Bacon Wrapped Turkey Breast is the perfect centerpiece for your Thanksgiving meal. This turkey breast is perfectly cooked and wrapped in crispy bacon, making it juicy, succulent and tender. It’s easy to prep and it’s sure to please your guests this year!
Bacon Wrapped Turkey Recipe
This bacon-wrapped turkey breast recipe is one of my favorite Thanksgiving turkey ideas. I love finding new, creative, and delicious ways to make a turkey for holidays. This one is easy to make, and so flavorful!
After all, is it even Thanksgiving if you don’t have turkey? It can be a hassle to cook a whole bird, so turkey breast is a great option for smaller gatherings. And what’s better than covering food in crispy bacon?
Why You’ll Love this Bacon Wrapped Turkey Breast Recipe:
- JUICY: This turkey breast is brined before roasting for ultimate juiciness. No dry turkey here!
- COVERED IN BACON: Everything tastes better wrapped in strips of bacon.
- PERFECT FOR HOLIDAYS: Shake up the holiday table (a little bit) with this creative turkey recipe. It’s perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas!
I’m kind of obsessed with wrapping things in bacon around here. Try this Bacon Wrapped Shrimp, Bacon Wrapped Asparagus, or Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin. So it seemed only fitting that I’d try covering turkey breast in bacon too, and it turned out perfectly!
Brine Ingredients:
- Cold Water
- Kosher Salt
- Granulated Sugar
- Peppercorns (optional)
How to Brine
Note: This is the first step in the recipe. Do this BEFORE covering the turkey in bacon. You’ll need 24 hours to brine, so do this the day before cooking.
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl large enough to fit the turkey breast, and stir until sugar and salt are dissolved.
- Fully submerge the turkey breast in the brine.
- Cover bowl and refrigerate for 24 hours.
- Remove turkey from the brine when ready to cook and pat it dry with paper towels.
All the Tips and Tricks
How to Cook Thanksgiving Turkey!
Everything you need to know for Thanksgiving entertaining.
How to Make Bacon Wrapped Turkey Breast
This easy bacon-wrapped turkey recipe is such a fun Thanksgiving turkey idea, and so simple to make!
You can jump to the recipe card for full ingredients & instructions!
- Brine: Start with brining the turkey (see section above for details or check the recipe card).
- Wrap in Bacon: Set the turkey breast on a cutting board and wrap bacon around the turkey. *Be sure to cover the entire surface, and secure the bacon with toothpicks.
- Roast: Place the turkey on the rack, bacon-side up. Then roast the turkey 60 minutes at 340°F. *Internal temperature should be 160°F.
- Rest: Transfer the turkey to a cooling rack and remove the toothpicks. Let the turkey rest 15 minutes before slicing.
Tips!
- Don’t skip the brining! It makes such a difference. Leave it to brine for 24 hours if possible.
- Be sure to cover the whole surface of the turkey with bacon.
- Use an instant read thermometer to check the turkey’s internal temperature (should be 160°F).
- If the turkey hasn’t reached 160°F, rotate it and bake an additional 15-30 minutes (or until the internal temperature reaches 160°F).
- Let the turkey rest 15-30 minutes before carving and serving.
- If the bacon isn’t browned, set the oven to broil and cook the turkey just long enough to crisp the bacon.
- Watch the video to see the step by step recipe!
Serving Suggestions
This delicious Thanksgiving center-piece should be accompanied by all of your usual and favorite side dishes. Here are some of my favorites sides to serve with this bacon wrapped turkey!
- Sheet Pan Scalloped Potatoes
- Brussels Sprouts Gratin with Bacon
- Crunchy Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Topping
- Best Herb Roasted Potatoes (Simple Seasoned Potatoes)
- Honey Glazed Carrots Recipe with Ginger
It can be a hassle cooking a whole turkey on Thanksgiving. Timing is everything and it can be really easy to under- or over-cook parts of it. A turkey breast cooks much more evenly and it’s a great option if you don’t have a big crowd to cater for.
Generally speaking, there is no quality difference between fresh or frozen turkey breast. Just remember to allow enough time for your turkey to thaw before brining it.
Besides the fact that it’s delicious, the layer of bacon actually helps to keep the turkey moist while roasting in the oven. It’s like an extra layer of protection for extra juiciness!
This recipe requires about 60-90 minutes of cooking time in the oven.
This process is actually really easy with turkey breast (much easier than covering a whole turkey). Place turkey on a cutting board, and just wrap the strips of bacon all the way around it (or as much as you can), one right next to the other. Use toothpicks to secure the bacon directly into the turkey.
There’s no need to cover it with this recipe.
You certainly can if you prefer. Wrap it then keep it refrigerated until it’s time to cook. However, keep in mind that you’ll be brining it first, and that requires up to 24 hours ahead of time as well. But if you are prepared a couple days before cooking, then you certainly can wrap it the night before.
This oven-roasted, bacon-wrapped turkey breast will be everyone’s new favorite holiday recipe. Served with plenty of sides, it’ll make the perfect feast!
More Thanksgiving Turkey Recipes
If turkey breast covered in bacon isn’t the right recipe for you, don’t worry. There are plenty more creative and traditional turkey ideas for you to try, no matter which cooking method you prefer.
- Easy Thanksgiving Roast Turkey
- Instant Pot Turkey Breast
- Air Fryer Turkey Breast
- Juicy Smoked Turkey Breast
- Garlic Butter Roast Turkey Breast
- Crock Pot Turkey Breast Recipe
- Instant Pot Garlic Herb Turkey Breast
More Thanksgiving Ideas
Whether you need more help with the turkey, some dessert ideas, or more side dishes to fill the table, we’ve got you covered!
If you make this recipe be sure to upload a photo in the comment section below or leave a rating. Enjoy! You can also jump to recipe.
Bacon Wrapped Turkey Breast Recipe
Ingredients
For the Brine:
- 3 quarts cold water
- ½ cup kosher salt
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 10 whole peppercorns optional
Other Ingredients:
- 1 boneless fresh turkey breast 3 pounds, NOT a full turkey
- 10-12 slices bacon
Instructions
For the Brine:
- Combine brine ingredients in a large bowl and stir until salt and sugar dissolve. Submerge the turkey, cover the bowl and refrigerate 24 hours. When ready to cook, remove turkey from brine, discard the brine and pat the turkey dry with paper towels.
For the Turkey when ready:
- Set oven to 340°F and spray a rimmed baking sheet and metal cooking rack with non-stick cooking spray. Set the rack over the tray.
- Set the turkey on a cutting board and wrap bacon around the turkey. Be sure to cover the entire exposed surface, of the turkey, and secure the bacon in-place with toothpicks.
- Place the turkey on the rack, bacon-side up.
- Roast the turkey 60 minutes at 340°Test the internal temperature of the turkey (the temperature should be 160°F on an instant-read thermometer).
- If the turkey isn’t fully cooked, rotate the turkey and bake an additional 15-30 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 160°F.
- *If the bacon isn’t browned, set the oven to broil and cook the turkey just long enough to crisp the bacon.
- Transfer the turkey to a cooling rack and remove the toothpicks.
- Let the turkey rest 15 minutes before slicing.
- Enjoy!
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Becky’s tips
- Don’t skip the brining! It makes such a difference. Leave it to brine for 24 hours if possible.
- Be sure to cover the whole surface of the turkey with bacon.
- Use an instant read thermometer to check the turkey’s internal temperature (should be 160°F).
- If the turkey hasn’t reached 160°F, rotate it and bake an additional 15-30 minutes (or until the internal temperature reaches 160°F).
- If the bacon isn’t browned, set the oven to broil and cook the turkey just long enough to crisp the bacon.
Nutrition Information
Do you not season the turkey before adding the turkey?
The turkey is seasoned by the brine!
Yum! I made this for thanksgiving and it was incredible 😋
Looks delicious, Arwen!
Heading up toward 8000 mg of Sodium is Absolutely Absurd I don’t care what your making I’ll look at other recipes Sorry Thanks anyways Jmo I did not bother making this. It does sound Good but a Little bit to much for me Enjoy it if you make it
Hi! I was interested in making this recipe, but using an air fryer. I saw another Turkey breast recipe of yours and the recommended temperature was 360*F (for non bacon wrapped) for 45 minutes with a 3 lb breast. This oven roasted recipe says 340*F for 60 mins. What temperature and cook time should I use for air frying a bacon wrapped 3 lb Turkey breast? Thank you! And I look forward to making this for thanksgiving!
I would try in the middle and keep checking every 10 minutes for the temp.
URGENT REPLY REQUESTED………I’ve got a 9.62 lb frozen bone-in turkey breast that I plan on making for Mother’s Day for my family……..can I use this recipe for that size turkey breast, just increase the brine amounts & bake according to weight?
I haven’t done it that big before with this recipe, but I imagine it will take quite bit longer for those steps!
Hello from Italy! Would this recipe work for a larger boneless, skinless turkey breast? I was able to get one here but it is a whopping 5 lbs, 5 oz!
Yes, I think that would be delicious!
The turkey breast I buy are from Tyson and they have a net around them. Should I remove the net before I put the bacon on. I had somebody that gave me some of this a couple years ago and it was scrumptious. I did not think to ask them how they did it.
I have also seen them at my local grocer around Thanksgiving and I did not have a net on them. The net for binding seems like it would be such a negative because you would have to disassemble the bird
If there’s a net you’d want to remove that before adding the bacon. Make sure its just the breast and not the whole bird. I hope you love the recipe!!
The only turkey breast I could find was bone-in and Frozen. Does this recipe call for a fresh turkey breast? Also when I boned my turkey breast do I leave at flat cuz yours looks thick
I have searched HIGH and LOW for the video that is supposed to accompany Turkey Breast Wrapped with Bacon. NO WHERE!! And I have looked multiple days. I give up
I’m sorry it’s been tough for you! The video should pop up in the bottom corner of your screen!
Can you make this with a bone-in turkey breast?