Roasted Turkey Legs
These Roasted Turkey Legs are brined, slowly basted with an herbed butter and baked to juicy perfection. These fall off the bone tender turkey drumsticks with golden crispy skins are the perfect addition to your holiday dinner spread.
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❤️ Why You’ll Love This Turkey Leg Recipe
- Brined and roasted to perfection
- Crispy skin outside, tender and juicy inside
- Slowly basted with a flavorful herbed butter
- Easy alternative to a whole roasted turkey
- Perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas or any special occasion dinner
I think it’s fair to say that for certain traditional holidays, like Thanksgiving, turkey is a staple on most dinner tables here in the US. It’s the main event that we eagerly await all year to indulge in, complete with all the trimmings.
Being on a Keto or low carb diet, we are certainly able to enjoy turkey without issue, and can even enjoy fresh homemade gravy, cranberry sauce, stuffing and an array of tasty sides. All Keto friendly, all guilt-free. If you’re looking to scale dinner down a bit though, maybe you’re only cooking for a few people and a whole roasted turkey might be taking on a bit too much, then this easy turkey legs recipe is the perfect solution.
They are a fraction of the work to prepare and have that classic insanely delicious flavor that you look forward to all year. You can even use the drippings to make a homemade gravy to serve right over the tops. If you’ve never roasted turkey legs before or are a fan of dark meat, you’re in for a real treat, they are absolutely incredible!
🛒 Ingredients for Baked Turkey Legs
- Turkey
- Water
- Apple cider vinegar
- Brown sweetener
- Garlic
- Butter
- Sage
- Lemon thyme or thyme
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
*Exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below.
🥣 Recommended Tools
- Saucepan
- Food storage container
- Baking pan with wire rack
- Mixing bowl
- Turkey baster
- Brush
- Meat thermometer
🔪 How to Bake a Turkey Leg
Bring 1 cup of the water to a simmer in a saucepan, then add in the brown sweetener, salt and garlic. Stir until the sweetener and salt has dissolved, then allow to cool to room temperature.
Stir in the remaining water, apple cider vinegar and peppercorns.
Place the turkey legs in a large food storage container, bag or casserole dish and pour the brine over the top, add in the sprig of sage and stir to make sure all the turkey legs are submerged.
Cover and allow to brine in the fridge overnight or 8-12 hours at the most. Do not brine beyond that, otherwise the turkey can have a rubbery or spongy texture when you roast it.
Preheat oven to 325°F.
Drain and discard the brine from the turkey and briefly rinse it under cold water.
Pat all sides of the turkey legs completely dry using paper towels, then place them on a baking pan lined with a wire rack. Allow them to sit and further dry while you mix up the butter.
In a small bowl, add in the softened butter, thyme, half the salt and pepper and mix to combine.
Gently lifting the skin of the turkey away from the flesh, spread 1/6th of the butter mixture under the skin of each drumstick. Pull the skin back over and place back on the rack.
Brush the olive oil over all sides of the turkey and sprinkle them with the remaining salt and pepper.
Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes to 2 hours, or until the they reach an internal temperature of 165°F, when checked with an instant read thermometer.
Remove from the oven and discard the aluminum foil.
Baste with the drippings in the pan, then place them back into the oven, increase the temperature to 450°F for another 10-15 minutes or until the skin is crisp and golden. I recommend basting 1-2 more times as the skins are crisping up.
You can serve as is or use the drippings in the pan to make some gravy to serve over the tops.
☑️ Storage Instructions
Store leftover turkey in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze.
🍴 Keto Sides to Serve with Roasted Turkey
- Cheesy Mashed Cauliflower
- Maple Roasted Butternut Squash
- Creamed Spinach
- Green Beans Almondine
- Roasted Balsamic Brussels Sprouts with Prosciutto
💡 Tips for Baking Turkey Drumsticks in the Oven
- Make sure you allow the heated brine to cool, before pouring it over the turkey and place it in the fridge so it stays cool right away.
- Don’t be tempted to brine your turkey past the recommended 8-12 hours, as this could cause the texture of your turkey to become rubbery, mushy or otherwise unappealing. I have found the sweet spot is somewhere around 10 hours.
- Be sure to rinse the turkey before drying it with paper towels, as this will help remove any excess salt that could over-seas the turkey. I can’t stress enough how important it is to get the skins completely dry before brushing with the olive oil and roasting them. This will help ensure the crispiest skins possible.
- I find that basting several times once you’ve removed the foil and are getting the skins to crisp up, really helps add flavor and keep the turkey juicy. It takes just a few extra minutes and a turkey baster, but it’s well worth the effort.
- I highly recommend using a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the turkey. Cooking times can vary depending on the size of the legs, so it’s important to keep an eye on them.
- If you have the extra time, which only takes a few minutes, use the turkey drippings to make a batch of gravy. It’s quick, easy and really adds some nice flavor to the turkey.
🔄 Substitutions and Additions for Keto Turkey Legs
- If you’re not a fan of sage, you can use fresh rosemary instead.
- If you don’t have lemon thyme, use regular thyme as it’s usually easier to find.
- For a little smoky flavor, you can sprinkle some smoked paprika on the skins of the turkey when you bake it.
- For even more flavor, add a mixture of garlic powder and onion powder over the skins.
- Add some freshly grated lemon or orange zest in the herb butter for added flavor and zing.
- If you’d rather use more citrus, you can brine with fresh orange juice instead of the apple cider vinegar. You can also use a combination of fresh orange, lemon and lime juice if you’d like, just be sure to keep the measurements consistent.
- If you don’t need all 6 turkey legs, you can scale this recipe down to just 4 or even 2. On the other hand, you can scale it up if you need 8 or 10 as well. Simply use the servings slider in the recipe card to make the adjustments.
How long does it take to roast a turkey leg?
For this recipe, roasted at 325°F in the oven, it should take about 1 1/2 hours, plus a few extra minutes to crisp up the skins.
How to make turkey legs fall off the bone in the oven?
Roasting them low and slow is best, as well as keeping them covered for the majority of the baking time. This will help trap moisture in and prevent the turkey from drying out.
Should I cover my turkey legs in the oven?
I recommend covering them with aluminum foil to keep them from drying out and stay juicy.
Is it better to rub a turkey with butter or olive oil?
I prefer to rub the butter underneath the skins, and the olive oil on the outside. This way the butter slowly bastes the turkey, giving it great flavor and olive oil can handle the higher heat and not burn the skins.
🍽️ More Keto Thanksgiving Recipes
- Slow Cooker Turkey Breast with Gravy
- Air Fryer Turkey Breast
- Keto Glazed Ham
- Stuffed Pork Loin with Gravy
- Herb Sausage Stuffing
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Roasted Turkey Legs
Ingredients
For the Brine
- 6 cups water, divided
- 1/2 cup apple cider
- 1/3 cup brown Swerve
- 5 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1 sprig of fresh sage
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
For the Turkey
- 6 raw turkey legs
- 1/2 cup salted butter, softened
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon thyme or thyme, chopped
- 2 teaspoons fresh sage, chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
Instructions
- Bring 1 cup of the water to a simmer in a saucepan, then add in the brown sweetener, salt and garlic. Stir until the sweetener and salt has dissolved, then allow to cool to room temperature. Stir in the remaining water, apple cider vinegar and peppercorns.
- Place the turkey legs in a large food storage container, bag or casserole dish and pour the brine over the top, add in the sprig of sage and stir to make sure all the turkey legs are submerged. Cover and allow to brine in the fridge overnight or 8-12 hours at the most. Do not brine beyond that, otherwise the turkey can have a rubbery or spongy texture when you roast it.
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Drain and discard the brine from the turkey and briefly rinse it under cold water.
- Pat all sides of the turkey legs completely dry using paper towels, then place them on a baking pan lined with a wire rack. Allow them to sit and further dry while you mix up the butter.
- In a small bowl, add in the softened butter, thyme, half the salt and pepper and mix to combine.
- Gently lifting the skin of the turkey away from the flesh, spread 1/6th of the butter mixture under the skin of each drumstick. Pull the skin back over and place back on the rack.
- Brush the olive oil over all sides of the turkey and sprinkle them with the remaining salt and pepper.
- Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour and 45 minutes to 2 hours, or until the they reach an internal temperature of 165°F, when checked with an instant read thermometer.
- Remove from the oven and discard the aluminum foil. Baste with the drippings in the pan, then place them back into the oven, increase the temperature to 450°F for another 10-15 minutes or until the skin is crisp and golden. I recommend basting 1-2 more times as the skins are crisping up.
- You can serve as is or use the drippings in the pan to make some gravy to serve over the tops.
*Make sure to scroll up and read the post for substitutions, additions and helpful tips for making this recipe.
*Nutritional data is provided as a courtesy and is accurate to the best of my knowledge. You can verify it using the nutrition calculator of your choice. All data is based on net carbs, without sugar alcohol: Swerve, Erythritol, Monk Fruit or Allulose.
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