Cajun Smothered Turkey Breast {Grain & Gluten Free}

Cooked down low and slow south Louisiana style, my brand spanking new Cajun smothered turkey breast came bubbling straight up from my heart, y’all. A deeply personal creation that incorporates all the things I love and cherish about my home state, this holiday-perfect meal stuns with unbelievable taste and stellar presentation. A bone-in turkey breast, marinated for 24 hours. Then, dusted with cassava flour and seasonings, and seared in cast iron. Rested a bit while the Cajun trinity and garlic cook all the way down, and the seasoned broth has picked up all of the pan drippings. Finally, smothered on both sides for hours, until the meat is super tender and the gravy erupts into flavor bomb fireworks inside of your mouth. Yep and yay…

It Had to Be Cajun, Y’all…

As Thanksgiving approaches each year, I start to have holiday main dish thoughts that literally put me beside myself. I love, love, love turkey. But, I hate that I seem to forget all about it once the yearly winter feasts are over. (Sad, sad shake of the head).

And I love turkey breast most of all. It’s not so big as a whole bird. It’s more convenient to freeze, thaw and cook, too. And, if you cook it right, its melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness that’s a refreshing change from the same old chicken, beef or seafood dish. Indeed. 

Well, this year I wanted to make something so turkey special that I would remember to pick up a turkey breast from the grocery store at least a few times a year from now on. So, I dug really deep into my heart. And I asked myself what it would take for me to give turkey its shining star rightful place ’round the Liner residence.

‘Cajun!’ I immediately answered myself. Well, I’ve already done a Cajun roasted turkey breast that I absolutely love. I’ve made it often, and I’ll continue to make it. But, this time I wanted something even more south Louisiana special. Something whose flavor goes all the way down to the depths of the bayou flavor-wise. And something with such a tantalizing texture that it would be permanently etched into my home cook memory.

So, without hesitation, I decided that Cajun smothered turkey breast would have to be it. You see, in south Louisiana, we smother everything we can get our hands on. And, well, I’m no exception. I smother green beans, I smother beef, and I smother potatoes, too. 

And now, I made Cajun smothered turkey breast that’s another nod to the unique flavors and textures of my motherland. Boasting flavors so big and texture so succulent that even surprised me beyond belief, I’m super happy to share my life-changing creation that’s going back down on my own holiday table at least one more time this year. (But probably twice. Yep.)

How to Make Cajun Smothered Turkey Breast

Start the grain and gluten free Cajun smothered turkey breast by whipping up the marinade: 

And then submerging half of the turkey breast into the marinade. Cover and refrigerate it, and flip it over at the halfway marinade mark: 

Drain the breast and discard the marinade. Then, shake seasonings and cassava flour on one half of the breast: 

Melt butter or oil in your 7-quart cast iron Dutch oven: 

And sear the seasoned side. Just bring it to lightly browned, as it will finish browning throughout the smothering process.  While it’s searing, shake the remaining coating ingredients on the side facing up: 

Then, flip over carefully and brown the other side. (You probably need to ask someone else to hold the pot steady for you while you flip the turkey breast. It’s heavy, and you can upset the balance of the pot if you don’t flip it slowly, with someone else holding the pot. I slid one wooden spoon under the breast very slowly. Then, I kept it there and balanced the breast between that spoon and another wooden spoon before very carefully turning it over. So, please have someone help you, and please flip the breast super slowly and carefully each time. If you don’t heed these warnings, you can end up flipping the pot off of the burner and severely hurting yourself. So, please pay close attention to these instructions so that you don’t hurt yourself or break your pot).

Once both sides are browned, remove the bird from the pot and lay it on a paper towel-lined plate. (I slid two spatulas under each side of the breast and picked it up slowly before lifting it up out of the pot and down onto the plate).

Then, use about a cup of gluten free chicken broth to deglaze the bottom of the pot:

It might be a little stickier in some places than others, so use a bit more broth if you need to: 

Now, add more butter or oil: 

And brown the Cajun trinity of onion, red and green bell pepper and celery in the pot: 

When it looks like this: 

Add the garlic: 

And cook it down for a couple of minutes: 

Then, turn down the heat. And, add the remaining seasonings and gluten free chicken broth: 

And put the turkey breast back in on its side: 

Finally, continue cooking it down until the gravy thickens and the meat is amazingly tender, about 4 to 5 more hours. I ended up cooking my Cajun smothered turkey breast about 2 1/2 hours total on each side, flipping it every 45 minutes or so to check out what was going on on both sides. You may have to lessen or extend the time based upon the size of your own turkey breast. 

And that’s finally it, y’all!

Yes, my grain and gluten free Cajun smothered turkey breast is a longish kitchen labor of love. I admit it. But, it’s sooo worth it, I promise!!! The turkey breast meat is so super tender that you can easily pull it away from the bone without a knife. The tenderness lasts until the next day. And then even on the third day, too. Yep.

And the gravy, y’all. It’s exactly what my south Louisiana holiday special dreams were made of. It’s totally true to the time-tested methods that my own Cajun mom taught me. But, it’s also a new dish straight outta my heart with its own distinct flavor profile that’ll honestly make you never, ever look at a turkey breast the same way again. For sure.

Share this grain and gluten free Cajun smothered turkey breast with those you take with you in your heart everywhere you go. Much love, and see y’all on the yum side…

Cajun Smothered Turkey Breast {Grain & Gluten Free}

Marinated for 24 hours, then slightly browned and cooked down low and slow with traditional south Louisiana seasonings and GF broth, this Cajun smothered turkey breast is an unforgettable feast for at least six people.

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Course: Main Dish/Holiday

Cuisine: Cajun

Keyword: cajun smothered turkey breast, Louisiana-style smothered turkey breast, smothered turkey breast

Prep Time: 1 day

Cook Time: 6 hours

Servings: 6 people

Author: Lyn Corinne Liner | A Sprinkling of Cayenne

Ingredients

• 1 5-pound bone-in turkey breast gluten free and no water added

For the Cajun Smothered Turkey Marinade

• 4 cups gluten free chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons gluten free Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon parsley flakes
• 1/4 cup salt
• 2 teaspoons Louisiana hot sauce

For the Cajun Smothered Turkey Breast

• 2 tablespoons garlic powder, divided
• 2 teaspoons paprika, divided
• 1/2 cup cassava flour, divided
• 6 to 10 tablespoons butter or oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 4 celery ribs, trimmed and chopped
• 5 tablespoons minced garlic or one head garlic, peeled and minced
• 4 to 5 cups gluten free chicken broth
• 1 to 2 teaspoons Louisiana hot sauce
• 1 tablespoon parsley flakes
• salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper to taste

Instructions

For the Turkey Breast Marinade

• Remove turkey breast from bag. Discard gravy packet.
• Pour all of the marinade ingredients into a very large bowl with a fitted lid, and stir until well-combined.
• Submerge half of the skin-on turkey breast into the marinade.
• Cover and refrigerate from 12 to preferably 24 hours, turning the other turkey breast side over into the marinade at the halfway time mark.
• Remove turkey breast carefully and drain it inside of a large colander. Discard marinade.
• Use kitchen shears to cut the skin away from the turkey breast. (I find it easier to remove the skin after it's marinated).
• Heat your 7-quart cast iron Dutch oven over medium high heat.
• Pour about 4 tablespoons of butter or oil into the pot.
• Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of paprika, 1 tablespoon of garlic powder and 1/4 cup of cassava flour on one side of the turkey breast.
• Place the seasoned turkey breast side down into the pot. Cook for a few minutes, or until lightly browned.
• While that side is browning, sprinkle the remaining paprika, garlic powder and cassava flour onto the other side of the turkey breast.
• When the bottom side is browned, turn it over very, very carefully. (Please see blog post).
• Brown the other side, adding another tablespoon of oil or butter as you do so that the flour and seasonings do not burn.
• When browned, carefully transfer the turkey breast to a paper towel-line plate.
• Turn the heat down to medium.
• Pour about a cup of gluten free chicken broth into the pot.
• Use a wooden spoon to dislodge the seasonings and cassava flour from the bottom of the pot. If you need more broth, add it in 1/4-cup pours so that you don't use too much.
• Add about 4 more tablespoons of oil or butter to the pot.
• Pour the chopped onion, bell peppers and celery into the pot.
• Cook down until browned, about 15 to 20 minutes.
• Add the minced garlic to the pot, and cook down for an additional two minutes.
• Turn heat down to medium-low.
• Pour three cups of gluten free chicken broth, parsley flakes, hot sauce and SP&C into the pot, and stir until all of the ingredients are well-combined. Use your wooden spoon to pick up all of the browned bits at the bottom of the pot, if applicable.
• Place the turkey breast back into the pot on its side.
• Keep cooking it over medium-low heat for 4 to 5 hours, moving it from side to side very carefully throughout the smothering process, about every 30 to 45 minutes. (See blog post.)
• The breast is ready when the meat literally starts to pull away from the bone on both sides.
• Let rest 15 minutes before carefully pulling the meat off of the bone, or picking it up and cutting into bite-sized pieces on your cutting board.

Notes

Please make sure that you buy a gluten free, no water added turkey breast. I can't stress this enough. Not all turkey breasts are gluten free, and the ones with water added can release too much water for smothering. 

Moving the turkey from side to side for smothering can be risky if you're doing it alone. The hot gravy can splash on you, burning you, while you are flipping the breast. That's why I highly recommend that you have someone else help you by holding the pot while you flip the breast super slowly and carefully. 

The gravy thickens as it stands. If it doesn't thicken as much as you want it to because it released excess water, stir one teaspoon of tapioca starch into 1/2 cup gluten free chicken broth, then add it to the hot pot once you've removed it from heat. Then, wait about 15 minutes before serving or adding more thickener to the pot. 

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