We are whipping up some seriously flavorful pan fried chicken wings today. Seared in a cast-iron skillet, chicken wings on the stove-top are a great way to create a healthy, crispy chicken wing in under 30-minutes that is definitely a WHOLE LOTTA YUM!
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Are Chicken Wings Healthy?
While chicken wings do contain the skin (which adds a little fat), pan fried wings are a healthier alternative to traditional wing recipes. We pan fry the wings in just a little heart-healthy oil and season.
You can opt for sauces to add after cooking, but this will alter the calorie count. If simply love sauce-covered wings, be sure to choose a healthy variety or select from the options supplied below.
Chicken Wings on the Stove
In our household, we love chicken wings and eat them about once a week. There is simply something about these little appetizer-style chicken pieces that works for our home.
And cooking them on the stovetop makes these pan fried wings a great option for busy weeknights when dinner needs to be on the table in under 30-minutes.
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.
Serve your pan fried chicken wings with baked cauliflower mac and cheese and keto broccoli salad to create a low carb and keto-friendly meal that is quick, easy, and flavorful!
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.
Ingredients
Your pan-fried chicken wings just need a few ingredients and great cast iron skillet to become a finger-licking, tasty meal. We are starting off with the wings, adding some avocado oil, and tossing in some salt and pepper to simply bring out the flavor of the wings.
- 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
- (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
Recipe Steps
A few minutes of prep time and into the pan they go - these crispy chicken wings are a seriously simple dish! Just dry your wings, pan-fry, and add sauce if desired.
Prep
While we prefer to buy the chicken already cut into drumettes and wingettes, sometimes all the grocery store has are the whole ones that will need to be cut and trimmed before making pan fried wings.
Here's a Youtube video to help you out if yours didn't come pre-cut and you are unsure how to do this step.
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.
Add the chicken to a small bowl along with 1 tablespoon of the oil, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.
Preheat a cast-iron skillet on medium-high and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of avocado oil.
Pan Fry
Place the chicken 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.
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.
Sauce and Serve
We often serve simple pan-fried chicken wings with sauce on the side, like Frank's red hot and blue cheese.
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.
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.
- Pan frying is a great way to get that fried taste and texture without using a lot of oil or deep-frying.
- 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
Please leave a review if you make our pan-fried wings recipe! We love feedback from readers, it helps others too.
Come connect with us on Instagram! Be sure to tag us (wholelotta.yum) when you make a recipe. You can also find us on Facebook, and Pinterest.
And pin the recipe for later on Pinterest so you can easily get back to it!
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Pan Fried Chicken Wings
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.
Ingredients
- 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.
Recommended Products
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Lodge L10SK3ASHH41B Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet with Red Silicone Hot Handle Holder, 12-Inch -
PRIMAL KITCHEN Organic No Soy Teriyaki Sauce & Marinade, 8.5 OZ
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Primal Kitchen 3 Pack Organic and Unsweetned Barbeque & Steak Sauce - Whole 30 Approved, Keto, Paleo Friendly - Includes: Classic BBQ, Golden BBQ, and Steak Sauce
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