I can’t tell you the last time I’ve baked a Thanksgiving turkey. Ever since we’ve started frying them, we’ve been hooked! I can’t take credit for this recipe. It’s all my honey’s idea and technique. And it works everything. He was gracious enough to share his delicious Cajun Fried Turkey recipe with my Cookies. He even filmed the tutorial for you on his birthday. Send him virtual hugs for his selflessness.

To Wash or Not to Wash…

Listen, as for me and my house, we shall wash our birds! I know there is a huge debate over the matter. But, I prefer to at least rinse my poultry in cold water. Babe likes to add lemon juice to the water and thoroughly rinse off the turkey. Then, you MUST pat the turkey completely dry using paper towels. Inside and out.

He uses two different injectable marinades for the turkey. One is store bought and the other is homemade. Why two? Because it’s damn delicious! I don’t question his recipe. It works.

The homemade marinade contains actual butter. The store bought version doesn’t. I know. It says Cajun Butter in its name. But, check the ingredients. There is no butter listed. It makes sense though. The butter could possibly congeal during the shelf life of the product. Since, we’re using the homemade version almost immediately, it’s all good.

Stick em up!

Using the injector provided by the store bought marinade, he injects each part of the turkey twice. Once with the store bought jar and once with the homemade version. Don’t forget to flip the bird over and inject butt! If there is any marinade left over, pour it over the turkey. Cover the bird with foil or place into a marinading bag and refrigerate overnight.

Before you fry, allow the turkey to sit out at room temperature for 20-30 mins. Be sure to spray the basket of the deep fryer with nonstick cooking spray prior to placing the turkey in it. The last thing we want is for the turkey to stick to the basket and pull off that crispy skin!

This process can be done in a large frying pot over a propane burner. But, to be honest, neither one of us has done it that way. This large deep fryer seems to be the easiest method. Just look up a turkey fryer on Amazon or Google. Our turkey was 15 lbs. You want to fry the turkey for 4 minutes per pound.

When the turkey is done, lift the basket out of the fryer and allow the turkey to sit in the basket and drain for a few minutes. This is the time where you check the temperature using a meat thermometer to ensure that the turkey is completely done. It should register to at least 170 F in each part of the bird.

Allow the turkey to rest for 15 minutes before carving and serving. Easier than you thought right?

Happy Frying,

B. Coop

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Cajun Fried Turkey

A flavorful twist on a Thanksgiving favorite. This Cajun marinade inject turkey is deep fried to perfection in this to follow recipe.

Prep Time 1 day

Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Total Time 1 day 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

• Turkey:
• 13-15 lb turkey
• 16 oz Cajun Butter Injectable Marinade
• Homemade Marinade recipe below
• Peanut oil for frying
• Nonstick cooking spray
• Homemade Marinade:
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 2 Tbs Cajun or Creole seasoning
• 1 Tbs onion powder
• 1 Tbs garlic powder
• 2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp cracked black pepper
• 2 tsp Accent seasoning optional
• 2 cups chicken stock

Instructions

1. Homemade Marinade:
2. Melt the butter in a saucepan
3. Whisk in all spices
4. Pour in the chicken stock while whisking
5. Bring mixture to a boil
6. Lower heat to a simmer
7. Simmer for 5 minutes
8. Remove from heat and allow marinade to cool at room temperature
9. Turkey:
10. Rinse the turkey with water and pat dry thoroughly with paper towels
11. Inject each part of the turkey with both marinades. If there is any leftover marinade after injecting each part of the turkey twice, pour the remaining marinade over the turkey.
12. Refrigerate overnight
13. Pour enough peanut oil to reach the “Max Fill Line” of a large deep fryer.
14. Heat oil to 375 F
15. Spray the basket of the deep fryer liberally with nonstick cooking spray
16. Add the turkey to the basket
17. Carefully lower the turkey into the fryer
18. Fry the turkey for 4 minutes per pound of the turkey. (4 minutes x the weight of the turkey)
19. Remove the basket from the oil and allow the excess oil to drain from the turkey
20. Use a meat thermometer to check each part of the turkey. Make sure the thermometer registers at 170 F.
21. Allow turkey to rest for 15 mins before carving.
22. Enjoy.

Recipe Notes

Be sure to use fire proof gloves while placing the turkey in and out of the fryer and oil.