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Okay, hear me out! We’ve been seeing this one pop up on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for a few years now and decided we need to finally check this out for ourselves: Flamin’ Hot Cheeto® Oven Roasted Turkey Dinner (click this link to go directly to the recipe page). A more unique spin on your traditional Thanksgiving dinner! Is this just some crazy gimmick or is this a recipe worth trying? Continue on to find out! (Spoiler alert: it was great!)
The ingredient list isn’t very big, here’s what you need:
- 12- 15 lbs Whole Turkey, thawed
- 3 lbs Klondike Goldust Potatoes
- 32 oz Cheddar Cheese Block
- 1 8.5 oz Bag Flaming Hot Cheetos
- 1 Stick Butter, melted
- Salt and Pepper, to taste
Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove the neck and package found inside the turkey. Rinse the turkey, use paper towels to pat dry, and allow it to come to room temperature. It’s important to keep everything clean, especially when dealing with raw poultry.
Next, pour the entire bag of Flaming Hot Cheetos into a Ziploc bag and use a rolling pin or meat tenderizer to crush into fine crumbs. We used the tenderizer, and our first attempt we didn’t quite crush our Cheetos enough to create a consistent rub, so we had to smash them again with the tenderizer. You can also use a food processor to pulse into fine crumbs. Set aside.
Click here to view the recipe if you just want the ingredients and instructions
Place the turkey on the baking sheet, breast side up. Place one small potato inside the turkey cavity to close off the backend. You shouldn’t be able to see through the turkey. Then, slide the entire block of cheese into the cavity. As you can see, we had a little trouble fitting the whole block in the cavity, so we had to get a little creative.
Melt the entire stick of butter in a microwave safe bowl and brush over the turkey, covering it completely. This is what the Cheeto rub will stick to, so make sure you cover it completely.
Use your hands to rub the Flaming Hot Cheeto crumbs all over the turkey. You want the turkey to be fully coated (you do not have to coat the bottom of the turkey, just the top and sides). It’s going to get messy and you’ll have Cheeto dust covering your hands. Tempting as it may, do not lick your fingers after touching the raw turkey. Wash them thoroughly after handling the turkey.
Don’t forget to stop and take pictures along the way of your new creation. Just make sure you wash your hands!
Use string to tie the turkey legs together. This will help hold the cheese block inside the turkey and prevent it from sliding out. It’s going to melt out regardless, but this helps keep it in place longer. The put your potatoes around the outside of the turkey, using them to hold the wings/legs in place. Brush any leftover melted butter on the potatoes and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Friendly reminder to wash your hands.
Finally, it’s time to cook this thing. Bake the turkey for 3-4 hours or, more importantly until the internal temperature reaches 170 degrees F. The length of cooking time will depend on the weight of your turkey. Our oven tends to run hot, so we always have to keep a more watchful eye than most.
Once fully cooked, remove the turkey from the oven and let it sit for 15-20 minutes. This will help the turkey absorb any juices and stay moist. I know you’re hungry, but it’s just a little bit longer now.
Remove the potatoes to a plate. Scoop the melted cheese into a bowl. Carve up that turkey and serve warm with the potatoes on the side and the melted cheese drizzled over the top, or served on the side for dipping.
That’s all there is to it. Overall we were pleasantly surprised with this little experiment. The Flamin’ Hot Cheetos created a nice flavorful crust on the turkey while the melted cheese created a perfect topping for the potatoes! I was most surprised to discover most of the heat from the Flamin’ Cheetos was cooked off during the baking process. If you’re worried about it being too spicy, fear not, this is pretty mild compared to a regular Flamin’ Hot Cheeto. Click here to view the recipe!
What do you think? Is this something you would try? Let us know in the comments!
Cheers!
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