor to the inside of the turkey. I recommend getting an instant-read thermometer to be sure the turkey is thoroughly cooked to the correct temperature.
Lastly, you'll need a carving knife so that you can cut into that juicy turkey when you're ready to eat!
🧾 Ingredients Used
- Turkey: I use an 8 pound turkey for this Cajun turkey recipe. You can choose your favorite brand of fresh or frozen turkey.
- Vegetables and stuffing: Baby carrots, red onions, green onions, celery, garlic cloves, and lemon.
- Spices and seasonings: My turkey injector marinade and cajun butter were all the spices I needed!
🔪 How To Make Cajun Turkey
Marinate the day before
- Wash and pat dry the turkey. Take out any of the giblets ((neck, gizzards, and liver), from inside the turkey, if any.
- Fill the turkey injector with the marinade. Stick the injector needle in various parts of the turkey and inject all the marinade. Make sure the thighs and breast get plenty of marinade. You might have to do this more than once until all the marinade is used up.
- Coat the outside of the turkey with the Cajun butter mixture. Be sure to get under the skin as well to season the meat directly. Get some of the marinade into the cavity as well.
- Refrigerate uncovered for 12 hours.
Prepare the turkey
- Remove the turkey an hour before roasting and let it come to room temperature.
- Preheat your oven to 400F.
- Place the turkey on a roasting pan. Then divide all the veggies into two.
- Loosely stuff one-half of the veggies inside the turkey. Do not overstuff it. Add the other half of the veggies to the roasting pan and pour in the chicken broth.
- Place the giblets in the roasting pan. Tuck the turkey wings behind the turkey so it doesn't burn.
Roast the turkey
- Place the turkey in the lower rack of the oven and set the cooking time to 2 hrs 30 mins.
- Roast the turkey for 30 minutes at 400F, then reduce the heat to 350F. Continue baking till the turkey reaches an internal temperature of 165F.
- If the top browns and the insides are not yet cooked, cover the turkey with aluminum foil.
- When the turkey is done, take it out and rest for at least 20 minutes before carving.
🥫 Storing and Reheating
Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator. Just cut the leftover turkey into smaller pieces and place in an airtight container and store them in the fridge for about a week. You can eat the turkey cold or reheat it in the microwave to warm the pieces up.
💭 Tips and Variations
- If refrigerating for more than 24 hours, cover the turkey with plastic wrap and uncover only for the last 24 hours so the skin begins to dry.
- When injecting the marinade, make sure you inject it into different parts of the turkey to be sure the marinade is spread throughout.
- Let the turkey come to room temperature before injecting the marinade.
🍽️ What can I eat this recipe with?
Turkey is versatile so you can serve it with just about any side dish. If you're making this for Thanksgiving or Christmas, pair it with your favorite holiday side dishes for a complete meal.
Some of my favorite sides to pair this Cajun turkey with are air fryer green beans, keto deviled eggs, keto mac and cheese, and mashed cauliflower.
👩🍳 Frequently asked questions
Will this Cajun turkey be spicy?
The Cajun seasoning used doesn't make it very spicy, it just gives the turkey an extra boost of flavor.
How do you make the Cajun turkey meat so flavorful?
Injecting your turkey with the Cajun marinade is one of the best ways to give your turkey meat so much flavor while keeping it juicy.
How long do I cook the turkey?
The time it takes to completely cook the turkey will depend on how big your turkey is. The general rule is about 15 minute per pound of turkey. Always check with a meat thermometer to be sure the internal temperature is 165F.
Can I cook the turkey with the neck, gizzards, and liver still inside?
Take the giblets and everything out of the turkey before roasting it. You can take them out and just place them in the roasting pan to cook right along with the turkey. Some turkey come with packets of gravy inside, you will want to remove that also.
📚 Related Recipes
Check out these other delicious recipes!
📖 Recipe
Cajun Turkey
Ingredients
- 8 pound turkey
- 1 cup Cajun butter
- 6 baby carrots
- 1 bunch green onions loosely chopped
- 4 celery sticks halved
- 6 cloves garlic peeled
- 1 lemon cut into four
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 8 oz turkey injector marinade
Instructions
Marinate the day before:
- Wash and pat dry the turkey.8 pound turkey
- Take out any of the giblets ((neck, gizzards, and liver), from inside the turkey, if any.
- Fill the turkey injector with the marinade. Stick the injector needle in various parts of the turkey and inject all the marinade. Make sure the thighs and breast get plenty of marinade. You might have to do this more than once until all the marinade is used up.8 oz turkey injector marinade
- Coat the outside of the turkey with the Cajun butter mixture. Be sure to get under the skin as well to season the meat directly. Get some of the marinade into the cavity as well.1 cup Cajun butter
- Refrigerate uncovered for 12 hours.
Prepare the turkey:
- Remove the turkey an hour before roasting and let it come to room temperature.
- Preheat your oven to 400F.
- Place the turkey on a roasting pan.
- Divide the veggies into two.6 baby carrots, 1 bunch green onions, 4 celery sticks, 6 cloves garlic, 1 lemon
- Loosely stuff one-half of the veggies inside the turkey. Do not overstuff it.
- Add the other half of the veggies to the roasting pan and pour in the chicken broth.4 cups chicken broth
- Place the giblets in the roasting pan.
- Tuck the turkey wings behind the turkey so it doesn't burn.
Roast the turkey:
- Place the turkey in the lower rack of the oven and set the cooking time to 2 hrs 30 mins (see notes below for cooking times).
- Roast the turkey for 30 minutes at 400F, then reduce the heat to 350F.
- Continue roasting till the turkey reaches an internal temperature of 165F.
- If the top browns and the insides are not yet cooked, cover the turkey with aluminum foil.
- When the turkey is done, take it out and rest for at least 20 minutes before carving.
Notes
- My total roasting time for an 8lb turkey was 2.5 hours. It might take longer depending on how large your turkey is. If you have an 10lb or 12lb turkey it might take 3-3.5hrs. As long as the internal temperature is 165F, your turkey is ready to eat.
- If refrigerating for more than 24 hours, cover the turkey with plastic wrap and uncover only for the last 24 hours so the skin begins to dry.
- When injecting the marinade, make sure you inject it into different parts of the turkey to be sure the marinade is spread throughout.
- Let the turkey come to room temperature before injecting the marinade.
Nutrition
Tayo Oredola is the founder of Low Carb Africa, where she shares healthy, low carb dishes with global flavors. She is passionate about teaching people how to cook drool-worthy dishes while losing weight and living their best lives. Tayo’s recipes have been featured on MSN, Women’s Health, Parade, Yahoo News, Pure Wow, Essence, and other online publications.
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