This bacon-wrapped turkey breast is my Thanksgiving go-to and a recipe my family loves. A boneless turkey breast gets rubbed with a fresh, garlicky seasoning, wrapped in a woven blanket of bacon, and roasted until the bacon turns crispy and the meat stays juicy. It’s ready in about an hour.

I have a small family, so roasting a whole bird never made sense for us. This gives me everything I want from a holiday turkey without the 20-pound commitment. On a Dominican Thanksgiving table, turkey usually shares space with pernil and a big pot of moro de guandules con coco, and this one fits right in.

Feeding a bigger crowd and want the full centerpiece? My Roast Turkey with Mojo is the one to make.

Sliced bacon-wrapped turkey breast on a platter with orange slices.

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Why You’ll Love It

It’s made for smaller gatherings. A 3-pound breast serves about 6 people, so you get a real holiday main without roasting a whole bird.
It’s ready in about an hour. That’s a fraction of the time a whole turkey takes, and it frees up the oven for the pernil and the sides.
The bacon does the work. The woven bacon bastes the turkey as it roasts, so the meat stays juicy and the top turns golden and crispy.
It’s seasoned the Dominican way. A fresh blend of garlic, peppers, cilantro, and culantro flavors the meat all the way through.
It wins over turkey skeptics. If turkey usually feels dry and boring to you, this is the one that changes your mind.

How to Make Bacon-Wrapped Turkey Breast

Step 1: Make the sofrito

Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C). In a blender or food processor, blend the bell pepper, red onion, garlic, cilantro, culantro (cilantro ancho), and thyme for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until it forms a coarse paste. This quick, fresh sofrito is where all the flavor comes from.

Transfer the sofrito to a bowl and stir in the dried Dominican oregano, adobo, paprika, black pepper, salt, and the juice of 1 lime.

Bell pepper, red onion, garlic, cilantro, culantro, and thyme being blended into a sofrito.

Sofrito, dried oregano, adobo, and other seasonings being combined in a bowl.

Step 2: Season the turkey

Remove the skin and any excess fat from the turkey breast. With the tip of a paring knife, poke small holes all over the meat.

Rub the sofrito all over the turkey breast, pushing some of it into the holes so the flavor gets all the way inside.

Poking small holes all over a boneless turkey breast with a knife.

Rubbing the sofrito seasoning all over the boneless turkey breast.

Step 3: Wrap it in bacon

Lay the celery ribs in the bottom of a roasting pan. They work as a rack, so heat can reach the bottom of the turkey, and they add flavor to the pan juices. Lay the bacon strips across the celery, then place the seasoned turkey breast on top so the ends of each strip sit just under the breast.

Fold the strips up and over the turkey, weaving them into a lattice as you go. Starting the bacon under the breast keeps the ends tucked in, so the lattice holds while it roasts.

Seasoned turkey breast being placed in a roasting pan on top of celery ribs and bacon strips.

Turkey breast covered with a woven bacon lattice in the roasting pan, ready for the oven.

Step 4: Roast and rest

Roast uncovered for about 1 hour, until an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part reads 165°F (74°C) and the bacon is crispy. Let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes before carving so the juices settle back into the meat.

Bacon-wrapped turkey breast in a roasting pan, just out of the oven.

What to Serve With It

For a Thanksgiving spread: Serve it with warm pan de maíz and Brussels sprouts with bacon, then finish with a bowl of dulce de batata for dessert.
For a Dominican holiday table: Set it next to the pernil and the moro, with a big bowl of Dominican potato salad (ensalada rusa).
For the gravy lovers: Use the pan juices to make a quick homemade gravy, or serve it with cranberry sauce.

Looking for more ideas for the season? Browse all my Dominican Holiday Recipes.

Variations

Bone-in turkey breast: It works, but it takes longer to cook. Go by the thermometer and pull it at 165°F (74°C).
Different bacon: Swap the applewood smoked bacon for maple or brown sugar bacon if you like a sweeter finish.
Different herbs: Sage or rosemary can stand in for the thyme.

Storage and Reheating

Refrigerate: Store leftovers within 2 hours of cooking. Let the turkey cool, wrap it loosely in foil, and keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.

Freeze: Wrap sliced turkey tightly and freeze it in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight in the fridge before reheating.

Reheat: Place the slices on foil, top with a spoonful of gravy or pan juices, and wrap tightly. Warm in a 300°F (149°C) oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until heated through to 165°F (74°C).

Bacon-wrapped turkey breast with gravy on the side.

Tips

Thaw it in the fridge. A 3-pound frozen turkey breast needs about 24 hours in the refrigerator. Keep it wrapped and set it on a plate or tray to catch any juices.
Fresh or frozen both work. I usually buy frozen because it’s easy to find and you can buy it weeks ahead. If you go fresh, buy it no more than a day or two before you cook.
Roast it uncovered. Covering the pan steams the bacon. Leaving it uncovered is what gets it crispy.
Trust your thermometer. Pull the turkey at 165°F (74°C). Overcooked turkey breast turns dry and chewy, and the bacon can only do so much.
No celery? Use a rack. A regular roasting rack works too. The point is to lift the turkey so heat reaches the bottom.
Get to know culantro. It isn’t cilantro. Culantro has long, flat, serrated leaves and a stronger flavor, and in the DR we call it cilantro ancho. Look for it at Latin markets.
Pick a good adobo. I use an organic, MSG-free dry adobo, and my brand of choice is Loisa.
Save the pan juices. They make the best homemade gravy.

Bacon-Wrapped Turkey Breast

Why You’ll Love It