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I served Popeyes' Cajun Turkey at my Friendsgiving dinner but I will probably never do it again
I served Popeyes' Cajun Turkey at my Friendsgiving dinner but I will probably never do it again
Irene JiangNov 26, 2019, 19:39 IST
Irene Jiang / Business Insider
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This Thanksgiving, Popeyes brought back its pre-cooked Cajun turkey. And as Business Insider's resident Popeyes taste tester, I knew I had to try one.
I pre-ordered a turkey from Popeyes, reheated it in my kitchen, and hosted a Friendsgiving party to share it with my friends.
My guests said the meat was relatively flavorful and juicy, but they were especially impressed with the stuffing and gravy made with the drippings. However, I wasn't a fan of the sandy and tough texture due to the bird being cooked and then frozen.
Even though the turkey made for a pretty solid meal, I'm not sure I'd sacrifice the freshness and texture of a homemade turkey for Popeyes' exceptional flavor. I'm also not sure how much trouble the pre-cooked turkey saved me, as preparing it still took some effort.
This Thanksgiving, I have a lot to be thankful for: a job I enjoy, a wonderful home, the people I love, and Popeyes' chicken sandwich.
As a zealous apostle of Popeyes' church of chicken, I was blown away when I found out that Popeyes sells Thanksgiving turkeys - and I also knew what would be on my kitchen table come Friendsgiving.
I went to my local Popeyes in Bushwick, Brooklyn to preorder a month and a half before I wanted to pick it up to ensure I would not be disappointed. I asked for a turkey, selected a pick-up date, and paid up-front. The bird cost me $39.99 before tax. I also pre-paid for a dozen biscuits, which cost $9.49.
I then spread the good word to my friends: for all those who sought satiating salvation, A Very Popeyes Friendsgiving was on the horizon.
On the day before my feast, I walked to the Popeyes where I'd ordered my turkey.
I didn't know what to expect, but I was surprised that it came out frozen and shrink-wrapped.
I defrosted it over the next 24 hours, then drained all the fluids from the bag and reserved them.
Instructions said to pour the fluids over the bird before reheating. I also stuffed mine with Wegman's stuffing.
Even though the turkey was fully cooked, it required two and a half hours to reheat in an oven.
After about an hour, the turkey was beginning to look a bit dry. I basted it with a ladle, even though the instructions didn't mention basting.
Finally, after hours of careful monitoring, the turkey was done.
I thought it came out rather nicely, but it did look kind of dry.
Still, the pan was full of drippings. I decided to make them into a gravy.
The drippings were very salty and extremely flavorful, resulting in a gravy that was absolutely heavenly.
I let the turkey rest for 20 minutes, as per the instructions.
It was the perfect amount of time for the rest of the food to finish cooking. I also made stuffing, mashed potatoes, Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, and carrots. My roommate Jen made mac and cheese and vegetarian gravy.
Finally, my guests weaned themselves off chips and Cheetos and prepared their plates for the Cajun bird.
For the cutting of the turkey, I handed my camera to my photographer friend Bridget.
The turkey seemed tender and juicy enough. The skin wasn't crispy, but that was probably my fault for ladling drippings on top.
This was my first time making a turkey, even if all I did was reheat it. I probably made some rookie mistakes.
I respectfully request that readers do not reach out to comment on my turkey-reheating technique.
But one thing that turned out incredibly well was the stuffing.
Because the drippings were so full of salt, fat, and Cajun seasoning, the stuffing was packed with flavor.
As I filled the plate, I made sure not to miss a biscuit.
Although the plate was full, there was something missing:
A healthy dose of decadent gravy!
Or three...
Finally, the plate was complete. I traded with Bridget — plate for camera.
Everybody dug in.
All feasters were pleased with the turkey. They said it was tender and flavorful — for turkey.
But what they truly couldn't get enough of was the stuffing inside.
I was impressed by the turkey's flavor, too. It was far from bland.
But another diner aptly noted that it was also far from Cajun. There was no kick to the seasoning even though it was well-balanced.
I found the meat to be a bit tough, and I couldn't get over the sandy texture, which tasted cooked, frozen, and reheated.
At the end of the meal, the ten of us had barely made a dent in the turkey.
At the end of it all, I wasn't sure how much trouble buying Popeyes' turkey had actually saved me. I still had to defrost, de-juice, re-juice, and reheat the bird.
I'm not sure I'd sacrifice the freshness and texture of a home-cooked turkey for Popeyes' pre-cooked one, even if the gravy and stuffing were incredible. Next time, I might just stick with chicken.
