Crispy Keto Chicken Wings
Whether you need a crowd pleaser for the big game, or you just want to enjoy some pub food at home for dinner – keto chicken wings are where it’s at!
These wings are oven-baked yet super crispy, and taste like you got them from your favorite bar. I first tested them on a group of our friends, and they were gone in minutes. I bet you and your family and friends will love them too!
How to Make Keto Chicken Wings
These wings are not only crazy good, but they’re crazy easy to make. First, you’ll separate and dry your wings. Then, you’ll mix up some baking powder, salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and toss that with the wings. You can also place the wings on a baking sheet, and rub the baking powder mixture on top – either way works.
Using a little baking powder actually helps get the wings crispier when you bake them in the oven.
For the baking portion, you’ll put them in for about a half hour, pull ‘em out and flip them, then continue to cook. All in all you’re looking at around 50 minutes of cooking time, but it’s well worth it!
Breaking Down Chicken Wings
If you’re just buying chicken wings for the first time, you might be surprised that they look differently than you get them at a restaurant. You’ll just need to break them down yourself, which is very easy.
Chicken wings are made up of three parts:
- Drumette – This is the part that attached the wing to the animal, and looks like a mini drumstick.
- Flat (or wingette) – This is the middle part of the chicken wing, and looks like a bit like a flat oval.
- Tip – This is the very end of the chicken wing, and is pointy.
I personally only split mine into two sections – the drumette and the flat/tip. I like leaving the tip connected to the flat because you can get some crispy chicken skin on there (though there’s not much meat underneath). If you prefer cutting the tip off, that’s fine too!
Why Does Baking Powder Help Make Crispy Keto Chicken Wings?
This was a family trick I learned a while back, so I really wasn’t sure why we started making them with baking powder. While I can’t find any conclusive evidence, my guess is that it’s related to how baking powder might change the pH of the chicken skin.
At quick glance, it looks like chicken is slightly acidic with a pH of 6 (neutral pH is 7). Baking powder combines both a base and an acid, and when adding it to the skin, it may affect the pH, helping the skin brown and crisp better.
I honestly have no idea if this is correct, but that’s the best guess I’ve got for ya! 😉 Chef friends or chemistry peeps, feel free to weigh in if you’ve got more information for me.
Two quick tips related to using baking powder:
- Use aluminum free baking powder, as some people may note a slightly bitter taste if the baking powder has aluminum.
- Do not – for the sake of delicious wings – substitute baking soda for baking powder. Baking soda is straight up sodium bicarbonate, while baking powder is a mixture of sodium bicarbonate and an acid (usually cream of tartar). You’ll still get brown crispy wings with baking soda – but they’ll have an unpleasant bitter taste because of this difference.
Sauces & Flavors for Keto Chicken Wings
For this recipe, I went with a standard buffalo wing sauce, mixing Frank’s Red Hot and butter to create that perfect buffalo flavor. You really can’t go wrong with that when it comes to wings!
But you can also do other sauces or flavor combos too! Here are a few ideas:
- Use keto BBQ sauce for BBQ wings
- Get some cheesy flavor with garlic and parmesan chicken wings
- Make a low sugar Thai sweet chili sauce for your wings
- Try the sauce listed in here for low carb General Tso’s chicken wings
I hope you love these chicken wings as much as we do – if so, please leave a recipe rating and a comment!
Crispy Keto Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 3-4 lbs chicken wings separated into the drumette and the flat/tip
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 cup Frank’s Red Hot
- 3 tbsp butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
- Prepare the chicken wings by separating them into the drumette and the flat/tip portion. Dry them well with a paper towel.
- Combine the baking powder, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a bowl. Toss this with the chicken wings.
- Lightly grease a baking sheet, and place the chicken wings on the baking sheet. (You’ll likely need two baking sheets).
- Place the baking sheets in the oven and cook for 30 minutes. Take the baking sheets out and flip the wings over. Return to the oven and cook for an additional 20 minutes.
- Once the wings are done, melt the butter in a bowl in the microwave. Combine the butter and the hot sauce in a large bowl, and toss the wings in the sauce.
- Serve as-is, with crumbled blue cheese on top, or with an appropriate blue cheese or ranch dressing for dipping.
