Turducken Recipe

Turducken Recipe: How to Make a Cajun Turducken from Scratch

This Cajun turducken recipe walks you through making a traditional turducken from scratch with turkey, duck, chicken, cornbread stuffing, Cajun rice dressing, shrimp stuffing, assembly steps, and roasting guidance.

Recipe focus: homemade turducken, stuffing layers, bird sizes, assembly, and roasting. For ready to cook options, visit our Turducken category.
Need cooking help instead? See our Turducken 101 guide for thawing, cooking time, internal temperature, serving sizes, slicing, smoking, and storage questions.

What Is in a Turducken?

A turducken is a deboned chicken stuffed inside a deboned duck, which is then stuffed inside a deboned turkey. Traditional Cajun turducken recipes include layers of dressing or stuffing between each bird, so every slice includes poultry, seasoning, and stuffing together.

Typical turducken order: chicken inside duck inside turkey, with stuffing or dressing layered between the birds.

Cajun Turducken Ingredients

Birds and Assembly

  • 1 whole turkey, about 20 to 25 lb, deboned with wings and legs left intact
  • 1 whole duckling, about 5 to 6 lb, deboned
  • 1 whole chicken, about 3 to 4 lb, deboned
  • Poultry seasoning blend
  • Cornbread stuffing
  • Cajun rice dressing
  • Shrimp stuffing
  • Kitchen string, cotton thread, and a large needle

Have the birds deboned by a butcher if possible. It saves a lot of time and helps the finished turducken hold together. Keep the turkey wings and legs attached so the final roast still presents like a turkey.

Cornbread Stuffing

Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp cooking oil
  • 4 cups crumbled cornbread
  • 1/2 lb chopped chicken livers
  • 1/2 lb chopped chicken gizzards
  • 1 cup chopped celery
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1 cup chopped bell pepper
  • Poultry seasoning, salt, and black pepper to taste
  • Butter or olive oil for sautéing vegetables
  • Chicken broth, as needed

Brown the chopped chicken livers and gizzards over medium heat in cooking oil. Add celery, onion, and bell pepper and cook until soft. Season with salt, black pepper, and poultry seasoning. Add the crumbled cornbread, then pour in chicken broth until the stuffing reaches the desired consistency. Adjust seasoning and cool completely before stuffing the birds.

Cajun Rice Dressing

Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp cooking oil
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 4 cups cooked white rice
  • 1 cup chopped bell pepper
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1 cup chopped celery
  • 1 clove minced garlic
  • 1 can cream of mushroom soup
  • 2 cups beef broth
  • Salt and black pepper to taste

Brown the ground beef over medium heat in cooking oil. Add celery, onion, bell pepper, and garlic and cook until soft. Season with salt, black pepper, and Cajun seasoning. Stir in cream of mushroom soup and heat through. Mix in the cooked rice, then add beef broth until the dressing reaches the desired consistency. Cool completely before using.

Helpful pantry links: Shop Louisiana rice or browse Cajun rice mixes for shortcut side dishes and dressing ideas.

Shrimp Stuffing

Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp cooking oil
  • 4 cups cooked rice
  • 2 lb chopped raw shrimp
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
  • 1 cup chopped celery
  • 1 clove minced garlic
  • 1 can diced tomatoes
  • Salt and black pepper to taste
  • Dash of cayenne pepper

Sauté celery, onion, and bell pepper until soft. Pour in diced tomatoes. Add chopped shrimp and cook until slightly pink. Season with salt, black pepper, and cayenne. Combine with cooked rice. Add a little water if the stuffing seems dry. Adjust seasoning and cool completely before stuffing the birds.

How to Assemble a Turducken

  1. Place the deboned turkey skin side down and season it well with salt, black pepper, and poultry seasoning.
  2. Spread a layer of cornbread stuffing over the turkey.
  3. Place the deboned duck on top of the cornbread stuffing.
  4. Spread Cajun rice dressing over the duck.
  5. Place the deboned chicken on top of the Cajun rice dressing.
  6. Add shrimp stuffing over the chicken.
  7. Keep each stuffing layer about 1/2 inch thick so the turducken can close properly.
  8. Bake any leftover stuffing separately in casserole dishes at 350°F for about 30 minutes.

After layering the birds and stuffing, fold the sides of the turkey together to close the roast. It helps to have another person hold the turkey closed while you sew the opening shut. Space the stitches about 1 inch apart, then tie the legs together just above the tip bones. Cook the assembled turducken breast side up.

How to Cook a Homemade Turducken

Place the assembled turducken in a large roasting pan and cook in a preheated 325°F oven. You may also cook it on a covered grill or smoker at about 350°F by placing the turducken on aluminum foil or in an aluminum pan.

Cooking temperature: Cook the turducken until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest area reaches at least 165°F. Because homemade turduckens vary in size and density, a thermometer is more reliable than time alone.

A stuffed roast of this size commonly takes about 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 hours, but cooking time can vary depending on bird size, stuffing thickness, oven performance, and how tightly the turducken is assembled.

Rather skip the deboning and sewing? Shop ready to cook Louisiana turduckens, including full turduckens and turducken rolls shipped nationwide.