Pan Fried Chicken Wings

Learn how to make pan fried chicken wings in a cast iron skillet that turn out super crispy yet juicy in less than 30 minutes! Leave them simple or add a flavorful sauce at the end like teriyaki sauce. They're a Whole Lotta Yum!

Chicken wings on the stove are easy!

With no breading, no flour, and no eggs, not only is this chicken wings in a skillet recipe super quick to get on your table, it's also super healthy.

Pan fried chicken wings will work for those who are following a gluten-free lifestyle, as well as dairy-free eaters and those who follow Whole30 or paleo. On top of that, your chicken wings are naturally low carb and keto-friendly!

***Note: The addition of some sauces may alter the eating plan that pan fried chicken wings work for. Be sure to read the labels of the items you chose to add.

Why You'll Love This Healthy Wings Recipe

• No breading means you can enjoy these chicken wings even if you have dietary restrictions or follow a specific eating plan.
• Cooking up in under 20-minutes, fried chicken wings are a quick and easy meal for busy weeknights.
• Serve with or without sauce, or change it up from time to time to enjoy wings a variety of ways.

If you love chicken wings as much as we do, be sure to check out our air fryer chicken wings and our air fryer frozen wings recipes.

Key ingredients

• chicken wing sections, cut into drumettes and wingettes
• avocado oil- we prefer this for pan frying over olive oil since it does well with high heat.
• sea salt
• ground black pepper
• (Optional) Sauce- Teriyaki sauce, Frank's Wing Sauce, BBQ sauce

We love the Primal Kitchen brand of sauces since they're ALL sugar-free, dairy-free, paleo, and keto too. An easy way to make healthy wings with tons of flavor! Be sure to use our 10% off reader coupon code! WLY10

How to pan fry chicken wings

Step 1. Dry the wings on both sides with a paper towel. This is very important because it helps the chicken wings to get crispy when you're cooking them in a skillet.

Step 2. Season the wings. Add the chicken to a small bowl along with 1 tablespoon of the oil, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.

Step 3. Place the chicken in a pre-heated oiled skillet with the meatier skin side DOWN. Lower the heat to medium. Pan fry the chicken wings for 10 minutes until crispy.

Step 4. With tongs, flip the wings over and continue cooking them for about 5 more minutes until brown and crisp. The internal temperature of the wings should be 165F.

Note: Most of the wing pieces reached 165F after 15 minutes of total cooking time. A couple of large drumettes took a couple of minutes longer, so we pulled the other pan seared wings out of the pan while those finished cooking.

Step 5. Sauce the wings. If you want to add sauce to the chicken wings, like wing sauce, BBQ sauce, or teriyaki sauce, with a paper towel, dab the excess grease around the wings to absorb some of the oil before adding.

Add as much as you prefer to coat the chicken and give them a quick cook over medium-low heat in the pan for 30-60 seconds until the sauce is warm and the coats the chicken.

Serve warm and enjoy! Allow at least 3-4 wings per person. A 1 lb package should serve 3-4 people. We often serve simple pan-fried chicken wings with sauce on the side, like Frank's red hot and blue cheese.

Recipe Tips

• Eat them simple and dip in sauce or mix with your favorite sauce and cook them for an extra minute or two.
• Use a cast-iron skillet to get your chicken wings as crispy as possible. Non-stick pans will not get that crispy skin.
• Look for wings that are already cut into drummettes and wingettes for a meal that needs almost no prep-work.
• You can easily reheat any leftover pan fried chicken wings the same way you cooked them! Just toss them in a warm skillet for 2-3 minutes and serve.

Common Questions

How do I Store Them?

Store any leftovers in a container for up to 3-4 days in the fridge. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months.

What to Serve with Wings? 

Chicken wings are great finger food that go well with a variety of other dishes. Check out these great ideas or try a side you know your family will love.

• Healthy coleslaw
• Parmesan herbed roasted potatoes
• Broccoli cauliflower salad
• Spinach salad with bacon

Or, you could always create a full appetizer try with chicken wings, mozzarella sticks, and jalapeno poppers!

How to Reheat Chicken Wings? 

Pan-fry over medium heat in a little oil for 2-3 minutes until warm throughout. Reheating them in an air fryer works great too.

More Healthy Chicken Recipes

• Pan fried chicken tenderloin
• Slow cooker Mexican shredded chicken
• Teriyaki chicken bowl recipe
• Keto white chicken chili

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Recipe

Pan Fried Chicken Wings

Jenni Cole

Cooking chicken wings in a pan is easy and takes half the time as oven-baked wings. Serve them simple or add your favorite sauce to the skillet.

4.60 from 5 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 17 minutes mins

Total Time 27 minutes mins

Course Chicken

Cuisine American

Servings 3

Equipment

• Cast Iron Skillet

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ½ lb-1 lb chicken wing sections cut into drumettes and wingettes
• 2 tablespoon avocado oil- we prefer this for pan frying over olive oil since it does well with high heat.
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

 

• Cut the wings into drumettes and wingettes, if needed (hopefully yours came pre-cut 😉 Dry the wings on both sides with a paper towel.
• Add the chicken to a small bowl along with 1 tablespoon of the oil, the salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.
• Preheat a cast-iron skillet on medium high and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of avocado oil.
• Place the chicken wings in the skillet with the meatier skin side DOWN. Lower the heat to medium. Pan fry the chicken wings for 10 minutes until crispy. With tongs, flip the wings over and continue cooking them for about 5 more minutes until brown and crisp. The internal temperature of the wings should be 165F.
• To add sauce to the wings, dab the excess grease around the wings to absorb some of the oil before adding. Add sauce to your liking and quick cook the wings for 30-60 seconds until the sauce is warm and the coats the chicken.
• Serve warm and enjoy! Allow at least 3-4 wings per person. A 1 lb package should serve 3-4 people.

Notes

• Eat them simple and dip in sauce or mix with your favorite sauce (like teryikai, Frank's wing sauce, or BBQ sauce) and cook them for an extra minute or two.
• Use a cast-iron skillet to get your chicken wings as crispy as possible. Non-stick pans will not get that crispy skin.
• Look for wings that are already cut into drummettes and wingettes to keep prep time short.
• You can easily reheat any leftover pan fried chicken wings the same way you cooked them! Just toss them in a warm skillet for 2-3 minutes and serve.
Most of the wing pieces reached 165F after 15 minutes of total cooking time. A couple of large drumettes took a couple of minutes longer, so we pulled the other pan seared wings out of the pan while those finished cooking.

Keyword healthy, in pan, on stove, seared, stove top, without flour

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