This bacon-wrapped turkey tenderloins recipe is easy to make and incredibly delicious! It’s the perfect centerpiece for your Thanksgiving meal, holiday gatherings, dinner parties, or weeknight suppers.
With tender, juicy turkey enveloped in crispy bacon, each bite delivers an irresistible combination of flavors that make your taste buds dance with joy—and your guests begging for the recipe!
Each tenderloin serves about 2 people (or one ravenous teenage boy), so you can make as many as you like to fit the size of your group. We bet this easy, delicious dish will quickly become one of your favorite turkey and bacon recipes.
Contents
Why You’ll Go Hog Wild for This Recipe
Incredibly Good Flavors: These bacon-wrapped turkey tenderloins feature the smoky, savory taste of crispy bacon with tender and juicy turkey. It’s a match made in culinary heaven!
Easy to make: Forget basting, trussing, or long turkey roasting times. You can prepare these delectable turkey tenderloins wrapped in bacon in less than 2 hours!
Versatile: Golden brown and so appealing, this bacon wrapped turkey is perfect for holiday meals and dinner parties. Because it’s simple to prepare, it’s also great for weeknight suppers.
What is Turkey Tenderloin?
Turkey tenderloin is the small, boneless piece of meat located underneath the turkey breast. It’s incredibly tender with a milder flavor than roasted whole turkey.
Because it’s a lean cut consisting solely of white meat, wrapping the tenderloin in bacon helps it cook up moist and delicious.
Do Turkey Tenderloins Need to be Brined Before Cooking?
If you’re purchasing packaged tenderloins, look at the packaging to see if the turkey has been treated with a sodium solution. You may see words like ‘enhanced’, ‘pre-brined,’ or ‘treated.’
If your turkey tenderloins aren’t already pre-brined, you can add juicy flavor by giving them a short soak in a simple wet brine.
Wet brining is the process of immersing meat, poultry or fish in a solution of salt, water, and often additional seasonings or aromatics.
Brining works wonders for turkey, making the meat moist, tender, and flavorful.
During the brining process, the turkey absorbs the brine, allowing the salt to penetrate the meat and break down its proteins. This enhances the turkey’s ability to retain moisture during cooking, resulting in juicier and more succulent meat.
How to Make Brine for Turkey
This Basic Brine Recipe is from my cookbook 101 Things To Do With a Smoker, and can be used for meat, poultry or fish.
The brining process is very easy. For each pound of turkey, combine 1 quart water, 1/2 cup kosher salt (or substitute 1/4 cup table salt), and 1/2 cup sugar.
Combine the ingredients in a container which will hold the tenderloins submerged. Whisk the brine mixture thoroughly until sugar and salt are dissolved.
If you like, you can add optional ingredients for a bit more flavor such as a few crushed garlic cloves, lemon slices, a crushed bay leaf or fresh herbs.
Add the tenderloins (make sure they’re completely submerged in the brine), cover, and refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours. Remove the tenderloins from the brine and rinse with cool water; pat dry with paper towels and proceed with the recipe.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Shown from the top, here’s what you’ll need to prepare this roasted bacon turkey tenderloin recipe:
Turkey Tenderloins – Look for tenderloins that are about 1 pound each. One bacon wrapped tenderloin will feed about 2 people.
Seasoning rub – Adds flavor to the turkey before cooking. We used Traeger Pork and Poultry Rub with Apple and Honey for this recipe, but feel free to use your favorite blend. You can also add your own seasonings like garlic powder or crushed red pepper flakes.
Salt (optional) – If your seasoning rub doesn’t contain salt, you can lightly salt the tenderloins.
Freshly ground black pepper
Regular sliced bacon – Thinner, regular sliced bacon works best for this recipe. Thick cut bacon takes longer to cook and is therefore not recommended so the turkey doesn’t overcook.
Equipment Needed
You don’t need any fancy kitchen equipment to prepare this turkey recipe:
- A cutting board
- A sharp knife or kitchen scissors to trim the turkey
- Paper towels
- A microwave safe plate
- Toothpicks
- Aluminum foil
- A baking sheet
- Instant read meat thermometer
Step by Step Instructions
STEP ONE | Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray it lightly with cooking spray.
STEP TWO | Arrange bacon strips on a double layer of paper towels on a microwave-save plate. Microwave on High until bacon is partially cooked and renders some of its fat but is still flexible, about 90 seconds to 2 minutes.
PRO TIP: Partially pre-cooking the bacon insures that the bacon will be brown and crispy when the turkey is finished cooking.
STEP THREE | Season tenderloins on both sides with seasoned rub and freshly ground black pepper. (If your rub doesn’t contain salt, lightly salt the tenderloins.)
STEP FOUR | Wrap each tenderloin with 3 or 4 of the partially cooked bacon slices (go for full coverage of the turkey meat), securing the ends of the bacon strips with toothpicks.
STEP FIVE | Arrange the wrapped tenderloins on the prepared baking sheet, and bake until the bacon is browned and crispy and the internal temperature of the turkey reaches 165°F on an instant-read thermometer, about 40 to 50 minutes.
STEP SIX | Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Carefully remove toothpicks.
STEP SEVEN | Use a sharp knife to cut tenderloins in 1-inch slices and serve. I garnished these slices with fresh thyme sprigs.
Enjoy! And if you love bacon wrapped foods like we do, be sure to check out our Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf glazed with BBQ sauce, Smoked Pork Tenderloin Wrapped in Bacon, and our ever-popular Bacon Wrapped Little Smokies Sausages.
Recipe Variations
Smoky Bacon BBQ Sauce Turkey Tenderloins – About 20 minutes after you put the bacon-wrapped turkey in the oven, remove and brush the outside of the bacon wrap with your favorite BBQ sauce. Return to oven and continue cooking until done.
Brown Sugar Glazed – Sprinkle light or dark brown sugar on the outside of the bacon wrapped turkey breast tenderloin about halfway through the cooking time.
Smoked Turkey Tenderloins Wrapped in Bacon – Cook the bacon wrapped turkey in a smoker instead of the oven. The Smoking Meat website does a great job of explaining the smoking process.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
To keep leftovers fresh, store the turkey tenderloins tightly wrapped in an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to three days.
When it’s time to savor those tasty flavors again, simply reheat the turkey in a foil-covered pan in a preheated 350 degree F oven for about 10 minutes.
What is the Difference Between Turkey Breast and Turkey Tenderloin?
If you’re wondering, “Is turkey tenderloin the same as turkey breast?” that’s a great question!
Turkey breast, the large bone-in cut of meat, contains both white and dark meat, offering a slightly richer flavor and lean, juicy, and firmer texture. It is commonly roasted whole or cooked in larger portions due to its size and bone-in nature.
On the other hand, turkey tenderloin, a small boneless cut located beneath the turkey breast, is very tender with a mild flavor.
What to Serve With Turkey Tenderloin Wrapped in Bacon
These flavorful tenderloins are so good accompanied by delicious sides like these:
- Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- The Ultimate Green Bean Casserole
- Candied Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Balsamic
- Maple Bacon Carrots
- Homemade Cranberry Sauce
- Flaky Bacon Fat and Butter Biscuits
- Bacon Gravy
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Bacon Wrapped Turkey Tenderloins
Equipment
- Cutting board
- Sharp knife
- Toothpicks
- aluminum foil
- baking sheet
Ingredients
- 8 slices regular sliced bacon
- 2 turkey tenderloins, about 3/4 to 1 pound each
- 2 teaspoons seasoning rub
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- salt* (optional – see Note below)
- fresh thyme sprigs, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray it lightly with cooking spray.
- Arrange bacon strips on a double layer of paper towels on a microwave-save plate. Microwave on High until bacon is partially cooked and renders some of its fat but is still flexible, about 90 seconds to 2 minutes.
- Season tenderloins on both sides with seasoned rub and freshly ground black pepper. (*If your rub doesn't contain salt, lightly salt the tenderloins.)
- Wrap each tenderloin with 3 or 4 of the partially cooked bacon slices, securing with toothpicks.
- Arrange the wrapped tenderloins on the prepared baking sheet, and bake until the bacon is browned and crispy and the internal temperature of the turkey reaches 165°F on an instant-read thermometer, about 40 to 50 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Carefully remove toothpicks. Use a sharp knife to cut tenderloins in 1-inch slices. Garnish with fresh thyme springs and serve. Makes 4 servings.
Notes
ADD YOUR OWN PRIVATE NOTES
Whenever you come back to this recipe, you’ll be able to see your notes!
Nutrition
Got questions? Just ask! I’m happy to help.
If you post your creations on social media, tag #BENSABaconLovers so I can share! Thank you for your support. – Eliza
Nutrition Disclaimer: All nutritional information shared on this site is an approximation. I am not a certified nutritionist, and any nutritional information should be used as a general guideline.
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