Let’s just call these what they are: crack wings. Addictively delicious and yet simple to make, this is the low carb chicken wings recipe that will keep you coming back for more!
Excuse me, please, while I have a bit of a moment. And I don’t mean a good moment, either. I mean a “I need a drink, make that two, oh hell, just give me the whole damn bottle” kind of moment. I am on day three of solo parenting and I just caught kiddo #2 with a bottle of green food dye, attempting to dye some pages in a notebook. For fun, I suppose, but being my most accident-prone child, she’d also done a number on her hands, her clothes and the carpet. To be honest, I lost my $%@#. I was furious, in part because she was being sneaky about it. She didn’t ask because she knew I’d say no, and she’s old enough to know better. And of course this all comes after a weekend of trials and tribulations.
I am not one of those parents who will pretend that parenting is this glorious experience and I feel so blessed at every moment. I know I am blessed but there are times I feel distinctly un-blessed. I also won’t tell you that it’s the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done because there are times (many times) that it feels so un-rewarding, I want to cry. I do cry! Ask me again when I’ve managed to get them all safely through childhood and into productive and happy adulthood. Maybe then I will look back on it all with rose-coloured glasses and I will tell you it was the best thing I’ve ever done. Until then, pass me another drink.
Every time my husband goes away, I have these romantic notions of the fun things we are going to do to stay entertained. But reality sets in pretty quickly. My son has a research project due right at the end of school and helping him figure out what he needs to do and to actually do it took up much of our Saturday. Sunday morning, I took them to breakfast and the park and my six year old was strangely giddy and hyper and spilled half of her breakfast everywhere. I then took them to a fun (and expensive) trampoline park to get out the rambunctiousness and my son spent half the time arguing with me about going to an arcade instead. So when we arrived home, I was desperate for a little peace and quiet. And then the food dye incident…
So. What does this have to do with low carb chicken wings? Nothing. Nothing at all. I just had to share because sharing is what keeps me sane. Every time someone says “yep, I know how you feel, I’ve been there”, I feel a million times better. Because I know it’s normal and I am not alone. So come on, soothe me, friends. I am very much in need of soothing.
And now, the recipe. This is my recreation of the best wings I’ve ever had, which happened to be at Northstar in Ithaca, New York last summer. I asked the chef how they were made and it turned out they were smoked first, and then tossed with browned butter and Old Bay seasoning. While I do happen to own a smoker, I wanted to make a version that was doable by the average home cook. And this, my friends, is not only doable but amazingly delicious and worth doing at your first opportunity. Crispy skin slathered in caramel-y brown butter and seasoned lightly with Old Bay. Let’s just call them crack wings, because they are that addictive!
You need to check out these Crispy Baked Chicken Wings from Fifteen Spatulas for another great trick for baked wings! And these Turmeric Chicken Wings from Fearless Dining look ah-mazing!
Brown Butter Old Bay Wings
Ingredients
- 3 lbs chicken wings
- 1 ½ tablespoon baking powder
- 3 tablespoon butter melted
- 3 to 4 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250F and place a baking rack over a baking sheet lined with foil. Brush rack with oil to prevent sticking.
- Pat wings dry very well and place in a plastic bag. Sprinkle with baking powder and shake to coat. Lay wings in a single layer on prepared baking rack and bake in lower third of oven for 30 minutes.
- Increase oven temperature to 425F and move baking sheet to upper third of oven. Continue to bake for another 20 to 30 minutes, until crispy.
- In a medium skillet over medium heat, cook butter until it becomes a deep amber, 4 to 5 minutes. Watch carefully so it does not burn.
- Transfer wings to a bowl and pour butter over. Toss to combine. Sprinkle with Old Bay to taste (it can get pretty salty so a light hand is best until you see how they taste).
Notes
Food energy: 488kcal
Total fat: 35.20g
Calories from fat: 316
Cholesterol: 266mg
Carbohydrate: 1.77g
Total dietary fiber: 0.09g
Protein: 39.87g
Ginny L. says
This came up today somehow (ha) in my feed on FB and the recipe caught my eye/stomach. The story, however, caught my heart. THIS. THIS is what my life feels like (and mine are little). You succinctly put into words what I’ve been struggling to come to grips with. The blessed but not feelin’ it, thing. Thank you for your deliciousness, but thank you so much for your honesty. I desperately needed that today. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Now to put them back into their beds for the 947th time.
Carolyn says
You are so welcome, Ginny. I feel that people often feel that they must present the best side of everything and it can leave us feeling alienated. I am glad it helped, even a little.
carolyn says
You are really funny.I just happen to run across your page.It made my morning joyful.Thanks you.
Carolyn says
Well that’s lovely to hear. Thank you!
Joan says
Okay, I have no kids to blame it on. I just lovingly followed this recipe, took a bite of the first one, and spit it out. Gross! Guess who used baking SODA instead of baking powder? Damn, I was so ready for these wings! I literally washed them off and just threw them back in the oven, but I’m not feeling very hopeful ??
Carolyn says
Oh goodness…so sorry about that. Yuck indeed!
Jules says
We just try this recipe for the first time last night. So surprised at how well it Krista the skin without frying or adding anything else to it. Thank you so much for providing your low carb and low sugar recipes. For some with PC OS who has put herself on a strict sugarfree and no carb diet, I love your website !
Kelly says
These were great! So crisp and crunchy! Would have never thought of Old Bay on wings! Would make again for sure!
caitlin kelly says
These wings are AWESOME!!! The buttery goodness combined with the Old Bay… WOW! They were so easy to make too! They will be a regular on my weekly rotation!
Rachel says
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I’ve been looking for a good low-carb chicken wing recipe and I think I found it. I have difficulty cooking chicken sometimes, but this looks pretty easy to follow!
Tiphanie says
Getting ready to make these tonight and just read through the post. That is the day I am having today so even though I am 3 months late, I FEEL YOU! LOL.
Carolyn says
Aw, sorry you were having a rough day!
Lisa says
HOLY CRAP these are the bomb!!! I have never eaten or cooked wings before and they were amazing! The whole family devoured them with great praise. I had a 4 1/2 lb package of wings from Costco and we ate all but 6 pieces (there were 6 of us). Served with sugar free cole slaw and garlic mashed potatoes for the carbers. I can’t wait to make them again. For those who might read this and who don’t like old bay, for some reason the browned butter totally changes the flavor and as much as I love old bay, I wouldn’t have guessed that was the seasoning used. Tastes more like fried chicken flavoring. Thanks so much for your genius recipes.
Carolyn says
I am so glad they were a hit!
Deborah Ragno says
THIS is the recipe I’ve been hunting for since I bought the wings last month. I know what we are eating on Wednesday!
Darrell says
Should the wings be thawed first?
Carolyn says
If they are frozen, they absolutely should.
Mary-Stewart says
It’s so refreshing for me to read another mother’s blog and discover that I am not the only one that has days similar to the one you described. The fact that you keep up with this beautiful blog and share delicious recipes with me, well and everyone else 😉 AND be a mother shows that you are super woman! It is so hard when the husband leaves us mommas solo, so we must encourage each other to keep on keeping on, even when it’s tough and we’re tired and just. need. a. break! Thank you for sharing your real life with us. You are not alone!
Carolyn says
Thanks, Mary!
Sheryl says
Have SO been there! Looking back, I should have been more patient but also should have put up with less unpleasant behavior on their part. Having said that, they were nice kids overall and I bet yours are too. We now have a 26 year old daughter who has gone from self-centered teen and college student to a wise and considerate true adult–YAY! And a 22 year old son with one more year of college, great career prospects, and a funny and loving nature. Double-YAY!! It’s worth it. It’s really, really worth it.
Nancy says
Haha, I feel your pain! My older one is grown with a job and apartment of her own (praise God!), and the other just graduated from college. Or what I thought was her graduation. She tells me a week ago she is lacking one course (after I have spent a fortune and doing a happy dance that she is finished). She said she was supposed to get at least a ‘B’ in a class that was in her major. Amazing I still have hair on my head. And then the older one says she is applying for a master’s program in the Caribbean. No the fun never ends, but I have a well-stocked bar! So bring some low carb snacks over and I will supply the cocktails (low carb of course, hahaha!) and we would probably be on the floor laughing our you-know-what’s off!!
Carolyn says
Ahhhhhhh, sorry they are still giving you fits!
Jillian says
Ha! I love that commercial where the mom is doing the happy dance when her kids get on the school bus to go back to school in the fall. I did not find parenting that easy, yet, am grateful to have a family. My oldest is 45 now, and we still have a few moments that are a challenge. My second was so easy. We all seem to have lessons and growth here and the kiddos are big part of it. It is a very good thing to share with all of us. If we have kids we get it!
Jeff says
Carolyn, you seemed like you always have it so together. Well, the kids have us outnumbered. Wait until they become teens; you’ll wish you had the young kids back! Although I don’t think they even turn human until older than 4 (they are so cute then so we don’t ‘kill’ them). 12-13, their minds are as if on crack. Worst decision I ever made was becoming a parent. I had all these romantic ideas about how close we’d be and the fun we’d have. Well, we have a granddaughter as well now, and the ungrateful things hide from us–we don’t even know where they live. Despite this, I still get envious when I see others’ cute kids. Heartbusters. Hang in there, yours don’t seem so bad.
I got a huge bottle of dried, smoked Chipoltle pepper powder from Amazon that I’m gonna use on those wings, it’s the bomb…
Eileen says
OK. You are obviously something more than a human, though perhaps less than a god. Food-wise, anyway. Maybe your difficult days are just there to keep you humble. 🙂 But I *totally* worship your foodie skills!!!!! 🙂
These are every bit as delicious as you say. We’ve used the butter & Old Bay on chicken drumsticks, baked similarly to the wings, with excellent results as well. And we’ve cheated — my husband ordered wings from the local pizza joint — plain, extra crispy — and then when he got them home we dumped them in a serving dish and gave them the brown butter treatment. Yum!
The best wings I ever had (besides traditional Buffalo wings from the original Anchor bar, that is!), are Salt & Pepper wings from the Blue & Gray restaurant in Gettysburg PA. This recipe reminded my family of those! I wonder if they are prepared the same way, only with S&P instead of Old Bay? Now I’ll have to try it! Meanwhile, these are every bit as awesome as you say.
What a website. I have yet to find a recipe here that isn’t GREAT. Thank you for making a low carb lifestyle actually livable!!! (And for making *me* look good as a low-carb cook!!)
Carolyn says
Thank you! Oh my gosh, I am laughing and blushing!
Robyn says
Wow, you just made me feel a millions times better too! I don’t have many moms to talk to so I always feel like I’m the only “one” out of there. Love you food and your posts!
Dawn says
I’m always relieved when I hear parents talk openly about how parenting isn’t the most fulfilling thing in their life. There are moments that it’s amazing and moments that it downright sucks. We’re allowed to admit this about everything else in our lives, but for some reason admitting this about parenting is stigmatized. I don’t get it. I completely agree with you, though. It’s gotten better as my kids have gotten older and matured out of some of the stupid whiney phases, but yeah, I can think of much better things to do than listen to my kids complain that the activity I’ve not only chosen for them to do but spent a half a week’s grocery budget on wasn’t good enough for them.
As for the recipe, I love it! Wings are my go to for when I don’t feel like cooking lunch. I wonder how well these would freeze? I would bake them again to warm them up from frozen. I may try this with about half a pound to see how it works out.
Carolyn says
Let me know what happens after freezing! I am curious…
Angela says
Since I already love every ingredient in this recipe I know it will be absolutely delicious and a new staple in our repetoire, so many of your recipes are…THANK YOU!!! As for the many trials & tribulations of single parenting…I am with you(unfortunately my husband travels frequently) and on the flip side your post actually soothed me…so thank you so much for sharing! Usually, during the stressful moments I say to myself “this too shall pass” and although I know it’s not guaranteed, it does seem to help me in the moment! LOL! Thanks again for all the wonderful recipes! I’ve now lost 25lbs. and only 12 more to go! But regardless, I’m LCHF for life! ????
Carolyn says
Sharing those trials and frustrations is so helpful to me…glad you found it helpful too!