For Thanksgiving 2020 I was the head kitchen chef (finally my mom and grandma stepped aside) and I was aiming to please. Queue the Hollywood lights and dancing turkey’s, oh yea, I was bringing out the big guns! Luckily for me, my Cajun Turkey did not disappoint. My flavorful and juicy bird was the main star of dinner and I owe it all to my Cajun Turkey Brine and Cajun Turkey seasoning mix.
What makes my holiday turkey stand out? It’s the flavor that penetrates throughout the whole turkey. In addition to brining my turkey overnight for added flavor and tenderness, I lathered my seasonings underneath the skin of the bird. This technique ensures my seasoning blend is directly on the meat and as the turkey cooks, the Cajun spices further seep into the turkey. I also did everything I could to keep my turkey moist. Roasted turkey is infamously known for being dry, if not carefully monitored. Don’t worry, I’ve laid out my tips and tricks for moist and flavor packed turkey for you to rock your next holiday meal.
The Turkey
To feed my family of 13, I selected a Premium Young 13-pound turkey. A good rule of thumb is to get about 1 pound per person but trust me, there will be plenty of leftovers left. Feel free to get the brand of your choice. If your turkey is frozen, thaw in the fridge for 24 hours before removing from plastic wrapping. Once your turkey has thawed, ensure that your turkey is cleaned and insides removed before seasoning.
Seasoning blend
In a food processor, add seasonings and blend until seasonings are a fine consistency, almost powdered. In a small bowl, mix processed seasonings and softened butter. Starting near the opening of the turkey, separate the skin of the turkey from the meat by using a rubber spatula, your hand, or the handle of a large spoon to carefully lift the skin from the meat. Do not rip the skin off. Your rubber spatula, your hand, or spoon handle should be between the skin of the turkey and the meat of the turkey. Sounds a little weird, but after the initial separation it becomes easy-peasy. Pay careful attention not to rip or puncture the skin of the turkey. Repeat this process until as much of the skin is loosened from the base of the turkey. Using a rubber spatula, spread the seasoned butter under the skin of the turkey. Use your hand to spread the butter to parts of the turkey that you were unable to reach by carefully massaging and spreading the butter from the outside of the skin. Flip the turkey and repeat the process again.
Should You Use A Roasting Pan with A Rack?
Stuff the turkey with herbs and aromatic ingredients, tie the drum sticks of the turkey together, and place in a rack roasting pan breast side up with wings tucked. I encourage using a roasting pan with a rack. Ever had a turkey that was crispy on the top but damp and wet on the bottom? The use of a roasting rack prevents that occurrence and you get nice and crispy skin on each side of your turkey. A rack also promotes even cooking by allowing the oven heat to circulate throughout the turkey.
What is Basting?
Pour chicken broth and additional ingredients into the roasting pan. This will be the liquid used for basting your turkey while it is roasting. Basting is the process of periodically pouring liquid over roasted or baked meat to prevent the meat from drying out. Baste your turkey every 30 minutes while it is cooking. I advise setting a timer, you don’t want to forget to baste and end up with a dry turkey. The volume of chicken broth will evaporate or get lower over time. When the chicken broth in the roasting pan gets low, refill in ½ cup increments. Immediately before or after you baste your turkey is the best time to refill the chicken broth in the pan. Always keep some volume of chicken broth in the roasting pan . In addition to providing a liquid for basting, the chicken broth also keeps the oven moist which is great for your turkey. For this reason, I advise only opening your oven when necessary to keep as much moisture in as possible.
Should you cover your turkey in foil?
Yes, but not for the entire length of roasting. Covering your roasting pan in foil helps keep the turkey moist, however, the turkey needs to be uncovered to obtain golden brown and crispy skin. I recommend covering the roasted turkey for 3 ½ hours then roasting uncovered for the last 30 minutes of cooking. If you like your turkey a bit darker, roast your turkey covered for 3 hours and 20 minutes then uncovered for 40 minutes.
Roasting your first turkey can appear intimidating but it doesn’t have to be. Try this this fool proof technique to achieve juicy and delicious turkey. Your friends and family will love it!
Looking for a great side dish to try with this award winning turkey? My garlic -parmesan mashed potatoes don’t disappoint!
What’s my top wine pairing choice for roasted turkey? Oaked Chardonnay, of course!
Check out my holiday wine pairing video for other holiday wine pairing suggestions.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375. If you have not done so already, clean and empty the cavity of the thawed turkey.
- Pat the turkey dry with a paper towel. If you brined your turkey, don not rinse the turkey. This could wash off some of the seasonings. Set turkey aside.
- Using a food processor, blend seasoning mix of onion powder, paprika, black pepper, salt, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, oregano, and dried thyme until a fine and powdered like consistency achieved.
- In a small bowl, fold seasoning mix into 2 sticks of softened butter. Continue to mix until seasoning mix evenly distributed. Set aside.
- Starting breast side up, use a large spoon, rubber spatula, or your hands to carefully pry the skin of the turkey from the meat of the turkey. Lift the skin of the turkey, near the cavity of the turkey, to loosen the skin of the turkey. Do not rip or tear the skin off. Instead, you will create a pocket between the skin and the meat of the turkey. Continue this process until as much of the skin of the turkey is loosen as possible.
- Using a rubber spatula, careful apply the seasoned butter beneath the skin of turkey. Again, the butter should not be applied to the top of the turkey only the pocket that you created between the meat and the skin of the turkey. Do this for as much of the turkey as possible
- Placing your hands on top of the turkey, carefully massage the butter sitting underneath the skin to any areas of the turkey you were unable to reach with the spatula.
- Flip the turkey and repeat step 5-7 for the backside of the turkey.
- Stuff the cavity of the turkey with fresh herbs, onions, lemon, and whole garlic cloves.
- Truss the drumsticks of the turkey together.
- Place turkey in roasting pan with a rack, breast side up. Tuck the turkey wings behind the turkey.
- Pour celery, bell pepper, and 1 cup of broth into the bottom of the roasting pan.
- Cover the top of the roasting pan with aluminum foil.
- Bake at 375 for 3 ½ hours, basting every 30 minutes. As chicken broth gets low, add more broth to the bottom of the pan in 1/2 cup increments.
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Bake uncover for 30 minutes or until the thickest part of the turkey reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Allow the turkey to rest 15-20 minutes before carving. Enjoy!
My husband and I have been trying new recipes every Thanksgiving to find a favorite. We saw this one and decided to try it this year. I was going back and forth with the recipe. I might have missed it. The recipe calls for 5 cups of broth but only see that just 1 cup is used. What is the other 4 cups of broth for? Do or can I use the other 4 cups for the brine with the water? Instead of using 24 cups (1 1/2 gallons) water, can I use the 4 cups (1 quart) of broth and 20 cups (1 1/4 gallons of water? I am also going to use the Cajun Turkey brine you have on here. My husband says it looks like it’s all to much. I just told him that nothing is ever to much for good tasting food! I am looking forward to trying many more recipes. Thank you
Hi Jessica! Love the questions! 1) Thanks for catching the 1 cup vs 5 cups of broth. In the write-up portion of the recipe I note that the broth at the bottom of the pan will start to evaporate. When you are basting the
chicken if you notice that the broth is getting low, I recommend refilling the broth in 1/2 cup increments. With the refills, you may use about 5 cups of broth in total. I have edited the instructions to clarify this as well. 2) For food safety reasons, you should not use the soaking brine for cooking, only soaking. 3) I know it sounds like tons of water but you want the turkey to be completely submerged in the solution so it is soaked in all over.