Are Chicken Wings Healthy? What You Should Know

Chicken wings are a popular food served at parties and tailgates and are also often enjoyed at restaurants and as takeout. But if you’re watching your health, you might wonder, “Are chicken wings healthy?” That can be a tricky question and the answer depends on how they’re made.

It’s easy to assume that chicken wings are healthy since they come from a chicken, and chicken is generally considered to be a lean protein. But what makes wings less healthy than other cuts of chicken, like breasts or thighs, is the skin. Unlike other parts of the chicken, where you can easily remove the skin and still enjoy the taste of the protein-rich meat, it’s hard to eat a chicken wing without consuming the skin. And the skin of a chicken holds most of the fat.

Another thing that makes most chicken wings less than healthy is that they’re often deep-fried, especially if you get them in a restaurant. Buffalo chicken wings are doused in a hot sauce, which typically contains a lot of butter. Other types of wing sauce may not be any healthier. Add some dips on the side, like blue cheese or ranch dressing, and a serving of wings can quickly turn into a high-calorie meal that’s loaded with fat and sodium. A typical restaurant order may have over 1,000 calories, and that’s before adding a side or a drink.

But just because most restaurant chicken wings aren’t the healthiest options doesn’t mean you can’t make healthier chicken wings at home. Here are answers to common questions about how healthy different types of wings are – as well as tips on how to make wings healthier.

Are buffalo wings healthy?

Classic buffalo wings are usually deep-fried and tossed in a sauce made from hot sauce mixed with melted butter. While the spicy flavor is a favorite, the butter adds a lot of extra fat. That makes buffalo wings one of the less healthy choices when it comes to wing options. But you can make them healthier by baking, grilling, or air frying the wings. You can also make a lighter version of buffalo sauce by mixing hot sauce with a smaller amount of butter or swapping in buttermilk. Doing so still brings the heat without adding a lot of saturated fat.

Are boneless wings healthy?

Many people think boneless chicken wings are healthier because they don’t have all the skin that’s on bone-in chicken wings. But if you get boneless wings in a restaurant, they’re often just chunks of breaded, deep-fried chicken, which has a lot of calories, carbs, and fat. However, you can easily make boneless wings healthy by starting with pieces of lean chicken breast, thigh meat, or chicken tenders and baking or air-frying them. Add a dry rub or healthier sauce, and you can enjoy the taste you crave without all the calories, fat, and sodium. For a delicious and healthy boneless wing recipe, try our popular Buffalo Chicken Tenders.

Buffalo Chicken Tenders

Photo Credit: Adobe Stock

45 mins

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Are hot wings healthy?

Hot wings may be wings with buffalo sauce on them, or they can be served with other types of sauce or dry rub that makes them spicy. These wings can be unhealthy if they’re fried and doused in butter-based or sodium-filled sauces. But if they’re grilled, baked, or air-fried and enjoyed with a lighter sauce or a dry rub, they can be a much healthier option while still bringing the heat. For a healthier hot wing alternative, try these Spicy Chicken Drumsticks or Sriracha Chicken Drumsticks. We used chicken drumsticks, but you can easily follow the recipe and swap out the drumsticks for chicken wings if you prefer (the nutrition info will differ slightly).

Sriracha Chicken Drumsticks

Photo Credit: Baldwin Publishing Staff Photographer

60 mins

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Are grilled chicken wings healthy?

Grilling chicken wings is one of the healthiest ways to enjoy wings. Grilling cuts down on the oil that comes from frying and gives the wings a smoky, satisfying flavor. The skin gets nice and crispy, but removing any visible fat or some of the skin can lower the fat content. Grilled wings are often enjoyable with just a dry rub of spices, which cuts down on the fat, sodium, and calories that come from dousing wings in sauce.

Are baked chicken wings healthy?

Baking wings instead of frying cuts down on the fat, which makes them healthier. Making your own sauce from healthier ingredients or using a dry rub can also give you the wing taste you crave with less fat and calories. Baking is an especially good option when you want to make healthy boneless wings.

Are air fried chicken wings healthy?

Air frying is another smart option when you want to enjoy healthier chicken wings. It gives you that crispy texture you crave with little to no added oil. For the healthiest option, use a dry rub and go sauce-free, use sauce sparingly, or make your own healthy chicken wing sauce. It’s best to air fry wings with nothing on them or just dry spices and then brush with sauce after they’re fully cooked.

Are turkey wings healthy?

Turkey wings are bigger than chicken wings and have more meat on them. That means you’ll get more meat per bite instead of just a lot of skin. As with chicken wings, you can make turkey wings healthier by baking, grilling, or air-frying them instead of deep-frying and seasoning them with a low-sodium dry rub or low-fat sauce.

How to Make Chicken Wings Healthier

If you’ve been wondering how you can still enjoy wings as part of a heart healthy diet, the best option is to make them yourself so you can control how they are cooked and what they are served with. By skipping the fryer and instead grilling, baking, or air-frying wings, you can easily make healthier chicken wings. Using dry rubs, which are just a mix of spices, is a low-calorie and low-fat way to add flavor to wings. Just limit the salt to also keep it low sodium. It’s also possible to enjoy healthy buffalo wings or wings with other types of savory sauces by modifying the ingredients in the sauce.

If you can’t live without traditional chicken wings from your favorite restaurant, that’s okay, too. Just go easy on portion sizes, enjoy on occasion, and savor each and every bite.

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Are Chicken Wings Healthy?