This keto teriyaki chicken legs recipe uses a delicious low carb friendly homemade teriyaki sauce. I give instructions for baked, slow cooker, or Instant Pot.
Yes, you can still have saucy, sticky, super flavorful chicken while on keto. My recipe for homemade keto teriyaki sauce adds so much flavor to these chicken legs. You can also use this on chicken thighs!
I first used this sauce when I made Keto Teriyaki Chicken - just like Chinese takeout.
Keto chicken drumsticks marinade
This is a simple sauce that acts as a marinade while the chicken is cooking. The ingredients are soy sauce (use coconut aminos if you don't use soy sauce), brown sugar substitute, minced garlic, grated ginger, and xanthan gum. All of the measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
The xanthan gum helps the sauce thicken and really stick to the chicken legs. If you don't have any, you can just leave it out. The collagen in the chicken skin will help thicken the sauce as well.
Another easy way to cook chicken legs is with BBQ sauce. See my recipe for Instant Pot BBQ Chicken Legs.
Wether you cook these chicken legs in the instant pot, slow cooker, or the oven...the recipes all start the same.
Place the chicken legs in either the slow cooker, instant pot, or a casserole dish. Mix the sauce in a bowl and pour over top of the chicken.
If you are cooking these in the Instant pot, you will need to add ½ cup fo water to the sauce.
When the chicken legs are finished cooking, I like to remove the legs from the pan and cook the sauce until it is thick. Then spoon the thick, sticky sauce over the chicken.
Serving suggestions:
-
- Stuffed Mushrooms
-
- Bacon Wrapped Asparagus
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- Cauliflower Casserole
-
- Green Beans with Bacon
Keto Teriyaki Chicken Legs Recipe
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Ingredients
- 8 Bone in, skin on, chicken legs
- ¼ Cup Soy sauce or coconut aminos
- 3 Tablespoons sugar free brown sweetener
- 1 Clove Garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon Grated ginger
- ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum
- Sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
Slow Cooker
- Place chicken legs in a single layer in the slow cooker. In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, sweetener, garlic, ginger, and xanthan gum. Pour over the chicken legs. Cook on low for 4 hours, or high for 2 hours, turning half way through.
- When the chicken is done, remove from the slow cooker and pour the leftover sauce into a sauce pan. Cook on the stove top over medium high heat until reduced into a thick sauce. Spoon over the chicken leg and serve.
Instant Pot
- Place chicken legs in a single layer in the Instant Pot. In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, sweetener, garlic, ginger, and xanthan gum and ½ cup of water. Pour over the chicken legs. Cook on high pressure for 15 minutes, followed by a 10 minute natural pressure release. Click here if you are new to the Instant Pot.
- Remove the rest of the pressure, followed by the lid. Remove the chicken legs from the pot and set the pot to "high saute' function. Let the sauce simmer until it is thickened. Spoon over the chicken and serve.
Oven Baked
- Pre-heat the oven to 375F. Place chicken legs in a single layer in a 9x13 baking dish. In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, sweetener, garlic, ginger, and xanthan gum. Pour over the chicken legs. Bake in the oven for 1 hour, turning the legs over halfway through.
- If your sauce is still thin in the baking dish, pour it into a sauce pan and cook over medium-high heat until thickened. Spoon the sauce over the chicken legs and serve.
Notes
- If you do not have xanthan gum, just leave it out. The collagen in the chicken skin will help the sauce thicken as well.
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition is provided as a courtesy only. Please re-calculate on your own with the ingredients and amounts you used for the most accurate data.
Brandon says
Made this tonight and it was absolutely delicious. Great recipe!
Bill says
I loved making this simple and delicious chicken !! My wife immediately put in an order for a new batch.
I took the freedom to use honey instead of sugar free sweetener and added a sprinkle of Tony Chacheres and as I didn't have any xanthan gum I had to do without, but that didn't hurt the results.
Served with baked rice mixed with a lot of veggies. "Finger licking good!"
Debra says
Wow, wow, WOW!!! Yummo!!!! Will definitely make again. And again. And again!!!
Rosco says
Excellent, followed the recipe exactly and they turned out really well! My wife doesn't particularly love Teriyaki, but she loved these and they smelled so good cooking. Great smell is an indicator of what the product will taste like. 5 stars. Thank you for sharing this recipe Jennifer!
Kim says
Absolutely loved this recipe. Hibby kept the sause for dipping later.
Stephanie W says
Loved this. The sauce is the bomb; I could drink it from the pan. My husband said it is the best chicken he has ever had. I did add more xanthan gum to make it thicker and and I put the legs under the broiler for about 5 minutes to crispen the outside. My kids have never been a fan of chicken legs even when I remove the skin because of the texture. Next time I will replace the legs for bone-in chicken thighs.
Frieda says
I made this last night and my husband couldn't stop raving. I used 3 frozen leg quarters because that's what I had. I pressure cooked in the Ninja Foodi for 20 minutes, then broiled in the Foodi for 10 minutes while I reduced the sauce in a small pot. I put some of the sauce in sauteed shredded cabbage for the side dish. I will be making this again and again! Thank you for this delicious recipe that was so easy to make.
lisa ward says
i halved the recipe as i only had 4 chicken legs. i wish i would have doubled it. this was delicious!! i had it for dinner last night. i am happy to have it for another meal. served it with riced cauliflower but would be great with steamed broccoli or green beans. thank you for the delicious recipe!! one of the best chicken leg recipes i have had!!! looking forward to trying more of your recipes.
Danine says
Holy cow Jennifer, made this tonight and it’s absolutely delish...I made cauliflower rice with onions and left over green beans...I heated up the sauce like you described and poured it over the rice and chicken legs. It was amazingly good...
Laura says
So I put this in to cronometer and it says there are 15g of carbs in each serving bit yours says 1?
jenniferbanz says
Did you subtract the sugar alcohols?
Wendy Johnson says
Sounds great. Any ideas for a vegetable side to serve with this?
Thanks!
jenniferbanz says
My go to is always a mix of whatever I have in the refrigerator! You could also make cauliflower fried rice