Review: Popeyes - Cajun Turkey

Popeyes' Cajun Turkeys are only available around the holidays. Each is a 9-to-13 pound turkey marinated with the chain's signature blend of Louisiana seasonings, slow-roasted, and then flash-fried for a crispy coating.

I pre-ordered one for $39.99 and picked up what I would guess to be a 12-pound turkey.

While Popeyes' Cajun Turkeys are fully cooked, they come thawed but cold. It looks like they come from a distribution center because they're packaged much like frozen turkeys: in a sealed bag with netting.

This is how it looks pre-reheating;

Before

They included that plastic thingamabob instead of twine to truss the legs together.

I was told by the Popeyes employee who took my order that it would take 30 minutes to heat up but a quick read of the instructions revealed that the heating time was more like 1.5 to 1.75 hours at 350 degrees.

The instructions also tell you to cover the bird in foil, but you're going to want to broil it after heating for 10 minutes or so to get some browning going on.

After

As you can see, it's a good-sized turkey and enough for 8 to 12 people (I probably could have browned it a little more but people were hungry!).

So how was it? It turned out really well. The turkey wasn't completely juicy, but it was juicy-to-moist and, however they seasoned it, the flavor permeated the meat of the whole turkey. I bought some of Popeyes' Cajun gravy for dipping and the two got along famously.

This is a 10" plate.

The skin formed a nice crispy layer that exhibited the peppery heat and taste of Popeyes' signature blend of Cajun spices. I'm not sure if the flash-frying added anything to it, but it was good!

Overall, Popeyes' Cajun Turkey was thoroughly enjoyable and packed with flavor. It is a little bit pricey (and spicy!) but saves a lot of time and tasted better than most turkeys I've eaten through the years.

If you're wondering how the rest of my Thanksgiving's spread looked, it looked like this:

Nutritional Info - Popeyes Cajun Turkey
Serving Size - 3 oz (84g)
Calories - 140 (from Fat - 60)
Fat - 6g (Saturated Fat - 2g)
Sodium - 500mg
Carbs - 1g (Sugar - 1g)
Protein - 19g

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