Cajun Turkey A La King Recipe

While chicken a la king may be a bigger household name, you can transform just about any type of meat into an a la king dish. Enter this turkey a la king, which has all of the rich goodness of the traditional chicken dinner, with a Cajun twist. "There's just something about classic comfort foods — the nostalgia, the yum factor, the casual-ness... and turkey a la king is as comfy as comfort food gets," recipe developer Patterson Watkins describes.

Of course, this retro recipe also gets a Cajun upgrade, and there are a few ways Watkins incorporates such flavors into the dish. "We kept the core elements of turkey a la king (turkey, creamy gravy, mushrooms, peas)," Watkins explains, "but added some classic Cajun ingredients for a powerful pop: andouille sausage, okra, corn, Cajun seasoning, and the all-important Cajun holy trinity (celery, onions, and bell peppers)." The result is a dish that really sticks to your ribs and just might enter regular rotation in your family's dinner routine.

The turkey part of this recipe comes in the form of already cooked turkey breast, so this recipe is especially ideal if you have some leftovers that need to be used up. You'll also need butter, a yellow onion, diced celery, a diced green bell pepper, diced carrots, and andouille sausage. Watkins notes that if you aren't able to find andouille sausage, you could swap it for instead.

Cajun seasoning adds some bold, spicy, and earthy flavors to the mix, whereas chicken broth and half and half will make up the bulk of the liquid. Other components include flour, quartered mushrooms, frozen peas, okra, corn, salt, and pepper. And when it comes time for serving, you may want some type of carb like cornbread or biscuits to help sop up all of that rich sauce.

Kick things off by placing a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the butter and, once that's melted, toss in the diced onion, celery, bell pepper, carrots, sausage, and Cajun seasoning. Stir to evenly coat the ingredients in the seasoning, then sauté for about 5 minutes, until the vegetables are just starting to soften. 

Next, add the flour to the pot and stir to distribute it into the mixture. Once combined with the butter, the flour will help form a roux, so keep cooking and stirring for about 1 minute to make the magic happen.

With the roux ready to go, you can go ahead and add both the chicken broth and half and half to the pot. Stir it all up and turn the heat down, allowing the dish to simmer for 15 minutes. During this time, the sauce will thicken and the vegetables will get nice and tender.

Now, the rest of the vegetables — the mushrooms, peas, okra, and corn — can join the party, along with the cooked, cubed turkey. With the heat on low, cover the pot and allow the dish to simmer for another 15 minutes. Once that time is up, give your creation a taste and add salt and pepper as desired.

All that's left to do is divvy up a few portions of this Cajun turkey a la king, and then you can get to enjoying the comforting dish. Watkins suggests serving this with cornbread or biscuits, which will complement the creamy sauce and help sop it up. You could also enjoy the turkey a la king all on its own or pair it with rice for a simple solution.

As for leftovers, Watkins notes that they'll last in the fridge for up to 3 days, but be sure to let the dish cool down completely before you refrigerate it. When it comes time to reheat, you can do so on the stovetop by simmering until hot. 

"This Cajun version — amping up the spice and flavor factor with additional, low-country ingredients — puts a Mardi Gras crown on this monarch menu item," Watkins says to sum up this dish. After giving this recipe a try, something tells us that you'll want to put a Cajun spin on turkey a la king every time you make it.