Keto Chicken Wings
Crispy keto chicken wings written for the frozen wings most halal butchers actually sell. A salt-only cure uncovered overnight, baking powder added just before baking, and two oven temperatures so the fat renders before the skin sets. 1.3g net carbs per serving.
Equipment
- Wire rack lightly oiled, or the skin welds to it
- Rimmed baking sheet lined with foil, never parchment
- Instant-read thermometer for the 175F check
Ingredients
For the Wings
- 3 lb chicken wings 1.4 kg party wings, already split with the tips removed
- 1 1/2 tsp fine sea salt 1/2 tsp per pound; double for Diamond Crystal kosher
- 1 tbsp aluminium-free baking powder 1 tsp per pound; never baking soda
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp avocado oil for wiping the rack; not olive oil spray
For the Buffalo Sauce
- 1/2 cup cayenne pepper hot sauce 120 ml; original, not buffalo wing sauce
- 5 tbsp unsalted butter 70 g, melted
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
Instructions
The Day Before
- Thaw properly if frozen: thaw in the fridge on a tray for a full 24 hours, never on the counter. Pour off any liquid and pat every wing dry with paper towels, including the folds at the joint.
- Salt and cure uncovered: toss the dry wings with the salt only - no baking powder yet - and spread in a single layer on a rack over a tray. Refrigerate uncovered 8 to 24 hours. Previously frozen wings hold more water, so give them the longer end. The skin should end up matte and dry to the touch, not tacky.
The Day
- Coat and set up the pan: heat the oven to 250°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with FOIL, not parchment, and set a rack over it wiped with the avocado oil. Toss the cured wings with the baking powder, garlic powder and pepper until evenly dusted, and lay them out in a single layer with space between them. Parchment is rated to about 420-450°F and will scorch and smoke over this bake.
- Render low: bake at 250°F for 30 minutes. Nothing will look like it is happening; the fat under the skin is melting and running off.
- Crisp hot: turn the oven up to 425°F and leave the wings inside while it climbs. Once at temperature give them 40 to 45 minutes more, and do not turn them. Take them to 175°F internal, not 165°F - a wing is mostly connective tissue and needs the higher temperature to stop being rubbery.
- Sauce immediately: whisk the hot sauce, melted butter and garlic powder in a large bowl. Tip the wings straight from the oven into it and toss. Serve within about 15 minutes - sauce is water, and the clock starts the moment they are coated.
Notes
Rack and no flip, or pan and flip - never pan and no flip. On a rack, air reaches every side and turning only tears the skin. Directly on a pan the underside sits in rendered fat and must be turned.
Only broil after saucing if the sauce contains a sweetener. A sweetened barbecue-style sauce caramelises and tightens under 2 minutes of broiler heat. Buffalo sauce is butter and vinegar with nothing to caramelise - the butter breaks, runs off and smokes. Broil bare wings for extra colour instead.
Whole wings (common at halal butchers): joint them yourself, or add 10-15 minutes to the second stage and check the temperature at the thickest part of the drumette.
Air fryer: cure the same way, then 380°F for 20-24 minutes, shaking every 8 minutes, single layer with gaps. Air fryer dials are unreliable - independent testing has found models running dozens of degrees below setpoint - so judge by colour and a thermometer.
Same-day version: pat very dry, salt and baking powder together, rest uncovered on the rack 45 minutes at room temperature, then bake as written. Less crisp than the overnight cure.
Hot sauce: original cayenne pepper sauce is essentially zero carbs per tablespoon; buffalo wing sauce runs about 1g, which is 8g across this batch.
Storage: 3 days refrigerated, stored unsauced. Freeze cooked unsauced wings up to 3 months. Reheat at 400°F oven or 375°F air fryer for 8-10 minutes on a rack, then toss in fresh sauce. Never the microwave.