I love chicken wings...

Over the last six weeks or so I've been on a low carb diet. Low carb is actually an understatement, since I eat almost no carbs. Yes, I understand this is a bit of a crash diet and can be risky to your health. I'm only 26 and this doesn't really concern me.

One of my meal options is deep fried chicken wings. They're not too bad, but the wings at the bar I go to are sooooo much better. The sauce tastes better, and they've got a nice crispy crunch to them. But here's my question: Is that crispiness due to some kind of breading or batter, and I'm actually getting some carbs there, or is there a way to fry carb free and still get a nice crunch? I want to improve the flavor of the wings at home, without adding carbs.. or at least not too much carbs. 10-20 carbs for one serving is okay..

Maybe you could ask at the bar what they are using next time you're there.

Most places I've beem dont bread them at all.

I'm starting to think I should thaw the wings first before frying them, and maybe that will give a little more crispiness.

How are you preparing the wings? Chicken skin will become crunchy when fried - that's what's happening at the bar. If you're reheating pre-cooked wings at home, they'll be tasty but soggy as there's no way to reproduce the effect that frying has on the skin. If it's an option with your product, it should be better in the oven than in the microwave.

Quote: ewjones

I'm starting to think I should thaw the wings first before frying them, and maybe that will give a little more crispiness.

Yes, it will. You actually have a deep fryer? That's awesome!

Frying them when they are thawed will help--one secret is not dropping the temperature of the oil too much when you put them in to cook. I have noticed that smaller batches help keep the oil up to temp and make them fry better. The oil going below temp makes them a bit more oily and not as crispy.

Also, you can try other ways of prepping them for variety. I have baked them on a racks on a cookie sheet (so the fat drips away). Not as crispy but a different way to eat them. Also, they can be done on the grill. the fat drips away and you can get the grilling flavors going.

Thee only place i know for sure that breads them (national chain) is Hooters. I don't like Hooters for the wings!!

I've got a small Fry Daddy. You can get about 12 medium sized wings max. I only cook half a dozen or so at a time. I'm starting to think time will make a difference also. The directions say fry for 11-12 minutes, but doesn't specify how many. When I did this, they came not quite done. I upped it to 15 minutes and it helped. Hopefully thawing first and for fifteen minutes is the key.


I got some Hooters hot sauce from the grocery store. It tasted funky. I've never eaten there, so I didn't really know what to expect.

I've also been doing the low-no carb diet thing the past few months. I've lost about 10 pounds since September, it's not easy at age 53 to get it off, since the 0.5 to 1 pound per week loss is not very motivating. But at least it's staying off. I've been swimming lengths at least 3 times a week for 45 minutes too.

Chicken wings are on the menu at least once a week these days. Here are my favorite wings:

Tyson Any'tizers Buffalo Style Hot Wings. With only 3g of Carbohydrate per serving, they are the best and easiest that I've found. They are frozen in the freezer section at Walmart. Try cooking them in the oven(on convection mode, if you have it on your oven)for about 22 minutes at 425 degrees. The skin gets nice and crispy. They are mild to medium on the hotness scale. None of that deep fry messiness or added calories from the oil(yes, calories still do count).

Speaking of Hooter's. Yes, their wings are breaded and deep fried. I would think plenty of Carb grams in those. But you can order them "Naked", without the breading and they're actually really good. I would watch out for the hidden Carbs in the sauce though, as there is sometimes lot's of added sugar.

Just my $0.02's worth.

Good Luck with your weight loss endeavor!

Don't worry, I make sure to check for those hidden carbs. The wing sauce doesn't have any. I also need to drink SOMETHING every day, and what used to be soda has turned into Mio water enhancer. It's zero calorie and has added energy. Not to mention it saves me a ton of money, since one $4 bottle will last about two weeks, when before I was spending at least $4 every two days.


I finally got the right idea with the wings. Thawing them first definitely is the way to go. My first batch came out crispy, just not quite the same. I tacked on an extra minute to the frying time. Hopefully, that does the trick.



I did a zero carb thing a few years ago and lost 40lbs in about 6 weeks. I also worked a hard labor job for 10 hrs a day, so that probably allowed for that much success. I weighed myself yesterday though, and I'm down about 30 lbs since the last week of September. I really need to do some serious weight training though to try to put on a little muscle..