Some people smoke their Thanksgiving turkeys, some deep fry them, some swear by spatchcocking, in which the bird is splayed out with the backbone removed for even cooking. At Margeaux Supper Parlor, which loves serving tasting portions in threes, the choice is the triple threat of the turducken – a deboned chicken inside a deboned duck inside a turkey.
In the Northeast, the dish is more often talked about (or joked about) than eaten, but in the South it’s legit cuisine, and Margeaux owner Bekah Barr is all about putting some New Orleans, her hometown, into New England. Though the bird-inside-a-bird concept goes back to medieval times, it’s Cajun chef Paul Prudhomme who popularized it in the 1980s; another Louisiana institution, Hebert’s Specialty Meats, became the biggest seller of the dish. It sold around about 250 a year, according to Mashed.
Sales at Margeaux – the former Colette – have been more modest at four turduckens a year (which is 80 servings!), but it’s the restaurant’s top seller on Thanksgiving. “It’s become a huge part of Bekah’s tradition, and now it’s become part of her customers’ traditions,” publicist Chris Haynes said. “It’s taken off quite a bit.”
It redefines what Thanksgiving turkey can be, Barr said.
“Turducken is so special because it’s incredibly indulgent – not just one bird, but three,” Barr said. “Turducken is also a labor of love, requiring even more preparation than a traditional turkey, which makes it more special. Each bird is separately and carefully prepared before being layered with Italian sausage, bell peppers and onions. These layers add even more flavor to the dish while it cooks. Just like our dinner concept at Margeaux, the question is, why have one entree when you can have three?”
The final layer to savor in Margeaux’s turducken tale is that the dish was introduced to football coach and broadcaster John Madden in the 1990s, and Madden loved it, adopting it as his signature dish for Thanksgiving and Christmas and giving them to winning teams during postgame shows. That media presence boosted Hebert’s sales to thousands of turduckens a year.
With a “Madden” biopic starring Nicolas Cage and Christian Bale coming out Nov. 18 on the Amazon Prime Video streamer, a representative of the tech company got in touch to offer Barr a private screening. Barr accepted, and has invited a few guests in to watch with her.
The private screening menu, of course, includes turducken.
Everyone gets a taste at Nov. 26 seatings, when the parlor’s Thanksgiving dinner with roll, starter, entree, choice of sides and dessert are $80. Turduckens to-go are $280.
Margeaux Supper Parlor, 1924 Massachusetts Ave., Porter Square, Cambridge
