This Keto Chicken Wings Recipe is easy and creates perfectly crispy skin without a fryer! Ready in just about 30 minutes!
If I could only ever eat one food for the rest of my life, there would be a lot of options I’d consider, but crispy Keto Chicken Wings would definitely be on my shortlist. Not just any chicken wings though, they’d have to be saucy, spicy, and so messy I need a change of clothes on stand-by.
These keto chicken wings meet all those criteria without any of the junk that the typical wing joint sneaks into this incredibly simple meal. Toxic vegetable oils, factory-farmed chicken, and don’t even get me started on the ingredients in the sauces.
The blue cheese in this recipe is what really makes it drool-worthy, and it’s also a super nutritious component of the meal. Blue cheese is a good source of protein, potassium, and calcium, but it’s the moldy blue veins that run through it that really pack a healthy punch.
Those veins are where you’ll find the probiotics that help break down food in your body and support a healthy digestive tract. Studies have also shown blue cheese to have anti-inflammatory and immune-boosting effects. How cool is that?
Check out these other resources to read more about the interesting health benefits of blue cheese:
Not only do these wings have blue cheese sprinkled on top but there’s also blue cheese *IN* the sauce. These are definitely a blue cheese lovers’ dream come true. Side note: have you tried our Keto Buffalo Chicken Soup?
Back in my college days, there was a local restaurant that ran a special on Monday nights for 25 cent wings. They were in heavy competition with the Mexican restaurant that offered 25 cent tacos and usually, I ended up at one or the other. Regardless, I could feast like a king for $10, and if I wanted to throw in a pitcher of PBR, $15.
It has been years since I ate like that. The last time Lauren and I stopped in, we ordered a dozen wings (each) and a side of waffle fries to split. By 10 o’clock that night I thought I was going to die, heartburn, nausea, indigestion, upset stomach, where’s the Pepto? Nothing like that to worry about with these Keto Chicken Wings, just make sure you’ve got plenty of napkins.
Let’s get to some Q&A for these wings:
Are chicken wings keto?
Yes, chicken wings are keto! They have a great fat to protein ratio, especially when you add in a bit more fat like the butter that’s in the sauce or the extra bit of oil used to pan fry the wings.
How to make keto chicken wings –
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Preheat the oven to 450° F.
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Pat the wings dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper
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Heat a large cast-iron skillet over high heat and add in the lard (you can also use coconut oil, avocado oil, schmaltz, or algae oil)
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Arrange the wings in a single layer cooking about 3 minutes per side or until the skin starts to crisp
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Transfer the skillet to the oven and continue to cook for 10-15 minutes flipping once or twice for even cooking
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Make the sauce by melting the butter, hot sauce, and cheese together until smooth – you can do this on the stovetop or in the microwave in a microwave-safe bowl
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Transfer the wings to a large bowl and toss with the sauce – garnish with extra blue cheese to serve
How can I make these keto friendly chicken wings not spicy?
You can use a milder buffalo sauce, we use Franks RedHot that we find to be not spicy at all. If you’re really sensitive to spice opt for a non-buffalo style sauce like a keto BBQ sauce, lemon garlic pepper, or even a dry wing tossed with your favorite spice blend – tandoori chicken wings anyone?
Can I use an air fryer for these keto chicken wings?
You can, to cook these keto chicken wings in an air fryer follow these steps:
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set the air fryer to 360° F and cook for 12 minutes
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flip and cook another 12 minutes
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flip again and increase the heat to 390° F and cook until the skin is super crispy about another 7 minutes
Can I use a baking sheet for the keto chicken wings?
You can but I wouldn’t recommend it, I find that the wings dry out before the skin gets crispy when baking wings on a sheet pan.
Flats or Drumsticks?
The true question for the wing connoisseur! I personally love flats and hate drumsticks and Lauren is the opposite. This is totally up to you.
If you like one or the other just ask the nice folks at the butcher counter to only give you the kind you like. The cooking process is the same so no worries there.
Do I have to put blue cheese in the buffalo wing sauce?
Nope, totally optional!
Are chicken wings healthy?
We think so! Not only are they a good source of protein and fat when cooked at home with cleaner ingredients. Serve these wings up with some celery sticks or a large side salad #balance
Can you store and reheat chicken wings?
Yes! Store the wings in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat simply place under the oven broiler set to 500° F. Broil for 3-4 minutes per side until reheated and crispy.
Tools to make keto chicken wings –
No special tools here just a 10″ or larger cast iron skillet and maybe some tongs!
What is the nutritional information for these keto chicken wings?
As always, you can find the full nutritional breakdown including the carb count (total carbs and net carbs) at the bottom of the recipe card. You can find the serving size/yield at the top of the recipe card. You should always double-check your specific ingredients as different brand’s ingredients may have different values.
To get a specific serving size you’ll want to weigh the final dish then divide by the number of servings. We can’t provide this information as your cooking style will vary from ours as well as the brand ingredients you choose to use.
Keto Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken wings about 16
- 1/4 cup lard or coconut oil, avocado oil, or algae oil
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup Frank’s Red Hot
- 1- ounce blue cheese + more for topping
Instructions
- Pat the wings dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper
- Heat a large cast-iron skillet over high heat and add in the lard (you can also use coconut oil, avocado oil, schmaltz, or algae oil)
- Arrange the wings in a single layer cooking about 3 minutes per side or until the skin starts to crisp
- Transfer the skillet to the oven and continue to cook for 10-15 minutes flipping once or twice for even cooking
- Make the sauce by melting the butter, hot sauce, and cheese together until smooth – you can do this on the stovetop or in the microwave in a microwave safe bowl
- Transfer the wings to a large bowl and toss with the sauce – garnish with extra blue cheese to serve
Nutrition
Love this recipe ! I have been cooking with my cast iron skillet since 1986… my ? Is what can I use to substitute the lard ( I totally despise it) otherwise this recipe gets a 10!!
Hi Liz! So glad you like the recipe, you can sub in avocado oil or coconut oil in place of the lard.
Does the skillet go in the oven with the lard still in it? Looking at making these tonight!
The idea of mixing the cheese with the sauce is brilliant. Making these tonite!
This might be stupid. What is the point of the lard? I see below you say subbing for avocado or coconut oil can work. So the point of the lard is largely to grease the pan?
Correct, it’s just to get the skin super crispy.
Are the wings frozen or thawed ?
Made these wings tonight for the family. They were fantastic! I used avocado oil instead of lard, a cube of butter and instead of crumbled blue cheese I added a TBSP of blue cheese dressing to the sauce mix and and extra for dipping on the side. I also cooked the wings in the oven for 25 minutes before tossing them in the sauce. Thank you for posting this recipe. It will be my go-to for hot wings.
Hi Tamarr, thanks for sharing! Glad you enjoyed the wings!
Could the hot sauce be substituted? With anything that is not spicy?
I mean, you can choose any sauce you’d like or buy a mild buffalo sauce. They’re also great just plain.