Dirty Keto Air Fryer Wings – Double Fried, Double Sauced
Dirty wings are double fried, double sauced chicken wings with enormous flavour. (Air)Fried > Sauced> Fried again > Sauced again. These air fryer Buffalo wings are keto friendly made with a simple homemade Buffalo sauce that will make you the wing master of game night.
The second trip to the air fryer caramelizes the peppers, spices, and butter, in the homemade low carb buffalo sauce adding a robust layer of flavor that single fried wings just can’t match. No brining, no added sugar, no deep frying mess.
Made in an air fryer, these chicken wings are low carb and high protein, perfect for keto and other low carb diets with only 0.6g of net carbs and 36g of protein per serving.
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Why You Will Love These Air Fryer Wings
- Made in the air fryer means no deep frying mess and easy clean up.
- The second frying browns the butter and caramelizes the peppers in the hot sauce for an unique and flavourful experience.
- An undeniably delicious way to make buffalo wings without even better.
- Easy to make in batches, double frying means you can have a bunch of wings fried and cooled ready to sauce and fry again whenever you want them, perfect for meal prep or a make ahead party snack.
- Th homemade Buffalo sauce has zero added sugar and is keto friendly.
What Are Dirty Keto Wings?
Dirty wings, sometimes called trashed wings, are like upgraded buffalo wings. Dirty wings are double fried and double sauced, yes they break the rules of classic buffalo wings, but it is Oh-So-Worth-it.
Take your standard skin on chicken wing, hit it with salt and pepper, fry (in this case air fry) until fully cooked and the skin is crispy, toss in homemade buffalo sauce, fry a second time until the butter in the sauce has browned, and the peppers and spices have toasted and released an aroma of stunning flavors. You can stop here and eat these dry and crispy, or you can go to the next level and hit these with sauce again. You won’t be sorry.
I was first exposed to these at my local golf course, the chef would deep fry their meaty buffalo wings, sauce them, and then toss them on the grill to crisp and char, then hit them with some extra sauce.
It was heavenly. Forget golf, I’d go just for these wings.
Dirty Keto Wings Ingredients
Despite the name these wings have only simple easy to find ingredients, no seed oils, added sugar, or additives.
For the wings:
- 2-3 pounds chicken wings – skin on
- Salt
- Pepper
- Olive Oil (optional)
For the low sugar Buffalo sauce:
- Prepared sugar free hot sauce – Valentinas, Frank Red Hot, Louisiana, Cholula, or any standard hot sauce will do the trick.
- Butter
- Apple cider vinegar
- Worcestershire
- Garlic Powder
- Salt
What You Need To Know
Below is a deeper dive into the steps and ingredients of this recipe, as well as tips and tricks you may find helpful. If you are ready to make this recipe now, use the jump to recipe button below.
How to Make Homemade Keto Buffalo Sauce
Buffalo sauce is a classic for slathering over wings, chicken, or roasted veggies. Generally this sauce contains a basic hot sauce like Franks, butter, and a good deal of honey leaving it hard to fit into a keto diet.
This recipe has no added sugar, great for low carb diets, diabetics, and anyone looking to cut their sugar intake.
The key to making a delicious buffalo sauce is to use a good quality hot sauce as the base. It’s very common to use Franks red hot or a similar sauce to make buffalo sauce. If you like that, go ahead and use it, but I think we can do a little better than that.
Enter Valentina hot sauce. If you haven’t tried this, you need to. Not only is it low in sugar, but Valentina is a Mexican hot sauce that is packed with savory southwestern flavours, better yet, it’s available at most grocery stores.
Its my favourite keto friendly hot sauce.
Prepping Chicken Wings for the Air Fryer
You want to prepare the wings in a way that they will achieve maximum crispiness.
- Leave the skin on, pat dry with a paper towel on all sides. Removing extra moisture from the skin will help them crisp.
- Season liberally with salt and pepper on all sides. If you want to add any additional spices or seasonings you can do that now. Lightly rub the seasoning into the wings.
Tip: If the seasoning is having trouble sticking to the wings, rub them lightly with some high quality olive oil, ghee, or tallow.
Cooking time and Temperature
Cooking Method: Air Fryer
Cooking Temperature: 375° [190°C]
Cooking Time: First Fry – 20 minutes, Second Fry – 10 to 12 minutes.
You Know They Are Done When: After the first fry the wings will be fully cooked with golden brown and crispy skin. After saucing cook again until the sauce has crisped and caramelized on the outside.
Air Fryer Chicken Wings FAQs
Can I deep fry dirty keto wings?
If you don’t have an air fryer or prefer deep fried wings, these wings can easily be deep fried.
Can I bake these chicken wings?
Yes, bake these wings at 375°F [190°C] on a baking rack. They won’t be as crispy as air fried wings.
Can I grill dirty keto wings?
Grill the seasoned wings over indirect heat until cooked through and the skin in crispy. Remove from the heat, sauce, grill again until the buffalo sauce has caramelized and the skin has crisped.
What’s the best hot sauce for keto wings?
Use a good quality hot sauce with a decent heat level. Something you can eat comfortably such as Valentinas, Franks Red Hot, or Cholula.
Can I use store bought buffalo sauce for this recipe?
Check the label of your preferred store-bought Buffalo sauce to determine the sugar content to make sure you can fit it into your keto macros.
Are these wings spicy?
The heat level of these wings will depend on the hot sauce used to make your homemade Buffalo sauce. Frying the sauce tends to mellow it out a bit.
Do I have to sauce the wings twice?
If you prefer extra crispy wings, skip the second layer of sauce and serve your dirty wings after the second fry.
Are dirty keto wings good for the super bowl?
Air fryer wings are a perfect low carb super bowl snack to bring for yourself or to share. These will be the best wings there!
Are trashed wings and dirty wings the same thing?
Yes, dirty wings or dirt wings are sometimes called trashed wings.
Can dirty keto wings be frozen?
Absolutely! Dirty wings can be frozen for up to 3 months.
What is the best dipping sauce for keto wings?
I live to dip these in some ranch or my homemade creamy garlic dipping sauce.
Make ahead, Meal prep, Leftovers
Dirty keto wings are perfect for meal prep and are easy to make ahead in large batches for parties, potlucks, game night, or the Super bowl.
After frying the wings initially, let them cool completely and store in the fridge in an airtight container until needed.
When ready to eat, sauce them, fry them, and sauce them again!
Leftovers – Store leftovers sealed in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Freezing instructions – For longer tern storage freeze these wings in a resealable freezer bag for up to 3 months.
Thaw in the fridge before reheating.
Reheating – Reheat in the air fryer or a hot oven until crispy. Add additional sauce after frying if desired.
Recipe Card
Dirty Keto Wings (Air Fryer Recipe)
IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Equipment
- air fryer
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Small saucepan
Ingredients
- 2-3 pounds chicken wings split
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Sugar Free Buffalo Wing Sauce
- ¾ cup hot sauce Valentia, Franks red hot, Louisiana, Etc.
- ½ cup butter salted
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ teaspoon soy sauce optional, see notes
Instructions
- Prepare the chicken wings. Pat the chicken wings dry on all sides with a paper towel or clean kitchen towel. Lightly drizzle with olive oil to coat the wings and season all sides liberally with salt and pepper.2-3 pounds chicken wings, 1½ teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Air fry until cooked through. Place the chicken wings in your air fryer in a single layer. Cook at 375°F [190°C] for 20-25 minutes, turning half way. The skin should be a crispy golden brown and the chicken wings should be fully cooked.¾ cup hot sauce, ½ cup butter, 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, ¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, ¼ teaspoon soy sauce, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- Prepare the buffalo sauce. Combine the hot sauce, butter, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire, garlic powder, and soy sauce if using, in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Cook for 5-8 minutes, stirring with a whisk until the mixture begins the simmer and the butter has melted. Do not let it boil unattended or the sauce will break. Remove from the heat to cool.
- Sauce the wings. Add half of the homemade buffalo sauce to a large mixing bowl. Place the fully cooked chicken wings into the bowl and toss to coat the wings entirely in the sauce.
- Fry the wings a second time. Place the sauced wings back into the air fryer in an even layer. Cook again at 375°F [190°C] for 12- 15 minutes until the sauce has caramelized and the skin has crisped up again.
- Sauce again and serve. For extra crispy wings serve immediately with some extra sauce on the side for dipping. For extra saucy wings, add the remaining buffalo sauce to the mixing bowl and toss the wings again to coat. Serve with ranch or low carb creamy garlic dipping sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated using the recipe calculator and verified database available from Cronometer. Although every reasonable effort is made to provide accurate information this estimate is provided as courteously and convenience only. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe.
Try the free recipe calculator at Cronometer
4 Quick Tips for Perfect Air Fryer Chicken Wings
- Be sure to pat the wings dry before seasoning and frying. Extra moisture on the skin will prevent them from reaching maximum crispiness. If the seasoning won’t stick tot he wings rub the wings lightly with olive oil.
- Adjust the cooking time as necessary. If the skin isn’t as crispy as you want, cook for another 5 to 8 minutes.
- Adjust the heat level of the sauce by adding more butter or less hot sauce.
- For extra crispy wings skip the second round of sauce, for extra saucy wings sauce em’ up!
Enjoy!
