How John Madden Made Louisiana Turducken a Thanksgiving Icon

In Acadiana and Louisiana, turduckens are a normal staple for the Holidays. However, there was time when they were pretty much only known about here in South Louisiana.

That all changed December 1, 1996 during the New Orleans Saints vs the St. Louis Rams (now the Los Angeles Rams) game when John Madden introduced America to one our best kept Cajun secrets...the turducken.

When you think of John Madden, iconic images come to mind: the legendary "Madden NFL" video game franchise, his celebrated NFL coaching career, his love for eight-legged turkey creations, the famous "Tough Actin’ Tinactin" commercials, and most deliciously, his passion for turducken—a dish he helped turned into a Thanksgiving tradition for people across America.

Oh yeah, John Madden loved him some turducken.

What Is Turducken?

Turducken, invented right here in Acadiana, is a "dish consisting of a de-boned chicken stuffed into a de-boned duck, further stuffed into a de-boned turkey" as described by Wikipedia.com.

Madden loved turducken so much, there is even an official "All-Madden Turducken" available from goldbelly.com.

We'll talk more about the "All-Madden Turducken" pictured below in just a bit.

John Madden and Turducken

Turducken is one of numerous amazing Cajun dishes to begin right here in Acadiana.

The delicious trifecta of mouth-watering meats was one of our best-kept secrets...until John Madden became an evangelist for our wonderful Cajun concoction.

John Madden was introduced to turducken during the Rams vs Saints game on Dec. 1, 1996.

Madden professed his love for the Louisiana specialty during the Saints game live on T.V. for the whole country to see.

He reportedly loved the turducken so much that when the game was over, Madden bagged up the leftovers and took them home with him according to goldbelly.com.

The turducken pictured above, the "All-Madden Turducken", was prepared on that glorious night in 1996 by Glenn Mistich of New Orleans.

From goldbelly.com -

"This is it: the original Turducken, created by owner Glenn Mistich and famously presented to broadcaster John Madden before the Rams-Saints game on Dec. 1, 1996.

Madden fell in love, praising it repeatedly during the broadcast and taking the leftovers home with him. Made over the course of two days, it’s a turkey stuffed with a duck then stuffed with a chicken, all meticulously deboned.

This official food of the 1997 'All-Madden Team' is layered with two layers of sausage stuffing and one layer of cornbread dressing, before being carefully tied up. Weighing in at 17 pounds, this New Orleans classic is seasoned and ready for you to roast."

Below are a couple of great videos featuring John Madden and the turducken he loved so much.

Oh, and in the first video, watch as Madden cuts the turducken with his hand.

Rest easy John...