This boneless, super moist, bacon-wrapped turkey breast is a personal Thanksgiving favorite and the perfect dish to make for a delicious holiday dinner.

I have a small family, so making a whole turkey for Thanksgiving is not ideal. This bacon-wrapped turkey breast is my go-to recipe. I’ve made it four years in a row, and it’s just perfect. It’s easy, flavorful, and much quicker than cooking a whole turkey.

Learn how to make this delicious turkey recipe that cooks in about 1 hour.

If you want to cook a whole turkey this holiday season, try my Oven Roasted Turkey With Mojo.

turkey breast wrapped in bacon on a platter sliced

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe

With crispy bacon strips and juicy turkey meat, this dish is perfect for making on Thanksgiving or Christmas. It’s super flavorful and cooks much quicker than a whole turkey. This dish is also perfect if you’ve never been a big fan of turkey in the first place. The bacon really spices up the flavor and texture of the meat. Plus, who doesn’t love things wrapped in bacon?

Ingredients

Turkey breast – For this recipe, I use a 3-pound boneless turkey breast. I also remove the skin since we will be wrapping it in bacon.
Red/green bell pepper – I use a combination of green and red bell peppers, but you can use whichever kind you like.
Red onion – Full of anti-carcinogenic, antiviral, antibacterial, and other antioxidant properties, onions are always a great added ingredient for more added flavor. I prefer red onions, rather than white onions for their strong taste.
Garlic – I use fresh garlic cloves, but you can use the minced bottle kind if that is what you have in hand.
Cilantro – For that fresh, delicious herb taste.
Culantro – not to be confused with cilantro. It’s a common ingredient in Puerto Rican and Dominican cooking. In the Dominican Republic, it is known as “cilantro ancho.”
Thyme – You can also substitute with sage or rosemary.

Oregano – I use dried Dominican oregano as always.
Adobo – I use organic dry adobo seasoning, which is free of MSG. My brand of choice is Loisa, a Latinx-owned business set on feeding tradition with better quality, proudly flavored, real Latin foods. Use my code to get Loisa products for 15% off: MYDOMINICANKITCHEN15
Paprika – It adds a little smoky flavor.
Black pepper – To taste!
Salt – For flavor!
Lime juice – To season your turkey. Lime juice is also a great ingredient to clean the turkey and acts as a tenderizer. It also brightens the flavor on top of the salt, pepper, and paprika.
Applewood smoked bacon – Should have at least 8 pieces of thick-cut bacon.
Celery – I place it at the bottom of the pan to rest the turkey breast on as it makes. It serves as a rack to allow heat to run under the turkey breasts and it also adds flavor!

Step-by-Steps Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Remove the skin and any excess fat from the turkey breast. With the tip of a pairing knife, make small holes all around the turkey breast. Set it aside.
In a food processor or a blender, mix the bell pepper, onion, garlic, cilantro, culantro, and thyme for about 30 seconds – 1 minute, or until it turns to a coarse paste. Transfer the mixture to a small bowl.
Add the oregano, adobo, paprika, black pepper, salt, and lime juice to the onion-garlic mixture and stir to combine.
Rub the seasoning mixture all over the turkey breast making sure to push some of the seasoning into the small holes.

How to Wrap a Turkey Breast in Bacon

Weave the bacon over the top of the turkey breast. Then, tuck the ends of the bacon under the turkey.

How to cook bacon-wrapped turkey breast in the oven?

Add the celery ribs to the bottom of a roasting pan and then place the turkey on top. You can use a regular baking rack instead of the celery if you’d like.
Bake for about 1 hour, or until the turkey reached an internal temperature of 165°F and the bacon is crispy.
Remove from the oven and let it rest for about 10-15 minutes before carving.

How to cook bacon-wrapped turkey breast in an air fryer?

Dominicans love cooking pernil alongside a turkey on Thanksgiving. That means two things that require being in the oven. However, you can also do this in the air fryer. If cooking in the air fryer, the process will actually take less time than oven roasting. But rather than, rubbing all the seasoning on, it is best to brine the turkey overnight for up to 12 hours and then follow up with the seasoning. That way, you can ensure that the turkey is cooked while still juicy. The turkey will lock in the extra moisture.

Cook in the air fryer at 400°F for about 35 – 45 minutes, or until the turkey reaches an internal temperature of 165°F and the bacon is crispy.

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Serving Suggestions

As with any delicious Thanksgiving dinner, this dish can be served with as many side dishes as possible, such as mashed potatoes, rice, or vegetables. Try it with:

Using the juices from the turkey, I also like to make a homemade gravy to top it with or some cranberry sauce.

Recipe Variations

Although this recipe uses a boneless turkey breast, you can also use a bone-in turkey breast, but it will require a slightly longer cooking time. You can also mix up the seasoning to suit your tastes, adding additional spices. For example, swap out the type of bacon if you’re not a fan of applewood, such as maple or brown sugar.

Storage Tips

If you have some turkey left over, follow these steps:

After your turkey has been cooked, it should be immediately stored within 2 hours.
Make sure the turkey is cool and loosely wrap it in foil.
Transfer it to an airtight container.
Store and refrigerate for at least 3 or up to 4 days.

To reheat:

Slice the turkey breast and place it in the foil
Top with gravy and wrap tightly
Place in the oven at 300° F for 10-15 minutes or until fully heated through.
You can also cut pieces of the turkey as desired and cook over the stove

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I use fresh or frozen turkey breast?

This is entirely up to you, especially when it comes to cost, convenience, and taste. Some may notice a difference between fresh and frozen turkey; others may not. However, in most cases, a fresh turkey breast, especially an organically-fed bird, will generally cost more than a frozen turkey breast.

Frozen turkeys are also more readily available and can be purchased a few weeks in advance. Fresh turkeys should not be purchased more than a day or two before serving. I usually buy frozen turkey breast.

How do you thaw a turkey breast?

Did you know that you can cook a frozen turkey, but it will end up taking 50 percent longer to cook than if it were thawed? I’d rather it thaw! and you should as well. There are various ways to go about thawing a turkey breast, whether by microwaving, in the refrigerator, or using cold water.

Here’s how each of these methods works:

Refrigerator (USDA recommended): For every 5-pound bird, allow for approximately 24 hours to thaw. For example, if you have a 20-pound turkey, thaw for 4 full days. Keep the turkey wrapped and unopened and on a baking sheet or roasting pan as it may need to be drained throughout the thawing process. Note: If you plan on brining your turkey, make sure you have enough thawing time to do so before Thanksgiving Day. Since we are simply thawing a 3-pound turkey breast for this recipe, you should it in the refrigerator to thaw at least 24 hours in advance.
Cold water: Leave the turkey unopened and wrapped and submerge it in cold water (either in a sink or container). Change the water every 30 minutes. Allow for 30 minutes of defrosting time per pound. For example, a 16-pound turkey will take 8 hours to thaw.
Microwave: You can use the defrost method according to the weight on your microwave features. Remove any outside wrapping and place the turkey on a microwave-safe dish to catch any juices that may leak. I don’t use this method and don’t really recommend it.

How do you keep turkey breast moist?

The bacon serves as a cover that keeps the turkey breast moist. The best that you can do is to remove it from the oven as soon as it reaches the desired internal temperature so that you do not overcook it. This will keep the turkey from drying out.

Should I roast turkey breast covered or uncovered?

The turkey breast should be cooked uncovered to allow the bacon to become crispy. Just make sure to follow the cooking schedule so that it doesn’t overcook. For example, if the turkey is supposed to cook for an hour, be sure to follow the instructions accordingly. You can also go about it with an instant-read thermometer.

How to Make the Bacon Crispy?

If left uncovered in the oven, the bacon will eventually get crispy while roasting. Try not to cover it, or the bacon will not get crispy by the time the turkey breast is fully cooked.

turkey breast wrapped in bacon with gravy on the side

Recipe Notes and Tips

I use the celery ribs to serve as a rack to create elevation to allow heat under the turkey so that the bacon crisps up underneath too. I like using celery because it also adds flavor. You can use a regular baking rack if you’d like.
Use a meat thermometer to check the temperature of the meat for doneness. You don’t want the turkey breasts to overcook because it will turn dry and chewy.
After the turkey is cooked, use the gravy from the baking pan to make your own homemade gravy.

How To Make Bacon-wrapped Turkey Breast

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Ingredients