Bacon Wrapped Turkey with Maple + Sage

Bacon Wrapped Turkey is juicy, tender, and amazingly flavorful, thanks to being slathered with sage butter, covered with crispy bacon, and glazed with maple syrup for the best Thanksgiving turkey you've ever tasted!

Bacon Wrapped Turkey with sage leaves and fresh cranberries.

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For the tastiest sides to accompany your Bacon Wrapped Turkey, you'll love From-Scratch Green Bean Casserole, Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Casserole, and Cranberry Sauce with Orange + Cherry!

Today I'm setting out to prove that bacon indeed makes everything better! Say hello to this amazing Bacon Wrapped Turkey with Maple + Sage. Doesn't the name just say it all?!

Allow me to set the scene: this star of the Thanksgiving table is slathered with sage-flecked butter and glazed with pure maple syrup as it cooks. Then, about an hour before it's done, the top of the bird is shingled with salty bacon and brushed with more syrup for good measure.

The final result is moist, juicy, tender turkey with an undertone of sage and bacon, a sweet maple glaze that filters into the gravy, and bonus crispy bacon strips...over which everyone at the table will be fighting!

Close-up of bacon strips on Bacon Wrapped Turkey.

The BEST Turkey Recipe

Can I share a little secret with you? This Bacon Wrapped Turkey is based on a Tyler Florence recipe that was the first turkey I ever cooked as a young newlywed. And guess what? It was so darn good that I've never cooked turkey another way since!

Yes, friends, I've been making this turkey recipe -- and only this turkey recipe -- for two decades now. So you might be wondering how I can claim it to be the best if it's the only turkey recipe I've ever made? 😉

Well, just because I haven't prepared turkeys by other recipes doesn't mean that I haven't eaten plenty of them! Quite simply, this turkey trumps every turkey I've ever had, cooked by anyone...and I've eaten plenty of turkey over the years. I know how fabulous this Bacon Wrapped Turkey turns out every year, so I'm going to stick with it. 🙂

Bacon Wrapped Turkey on platter.

Ingredients

Hard to believe it only requires a few special ingredients to take an ordinary Thanksgiving turkey over the top!

  • Turkey. Fresh or frozen. If starting with a frozen bird, be sure to allow adequate time for thawing. The USDA recommends 24 hours of thawing in the refrigerator for every 4 to 5 pounds of turkey. In my experience, thawing a frozen turkey always seems to take on the longer end of the estimated time! So if you're turkey's still a little frozen in the center on the day of cooking, you can always speed up the final bit of thawing using the method of immersing in cold water and changing the water every 30 minutes.
  • Salt + freshly ground pepper. To taste. For seasoning the turkey as well as the sage butter.
  • Butter. Softened, for the sage butter. Salted or unsalted butter will work, since you're going to add more salt to it anyway.
  • Fresh sage leaves. Washed, dried, and minced.
  • Aromatics. Optional but recommended, for the cavity of the turkey. Examples include whole garlic cloves, a quartered onion, cut lemons or oranges, cut apples...or really, whatever you like!
  • Pure maple syrup + hot water. For the glaze.
  • Bacon. Make sure it's not too thinly cut.
  • Flour + chicken broth + lemon. Added to the maple-and-bacon-infused drippings to make the gravy, with a pop of brightness at the end from a squeeze of fresh lemon juice!
Bacon Wrapped Turkey on pewter platter with side dishes.

Brining and Stuffing

I've made this Bacon Wrapped Turkey both brined and unbrined. It turns out beautifully either way!

You typically can't beat the over-the-top juiciness of a brined turkey, so I would recommend it if you don't mind the extra step and time required. Just be sure to use a basic brine that doesn't incorporate too many flavors, because you certainly don't want to overshadow the yummy sage/bacon/maple thing going on here.

However, if you don't care to brine your turkey, this Bacon Wrapped Turkey recipe will still yield a scrumptious bird, as is. Massaging the sage butter under the skin of the turkey, keeping it glazed with maple syrup, and then letting the bacon fat drip down over the whole shebang pretty much mean that this bird has no choice but to turn out juicy!

Just don't overcook it, mkay? 😉

As for stuffing, I always prefer to cook mine outside of the bird (even though I still like to call it "stuffing" -- ha). Cooking stuffing inside the turkey can slow down the cooking time and increase the risk of foodborne illness. That being said, if you've always stuffed your turkey and prefer to do so, just be sure not to pack it too tightly! You can always cook any extra stuffing that doesn't fit in a buttered baking dish in the oven.

Close-up of Bacon Wrapped Turkey recipe.

How to Make Bacon Wrapped Turkey

(The below photos are intended to be helpful, but please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for FULL DIRECTIONS.)

Have I mentioned how easy this Bacon Wrapped Turkey is to make? I know that the idea of cooking a whole turkey can be a little intimidating, but there's nothing to this preparation. Seriously. Let me break it down for you, and it really is this basic...

  1. Remove the bag of giblets and neck from the thawed turkey. Put the turkey in a roasting pan (breast side up) and pat dry.
Raw turkey patted dry and waiting in roasting pan.
  1. Generously season the turkey with salt and pepper, both inside and out.
  2. Loosen the skin from the flesh of the turkey, in as many areas as you can reach.
Sprinkling salt and pepper over the top.
Loosening turkey skin.
  1. Combine fresh minced sage and softened butter to make -- you'll never guess! -- sage butter. Stir in some salt and pepper.
Combining fresh sage and softened butter.
Sage butter for Bacon Wrapped Turkey recipe.
  1. Spoon the sage butter under the loosened turkey skin, and smooth it into an even layer.
Spreading sage butter under turkey skin for Bacon Wrapped Turkey.
Smoothing butter under turkey skin.
  1. Place aromatics inside the cavity of the bird and truss the legs with some kitchen twine.
Adding aromatics to cavity of bird.
Trussing legs of Bacon Wrapped Turkey.
Trussed Bacon Wrapped Turkey before the bacon is added.
  1. Combine maple syrup with hot water and brush all over the outside of the turkey.
Maple syrup and water in glass bowl.
Maple glaze for Bacon Wrapped Turkey.
Brushing maple glaze over Bacon Wrapped Turkey.
Thanksgiving turkey ready for the oven.
  1. Bake for a couple of hours, basting with additional syrup every 30 minutes and covering with foil any parts of the turkey that start turning too brown too soon.
Roasted turkey ready for more glaze.
Additional maple glaze for Bacon Wrapped Turkey.
  1. Insert a thermometer into the meatiest part of the thigh (without touching the bone), baste again with maple glaze, and then arrange the raw strips of bacon over the breast of the turkey.
Bacon strips laid over Bacon Wrapped Turkey
  1. Bake for 30 minutes and then brush the whole turkey with maple glaze one more time, including the bacon. Pop back in the oven for a final 30 minutes or until your Bacon Wrapped Turkey reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
  2. Remove the turkey from the oven, tent with foil, and allow to rest for 30 minutes while you make the gravy.
Bacon Wrapped Turkey recipe fresh out of the oven.

Carve and enjoy!

The Gravy

Perhaps the best part of this Bacon Wrapped Turkey is the gravy...because, well, it's not just regular gravy. It's gravy made with pan juices that include melted sage butter and bacon drippings and, most importantly, maple syrup!

That's right...this gravy has a whole savory-sweet thing going on that is just indescribably (though I'm trying) good.

And if you happen to pour it on top of a mound of Make-Ahead Garlic Herb Mashed Potatoes? Well, I'd be tempted to have double servings of that and skip the pie.

Okay, not really...I don't skip pie. But rest assured that this gravy is darn tasty!

Gravy in gravy boat with sage and fresh cranberries on the side.

Tips for Even Cooking

It's totally normal for certain parts of your turkey to brown faster than others, which is why it's important to monitor its color each time you take it out of the oven to glaze it.

After a while, the breast of the turkey will probably start to turn a nice golden brown while the rest of the turkey will still look rather pale. Simply cover the brown parts with a piece of foil and proceed with the cooking. The exposed skin will continue to deepen in color without the turkey breast becoming burnt.

Then, when it's time to lay the bacon on top, it will likely perfectly cover the portion of the turkey that was already nicely browned, while the rest of your turkey can continue to darken as the bacon cooks!

If your Bacon Wrapped Turkey has not reached the target temperature by the time the bacon is cooked and the entire bird is golden brown, it's time to tent the whole thing with foil while the interior continues cooking (and rising in temperature) for a bit longer.

Bacon Wrapped Turkey with maple and sage.

Is that simple or what?

Yes, there is a time commitment involved.

Yes, you have to be attentive, between regular glazing and using foil to tent parts of the turkey that are browning too quickly.

Yes, you need to make sure your turkey reaches a safe temperature without becoming overcooked. (But that's easy when you rely on your trusty meat thermometer...I like this one!)

Honestly, there's no reason to experience anxiety over cooking a turkey. If I can do it, so can you!

Bacon Wrapped Turkey with maple syrup glaze and sage butter.

So if you're looking for a new spin on traditional turkey this year, I highly encourage you to give this Bacon Wrapped Turkey with Maple + Sage a try!

Gobble, gobble, yum, yum, YUM.

More Thanksgiving Menu Ideas

Bacon Wrapped Turkey with sage butter and maple glaze on platter with garnishes.

Bacon Wrapped Turkey with Maple + Sage

Bacon Wrapped Turkey is juicy, tender, amazingly flavorful, thanks to being slathered with sage butter, shingled with crispy bacon, and glazed with maple syrup for the best Thanksgiving turkey you've ever tasted!
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours
Total Time: 3 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 12 to 14 servings
Calories: 610kcal
Print Pin Rate

Video

Ingredients

  • 1 (12- to 14-pound) fresh or frozen turkey , (completely thawed)
  • ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) butter, at room temperature
  • 3 tablespoons minced fresh sage leaves
  • Salt & freshly ground black pepper
  • Optional aromatics to stuff inside turkey, such as whole garlic cloves, quartered onion, cut lemons, oranges, or apples, etc.
  • 1 cup pure maple syrup
  • ¼ cup hot water
  • 8 strips bacon
  • ¼ cup flour
  • 3 cups chicken stock/broth, OR turkey stock/broth
  • ½ lemon

Instructions

  • An hour before roasting, take turkey out of fridge, unwrap, and remove bag of giblets and/or neck (check both neck cavity and body cavity). Place turkey on a rack in a large roasting pan, breast side up, to allow it to dry and come to room temperature.
  • Place oven rack in the bottom third of the oven and remove the top rack. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Stir minced fresh sage into softened butter until well combined. Season well with salt and pepper.
  • Liberally sprinkle the turkey, inside and out, with salt and pepper. Carefully slide your fingers under the skin of the breast and drumsticks to lift it away from the meat. Slip spoonfuls of sage butter underneath the skin and gently smooth over the top of the skin to spread out the butter in a thin layer. Repeat everywhere that you can reach under the skin until all of the butter has been used.
  • If you are stuffing your bird, fill it with dressing without packing too tightly (cook leftover dressing in a separate baking dish). If you aren't stuffing your bird, you may place a few aromatics inside the cavity (I used a head of garlic, peeled and separated into cloves, and a large quartered apple for this turkey), but it's not required. Truss the turkey legs.
  • Combine maple syrup and hot water. Use a basting brush to baste the entire turkey. Place turkey in the oven for 2 hours, basting with maple syrup every 30 minutes. If the breast and/or the tops of the drumsticks turn golden brown before the rest of the turkey, shield them with foil.
  • After 2 hours, remove the turkey from the oven and insert an oven-safe meat thermometer into the meatiest part of the thigh (without touching the bone). Baste the turkey with syrup once more and arrange the strips of bacon over the top of the turkey with no gaps in between them, until they cover the entire breast. Return the turkey to the oven for about 30 minutes, then baste with syrup again (bacon and all). Continue cooking, watching the bacon closely so that it turns crisp but does not burn. If the bacon is done before the thermometer inserted in the turkey reads 165°F, shield the bacon with foil (as well as any other parts of the turkey that are brown enough, which might end up being the whole turkey) and continue cooking until the turkey is done. (Depending on a variety of factors, a turkey typically takes anywhere from 13 to 20 minutes per pound to cook. The 12 ½ pound turkey in these photos took about 3 hours to cook).
  • Once the temperature of the turkey reaches 165°F and the juices are running clear, tilt the turkey in the pan so that the liquids run out of the cavity. Transfer turkey to a cutting board, tent with foil, and allow to rest for 30 minutes.
  • In the meantime, skim the excess fat from the pan drippings. Pour the drippings into a medium pot, scraping brown bits at the bottom of the roasting pan from the turkey but leaving behind any burnt maple syrup sludge. Set pot over medium heat and whisk flour into the drippings until smooth. Gradually add chicken stock while continuously stirring. Raise heat to high and bring to a simmer while stirring regularly, until gravy is thickened to your preferred consistency. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

Notes

  • In my experience, thawing a frozen turkey in the refrigerator always takes longer than the estimated time. Allow yourself plenty of time and you can always speed up the end of thawing using the cold water method.
  • I prefer leaving the turkey unstuffed so that it cooks more evenly. However, an unstuffed bird will cook slightly faster than a stuffed one. A brined turkey or an untrussed turkey may also cook faster.
  • Cooking a turkey that's less than 12 pounds will require less than 3 hours to cook. You will want to check the temperature sooner and add the bacon earlier in the cooking process.

Nutrition

Calories: 610kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 63g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 233mg | Sodium: 488mg | Potassium: 755mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 464IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 71mg | Iron: 3mg
Made this recipe? I'd love to see on IG!Mention @FiveHeartHome or tag #FiveHeartHome!

Adapted from Food Network. Post originally published on November 12, 2014, and updated on October 27, 2020, and November 11, 2024.

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72 Comments

  1. Wow, this sounds great! I do a similar turkey but without bacon, and I add spiced apple cider with the maple glaze.
    Visiting from the Tuesday blog hop. Check out my recipe for a easy Pumpkin Tea Latte!

    1. Thanks for hopping over, Amber! Your turkey sounds delicious as well. 🙂 Hope you're having a great week!

  2. This turkey looks exquisite and definitely proves that bacon makes everything better!!! Pinned! I'll see if my family will let me try this turkey for thanksgiving!

    1. Oh yay, Lindsey! I think your family will enjoy this turkey recipe if they let you talk them into it. But how much arm-twisting should bacon really require? 😉

  3. Hello cute lady! Love it. Everything looks incredible. Pinned and tweeted. We really appreciate you taking the time to stop by our party. It wouldn't be a party without you. Please join us on Monday at 7 pm. Happy Monday! Lou Lou Girls

    1. Thanks so much, Lou Lou Girls! I appreciate y'all hosting the party and hopping over to say 'hi.' 🙂 Hope you've been having a great week!

    1. Thanks so much, Melissa! I'm happy you hopped over to check it out and hope you have a chance to try it someday. 🙂

  4. Wow...that turkey looks absolutely amazing!! My son wants me to cover our turkey in bacon this year, and now I am more than willing to oblige. 😉

    1. Your son sounds like a smart guy, Lisa! I don't think you can go wrong covering turkey -- or anything, for that matter -- with bacon. 😉 Thanks so much for stopping by...hope your week is off to a great start!

    1. Thank you, Thao! It's definitely a flavorful turkey. 🙂 I appreciate you stopping by and hope you have a great week!

  5. YUM! Everything is better with bacon and this looks absolutely amazing. The fact that you've been making the bird the same way for 10 years? I know it's gotta be outstanding. My work always gives everyone a turkey right before Thanksgiving. Now I have the perfect recipe! Thanks for sharing!

    1. Oh, I hope you get to try this, Erin! I probably need to branch out and try a different turkey recipe one day, but this one is so good that I don't know if I can bring myself to do it... 😉 Hope you enjoy it if you make it!

  6. You had me at BACON! Seriously, Samantha, this is one beautiful bird. Confession... I've never cooked a turkey before, but I definitely think this recipe is going on my Thanksgiving bucket list now! Thanks for the inspiration! 🙂

    1. You can do it, Liz! I still get a little intimidated by the thought of cooking a whole turkey every single time I do it, but once I get started, I remember how easy it is. Hopefully the bacon here will entice a few newbies to cook their first turkey this year... 😉 Thanks for hopping over, and hope you're having a fantastic day!

    1. Thank you so much, Jocelyn! I'm glad that you found my blog, too. 😉 I have to admit that I've been a lurker over at yours for awhile now...lots of talent and inspiration to be found over there for sure! Thanks for stopping by and hope you're having a great week...

  7. Mother of mercy, this looks seriously incredible. I have been cooking the same turkey every year too (apple cider brined), but I think you have convinced me to break out of my comfort zone! I can't imagine anything better than sage flecked butter, smoky bacon, and maple glaze!!!

    1. You are too sweet, Allie...thank you for the kind words! You might even be able to give this exterior treatment to your apple cider brined turkey? I think it would be hard to mess up sage butter, bacon, and maple syrup... 😉

  8. Why have I never thought to put bacon on my turkey? WHY?! I am trying a variation of this for sure. Bacon makes everything better.

    1. I couldn't agree more, Liv...in fact, that's one of my life mantras. 😉 Hope this is a hit if you try it!

    1. Thanks, Alli! I think the perfect thing to round out this turkey would be a nice pumpkin cupcake... 😉

    1. You are welcome any time, Zainab! You know, this recipe is the only one I make all year using sage! But it's so yummy that I really do need to change that... 😉

  9. Samantha, I love that this was your first turkey a decade ago--if it tastes as good as it looks I can see why you never looked for another recipe 🙂 Thanks so much for organizing this fun hop!

    1. Thank you very much, Amy! I have to admit that I'm a creature of habit sometimes...and besides, why try to fix something if it ain't broke?! 😉 I will probably be making this turkey until I'm old and gray, but I have a feeling that nobody is going to complain. Thanks again for participating in the blog hop...your apple pie waffles blew me away!

  10. Oh good grief, Samantha!! Now I can't locate my socks anywhere...because they've been KNOCKED OFF by the amazingness of your turkey! INCREDIBLE. Can you save me a seat at your Thanksgiving table? Because I'm pretty sure I need this in my life. Thank you so much for inviting me to be in this fantastic blog hop!! So much deliciousness.

    1. Ha, Kristi...thank you so much! Well, right after I sent you a container of bacon-y turkey leftovers (labeled with this great printable that I know I saw somewhere!), I will help you locate your socks. 😉 Or, of course, you are ALWAYS welcome at our Thanksgiving table! Thanks again for joining the blog hop...I've loved checking out everyone's yummy recipes, and your chocolate pie was no exception! Yum.