What you need
Wrapping a turkey breast in bacon adds fat and flavor to a very lean cut, and the bacon bastes the meat as it cooks.
- 1 turkey breast, about 2 to 4 pounds, boneless or bone-in, thawed and patted dry
- About 10 to 12 slices of regular-cut raw bacon (thick-cut bacon is slower to crisp)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt, pepper, garlic powder, and dried thyme or rosemary
- A rimmed baking sheet with a wire rack, if you have one
- An instant-read thermometer
- Toothpicks or kitchen twine (optional)
Go easy on added salt, since bacon is already salty.
Step-by-step
- Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and set a rack on a baking sheet. If you have no rack, a regular baking dish works.
- Season the turkey. Rub with olive oil, then pepper, garlic powder, and herbs. Add a modest pinch of salt.
- Wrap with bacon. Lay the slices across the breast, overlapping them slightly, and tuck the ends underneath. Secure with toothpicks or twine if needed.
- Roast until the thickest part of the turkey reads 165°F (74°C).
- Rest for 10 to 15 minutes, then slice.
Time and temperature
At 350°F, many recipes report roughly 60 to 90 minutes for a 2 to 4 pound breast, or about 30 minutes per pound. This is only an estimate. The safe minimum internal temperature for turkey is 165°F (74°C), checked in the thickest part of the meat, not touching the bacon alone or the bone.
The same logic applies to other poultry. If you wrap chicken breasts in bacon, the safe target is also 165°F, and 350-400°F is a common oven range. Smaller breasts finish faster, so check early.
Getting the bacon crisp
Bacon on top of a roasting turkey often stays soft. A few options:
- Roast on a rack so fat can drip away.
- For the last 5 to 10 minutes, raise the oven to about 400-425°F or use the broiler. Watch closely, because bacon burns quickly.
- Choose regular-cut rather than thick-cut bacon.
- Parcook the bacon slightly before wrapping if you want extra crispness, though the turkey may then be wrapped more loosely.
Covered or uncovered?
For a bacon-wrapped breast, uncovered is generally better because covering traps steam and keeps the bacon soft. If the bacon is browning too fast before the turkey is done, tent loosely with foil for part of the time.
Using turkey bacon
Turkey bacon is leaner and does not render as much fat, so it will not baste the meat in the same way and may brown less. It is cooked when it is firm and browned and the turkey underneath has reached 165°F. A light brush of oil can help.
Pre-packaged turkey breasts
Packaged breasts, including brand-name roasts that may come netted or in a pan, vary. Follow the package directions for temperature and time, and still confirm 165°F with a thermometer. Frozen roasts often need to be thawed or cooked from frozen as the label states.
Flavor ideas
- Maple: Brush with a little maple syrup near the end.
- Dijon and herb: Spread a thin layer of Dijon mustard under the bacon.
- Stuffed: Butterfly the breast and fill with spinach (or cooked lamb’s quarters) and cheese before wrapping.
If you want a lower-fat approach without the bacon, see our guide to slow roasting a turkey breast.
Serving and storing
Slice into rounds and spoon over pan juices. Refrigerate leftovers within two hours in a covered container and eat within three to four days. Reheat to 165°F.