Turkey breast is a great alternative to cooking a whole turkey this Thanksgiving or Christmas, and is perfect if you are hosting a smaller gathering. Wrapped in bacon, this turkey breast is brined, seasoned and cooked to perfection in the air fryer. It's wonderfully flavored and deliciously juicy.
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I can't believe that I'm even typing that Thanksgiving and Christmas is just around the corner....but here we are! If you haven't started planning your menus, there's no time like the present!
This bacon wrapped turkey breast is a great hassle free main course for your holiday celebrations, and it couldn't be easier to cook perfectly in the air fryer. Ready in a fraction of the time compared to oven roasting, this turkey breast comes out extra tasty and juicy.
Brined for added flavor, the turkey breast is seasoned with garlic, herbs, wrapped in bacon and cooked quickly and effortlessly in the air fryer. Simple to prep and delicious to make, this Thanksgiving turkey recipe is lip smacking good!
Be sure to try my Air Fryer Turkey Meatballs and Turkey Sausage Roll too!
Why you will love this recipe!
- Quick: This turkey breast is simple to prep, and because it's cooked in the air fryer it takes less time than oven roasting. The total cook time is around 40 minutes!
- So juicy: Avoid dry turkey meat with this recipe! Brining helps to add moisture and flavor, and wrapping it in bacon helps to lock in those juices.
- Free up the oven: One of the more stressful things about cooking a Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner is juggling the mains and the side in the oven, so everything is ready to serve at the same time. Cooking the turkey in your air fryer frees up your oven, so you can make your roasted potatoes and other sides without worrying about overcooking anything.
- Dietary info: This recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, low carb and keto friendly.
Ingredients
- For the brine: This is a pretty simple brine recipe, made with water, salt, sugar, garlic and fresh herbs.
- Turkey: Use a skinless boneless turkey breast for this recipe. Buy the best quality you can, preferably organic.
- Seasonings: Black pepper, paprika, Italian seasoning, garlic powder and onion powder.
- Oil: Any neutral high heat oil will work well for this recipe. Canola, vegetable or sunflower all work well.
- Bacon: Used to wrap the turkey breast. Use a natural and good quality bacon.
How to make bacon wrapped turkey breast in the air fryer
Be sure to scroll down for the full recipe!
- Brine the turkey breast (photo 1).
- Mix together the oil and seasonings (photo 2).
- Rub all over the turkey breast to coat (photo 3).
- Wrap the turkey breast in the bacon and place in the air fryer basket (photo 4).
- Cook until the bacon is crisp and the turkey is cooked through (photo 5).
Recipe Variations
This recipe is for a boneless, skinless turkey breast. If you have a bone in breast, this recipe will still work well, but will require a slightly longer cooking time. You can easily mix up the seasoning rub to suit your tastes. Try using a flavored bacon like maple or brown sugar to add some a little sweetness. You can also mix up the flavors in the brine with different herbs, spices and sugars.
Frequently Asked Questions
This turkey breast is best cooked and served as soon as it's ready, but you can brine it overnight and season and wrap it a few hours ahead of time and keep it covered in the fridge til you are ready to cook it.
Any leftovers will keep well in the fridge for up to 4 days. They can be enjoyed cold in sandwiches or salads, or chopped up and added into soups and stews. You can also reheat the turkey breast in the air fryer or oven.
For best results, brine the turkey overnight, for around 8 to 12 hours. If you are in a rush, then a couple of hours in the brine will still yield good results. It's recommended to not brine the breast for more than 12 hours, this can cause the meat to become too salty and the texture and start to get spongy and mushy.
Allow half a pound of boneless turkey breast per person; a 2lb breast will feed four people. I always like to buy a larger breast than I need so that I get to enjoy the leftovers in the coming days!
How to cook the perfect turkey breast
There's nothing more disappointing than carving your turkey breast to discover dry and flavorless meat. These are my top tips to guarantee the perfect turkey breast every single time!
- Don't skip the brining. The brine helps to add flavor, but also helps to lock in extra moisture. When you cook the turkey, it will stay nice and juicy.
- Don't add salt to the seasoning rub. There's salt in the brine plus it's wrapped in salty bacon, so there's no need to add any additional.
- The turkey breast should be at room temperature when it's placed into the air fryer to cook. This helps it to cook more evenly and it will lose less fat. Take the breast out of the fridge about an hour before you want to cook it. Remove it from the brine and loosely cover it.
- Use an instant read thermometer. This is key to not having under or over cooked turkey. Remove it from the air fryer when it registers at 160F. As it rests, the temperature will rise to 165F and it will be perfectly cooked.
- Let it rest. Once the turkey breast is done, place it on a chopping board and loosely cover it with foil. This will allow the juices to redistribute so that you end up with a more flavorful bite that isn't dry. Allow at least 15 minutes for the turkey to rest, the foil will keep it warm.
Serving Suggestions
This air fried bacon wrapped turkey breast is perfect to serve up at Thanksgiving or Christmas, served alongside your favorite festive sides. Try it with:
- Parmesan Crusted Roasted Potatoes
- Whipped Sweet Potatoes
- Air Fried Parsnips
- Brown Sugar Cranberry Sauce
- Red Onion Gravy
Recipe Notes and Tips
- Make sure that the turkey breast is fully submerged in the brine, use more water if needed.
- A basic brine for turkey is made using a ration of 1 cup of water to 1 tablespoon of salt, so adjust as necessary. You can add additional aromatics to the brine for more flavor.
- I found that the best results were when the turkey was cooked at two different temperatures in the air fryer. Hotter at first to crisp up the bacon, then turned down to a lower temperature to gently cook the turkey through.
- Different air fryer models can run to different times. Be sure to use an instant read thermometer to make sure that it is fully cooked.
More Air Fryer Recipes
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Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Turkey Breast (Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe)
Equipment
Ingredients
For the brine
- 6 cups water
- 6 tablespoons salt
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- sprigs of fresh herbs like rosemary, sage and thyme
For the turkey
- 2 pound skinless boneless turkey breast
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 8 to 10 strips bacon
Instructions
To brine the turkey breast
- Place the ingredients for the brine in a large bowl and stir to dissolve the sugar.
- Add the turkey breast to the brine, ensuring that it is fully covered by the water. Let sit in the fridge overnight.
Making and cooking the turkey breast
- Preheat the air fryer to 360F.
- Remove the turkey breast from the brine and pat dry.
- In a small bowl, combine the pepper, paprika, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder and oil.
- Use your hands to rub the seasoning mix all over the turkey breast to coat.
- Wrap the bacon strips around the breast, ensuring that it is all covered.
- Place the turkey breast in the air fryer and cook for 20 minutes at 360F.
- After 20 minutes, lower the temperature to 300F and cook for another 15 to 20 minutes until the turkey reaches and internal temperature of 160F.
- Remove from the air fryer and let rest under foil for 15 minutes before carving and serving.
Notes
- Make sure that the turkey breast is fully submerged in the brine, use more water if needed.
- A basic brine for turkey is made using a ration of 1 cup of water to 1 tablespoon of salt, so adjust as necessary. You can add additional aromatics to the brine for more flavor.
- I found that the best results were when the turkey was cooked at two different temperatures in the air fryer. Hotter at first to crisp up the bacon, then turned down to a lower temperature to gently cook the turkey through.
- Different air fryer models can run to different times. Be sure to use an instant read thermometer to make sure that it is fully cooked.
Tim Cutting says
Great results using this recipe - turkey was beautifully moist and very tasty.