Sweet and sticky keto chicken wings

Sweet and sticky keto chicken wings

Mouthwatering layers of flavors, textures, and aromas to excite all the senses. Savory and sweet with a hint of heat. Crispy and juicy all at the same time. And, of course, there’s the childlike joy of sticky fingers. We’re not kidding when we say these are our go-to chicken wings!
September 4 2015 photo by , recipe inspired by Hayley and Bill, nutritional review by in Recipes, Appetizer, Main course

Sweet and sticky keto chicken wings

Mouthwatering layers of flavors, textures, and aromas to excite all the senses. Savory and sweet with a hint of heat. Crispy and juicy all at the same time. And, of course, there’s the childlike joy of sticky fingers. We’re not kidding when we say these are our go-to chicken wings!
USMetric
4 servingservings

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs 900 g chicken wings
  • ¼ cup 60 ml coconut aminos
  • 2 tbsp 2 tbsp tamari soy sauce
  • ¼ tsp ¼ tsp ground ginger
  • ¼ tsp ¼ tsp onion powder
  • ¼ tsp ¼ tsp garlic powder
  • ¼ tsp ¼ tsp chili flakes
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Instructions

Instructions are for 4 servings. Please modify as needed.

  1. Preheat oven to 450°F (225°C).
  2. Place the wings, with the thicker skin side up, on a rimmed baking sheet fitted with a wire rack. (The wire rack helps promote even cooking).
  3. Bake the wings for 35 minutes.
  4. When the wings have about 12 minutes left to bake, start making the sauce.
  5. Heat a medium skillet over medium heat, and add the coconut aminos, soy sauce, and seasoning.
  6. Once the sauce comes to a simmer, begin stirring. Continue to stir periodically, adjusting the heat as needed to maintain a gentle simmer.
  7. Once the sauce has thickened slightly (pull the spoon through the sauce and it should take a few seconds for the "trail" to fill) you can turn off the heat while the wings finish cooking.
  8. Place the wings in a large heatproof bowl and pour the sauce over them. Stir to coat evenly and serve with plenty of napkins.

Recommended special equipment

Rimmed baking sheet with wire racks.

Air fryer method

Preheat the air fryer to 400°F (200°C).

Dry the wings thoroughly with a paper towel. Wipe the air fryer basket lightly with a drop of avocado oil or spray.

Place the chicken wings in the air fryer basket and air fry for 20 minutes, turning halfway through, until cooked and crispy.

While they're frying, make the sauce (step 4). Pour the sauce over the wings, toss to cover them all, and serve.

Grill method

Break out the grill! Use medium-low heat and flip periodically to ensure even cooking. It should take about 30 minutes to cook the wings completely.

About This Recipe

The recipe is inspired by Primal Palate – reposted with permission.

Hayley and Bill at Primal Palate have written two cook books, Make it Paleo with over 200 grain-free recipes for any occasion, and Make it Paleo II, with more than 175 new grain-free recipes for the Primal Palate.

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25 comments

  1. 1
    LarryB
    September 4 2015
    Color me puzzled - the recipe sounds great and I'm going to give it a shot, but where does the sweet or the sticky part come from? Are there residual sugars in the coconut aminos?

    Part of me wants to puree a date into the sauce.

    Reply: #2
  2. 2
    Reply to comment #1 by LarryB
    Elena
    September 4 2015
    Many reviewers of coconut aminos on Amazon are complaining that it's too sweet. I have not been able to find the ingredients yet, but it looks like they might be sweetening it with coconut nectar which is very sweet and sticky like honey.
  3. 4 comments removed
  4. 7
    Zyad
    May 5 2016
    These are the nutritions for the coconut amino http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51duvXqKuZL.jpg

    "Total carbohydrate: 1 g"

    I don't know where did you get 34 carbs from..

  5. 8
    Dianna
    October 1 2016
    Oh my goodness, these were wonderful. However, we substituted tamari for the coconut aminos, which did not work out. The tamari is way too salty. We'll buy the coconut aminos next time. Cook the wings using the convection feature (if you have it) for 30-35 minutes. Otherwise follow the instructions as written. Convection made the wings super crispy for us. Love! And can't wait to make again.
  6. 9
    Lisa
    October 28 2016
    This was delicious! We grilled our chicken drumsticks and then mixed them with the sauce. We used 3 lbs of chicken drumsticks and there was plenty of sauce. We probably could have done 4 lbs and still had plenty of flavor. That would help "dilute" the carbs from the coconut aminos for those that need to be very strict. We also dipped some celery and carrot sticks in the sauce. Very very good!!
  7. 10
    Judith
    November 8 2016
    I would like to see substitutes for exotic ingredients, like coconut aminos. I am single and on a very low budget. There are a lot of recipes on your site that sound luscious but contain ingredients that cost a lot and would last me for 15 years. I am a dietdoctor devotee and on lchf for almost 6 months now. Your website keeps me honest, encouraged and educated.
  8. 3 comments removed
  9. 14
    Gil
    November 26 2018
    Just made this tonight, used the fish sauce instead of coconut aminos, overall good, a tad too salty for me :) Fish sauce the culprit?? Discuss ;)
  10. 1 comment removed
  11. 16
    Ella
    January 10 2019
    Made this tonight........crispy, sweet and delicious 😋
  12. 17
    carl
    January 22 2019
    I am allergic to coconut, can't use the aminos. what else can I do?
  13. 1 comment removed
  14. 19
    Desire
    January 24 2019
    I love the sauce. I've used it on shrimp and now in their pork and green bell pepper stir fry instead of chili paste. I'm going to make wings for a baby shower. 10/10 recommend.
  15. 20
    Reply to comment #17 by carl
    carl
    January 25 2019
    Thank you, I looked at one recipe and it said to use tamari, now I can't find that page. I'm new to the whole Keto way, however I am making much progress, thanks again
    Reply: #21
  16. 21
    Reply to comment #20 by carl
    Kristin Parker Team Diet Doctor
    January 26 2019
    Tamari has the benefit of being gluten free, but it is still soy based.
  17. 2 comments removed
  18. 24
    Nicole
    June 18 2019
    Just made this with soy sauce as I didn’t have coconut aminos and it’s delicious, I possibly put a little too much salt on the chicken while cooking but I’ll remember that next time 😋
  19. 25
    Mandy Hemmingsen
    October 27 2019
    I've never heard of coconut aminos so I googled it and learned a good substitute is Tamari soy sauce. I can relate to that so when I make these I'll be using Tamari soy sauce instead. Looking forward to it.
  20. 26
    Stephany
    May 11 2020
    These wings are absolutely delicious! They're baked but come out oven like fried wings and with the sauce, it's like teriyaki wings! Totally Delicious!!
    Couldn't stop eating them :)
  21. 1 comment removed
  22. 28
    Kristin Parker Team Diet Doctor
    July 21 2020

    Hey there
    I’m a newbie and really confused with regards to macro calculations
    Per single serving of wings are 225g of protein
    My protein intake per day is 70g perhaps the equivalent of 2 sml wings
    How is one satiated then
    Kind regards
    Sameera

    The weight of meat is not equal to grams of protein. This recipe is 40g protein per serving.

  23. 29
    Jill Wallentin Team Diet Doctor
    September 2 2020
    Hello there!
    Thanks so much for your feedback. We've listened, re-tested this recipe, and improved it a bit with less coconut aminos (less sweet) and added tamari soy instead of the salt. We hope once you try it again yourself, you'll notice the difference — and love it as much as we do.
    Happy cooking!

    /The recipe team

    Reply: #38
  24. 2 comments removed
  25. 32
    Cassidy
    November 5 2020
    Made this tonight. So yummy! We used tenderloins instead of wings, cut them into pieces and then mixed with the sauce. We used the correct ingredients but it was still a bit salty so I added Caulirice to it which diluted it a bit and it was perfect. Plus its more of a meal now instead of just a main dish.
    Reply: #33
  26. 33
    Reply to comment #32 by Cassidy
    Crystal Pullen Team Diet Doctor
    November 5 2020

    Made this tonight. So yummy! We used tenderloins instead of wings, cut them into pieces and then mixed with the sauce. We used the correct ingredients but it was still a bit salty so I added Caulirice to it which diluted it a bit and it was perfect. Plus its more of a meal now instead of just a main dish.

    The amount of salt in the tamari and coconut aminos will vary greatly by brand. I am glad you were able to make it work. This one is frequently requested by my family.

  27. 2 comments removed
  28. 36
    Stacie
    March 23 2021
    I have never left a recipe rating on any site before, and I am a recipe junkie, but my family LOVED these so much that I just had to share. Sometimes it is difficult to find keto recipes that meet everyone's needs (gluten-free, dairy-free, low-carb, etc.) and preferences. I will cut back on the tamari slightly next time, as the brand I have was a bit salty, but they were finger licking good!!!
    Reply: #37
  29. 37
    Reply to comment #36 by Stacie
    Kristin Parker Team Diet Doctor
    March 23 2021

    I have never left a recipe rating on any site before, and I am a recipe junkie, but my family LOVED these so much that I just had to share. Sometimes it is difficult to find keto recipes that meet everyone's needs (gluten-free, dairy-free, low-carb, etc.) and preferences. I will cut back on the tamari slightly next time, as the brand I have was a bit salty, but they were finger licking good!!!

    Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment! I definitely agree, they are a favorite here as well. I have shared your kind words with the rest of the Recipe Team.

  30. 38
    Reply to comment #29 by Jill Wallentin
    brenda27
    April 18 2021
    Hello. I made this twice and wondered why I liked it so much better the first time, until I saw your post about changing the recipe. I much preferred the original sauce. Is it possible to post both variations for those who prefer more or less sweetness in their sauce? I don't remember how the original recipe was different.
  31. 39
    Lynda
    March 3 2022
    omg this was so good I've made it 3 times now. DONT CHANGE THE COCONUT AMINOS! they are the key to sweet and sticky. now i think i'm going to go find some chicken wings in my freezer.....
  32. 40
    Fran
    February 9 2023
    What is a heat proof bowl? One that retains the heat or one that doesnt?
    Reply: #41
  33. 41
    Reply to comment #40 by Fran
    Kristin Parker Team Diet Doctor
    February 9 2023

    What is a heat proof bowl? One that retains the heat or one that doesnt?

    In this case, heatproof just means a bowl that can withstand the heat without cracking or other damage. It's specified because these wings are cooked at a higher temp than many other recipes.

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