The Best Deep Fried Turkey Recipe

The Best Deep Fried Turkey Recipe

Deep fried turkey thats been injected and seasoned resulting in crispy skin and delicious flavor.

Course Main Course, Thanksgiving

Cuisine American

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 50

Total Time 1 20

Servings

Calories 652kcal

Author Breanna Stark

Ingredients

12-14 lb whole turkey A little larger is fine, just make sure your fry pot is rated
¾ cup Cajun garlic injection Substitute with any turkey injection
½ cup smoked turkey rub Substitute with any turkey rub
8 gallons peanut oil The amount of oil will depend on the size of your turkey and fry pot.

Instructions

If your turkey is frozen, you need to ensure it is completely defrosted prior to cooking (see note 1).
Once your turkey is fully defrosted, open the package and remove the neck and giblets from the cavity of the bird and pat both the inside and outside of your turkey completely dry.
Inject your bird in the breast, legs, wings, and thighs leaving about 3" gaps between injections.
Season the bird all over with turkey rub. Make sure you season both sides of the turkey and lift up the wings and legs to season underneath. Every part of the turkey should be seasoned.
Let the turkey rest at room temperature for 30 minutes while you preheat your oil.
Pour your peanut oil into a 32-quart pot, turn on the propane and preheat the oil to 250°F.
Turn off the propane and slowly and gently lower your turkey into the fryer until it is fully submerged. When the turkey is submerged, turn the propane back on, and increase the oil temperature to 350°F.
Let the turkey fry for 30 minutes undisturbed, then gently lift the it out of the fryer and check the internal temperature in the breast with a probe thermometer. You want the turkey to reach 160°F internal temperature. If the turkey is not yet to 160°F, gently drop it back down into the oil and let it continue to fry in 10 minute increments until it reaches 160°F.
When your turkey reaches 160°F in the thickest part of the breast, remove it from the oil and let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes to cool slightly. During this rest period, the internal temperature will continue to increase to 165°F to 170°F.
12. Carve as desired and serve.

Notes

1. Do I need to defrost my turkey fully? Oil and water don’t mix, but hot oil and frozen water REALLY don’t mix. If your turkey is still partially frozen or retains chunks of ice in the cavity of the bird, you run the risk of an explosion that won’t just ruin your Thanksgiving but can also seriously harm the person doing the frying.

2. How long will my turkey take to defrost?

Allow for 24 hours for every 4-5lbs of turkey to make sure it's properly defrosted. Once your turkey has fully defrosted, it can sit in the refrigerator for two days before you need to cook it.

Make sure the turkey body is soft, the legs can be easily moved and there are no ice crystals present in the body cavity.

3. What to inject turkey with?

For this recipe, I used the Creole Garlic Cajun injector from Zatarain. You can find it at most grocery stores, and it comes with plenty of injection for a whole turkey, plus they include an injector and needle, so you have everything you need.

You can make your own injection by combining melted butter with lemon juice, salt, pepper, herbs (thyme and sage are good) and chicken broth.

4. Do I have to use peanut oil? You just need to use an oil that is good for frying at high temperatures for an extended period that's why we find peanut oil the perfect choice.

You could also use vegetable or sunflower oil.

5. Why do I need to turn the propane off when lowering my turkey into the boiling oil? This is a safety precaution in the event that your turkey was not fully thawed or ice chunks remain in the cavity of the bird. If the oil boils over or (God forbid) the turkey explodes, you want to make sure that you are not adding fuel to the fire by leaving the propane running.

6. How long will a turkey take to fry? A good rule of thumb when it comes to fried turkey is to expect it to take 3 to 4 minutes per pound. So, for this recipe, my turkey took about 52 minutes to fry before it reached 160°F.

Nutrition