I’ve been obsessed with doing a low carb bacon wrapped chicken wing for awhile now, and this week I decided to tackle it! It was a raging success!
I wanted the wings to be a little sweet and a little spicy, so Asian seemed like the way to go. I used a combination of 5 spice powder, Hoisin sauce (sparingly as it contains sugar), and a few other typical Asian ingredients to create the marinade.
After marinating the chicken wings for an hour, I wrapped them in bacon and secured it with a toothpick. Then I added them back into the marinade for another hour.
The key to getting great flavor in these is to marinate them as long as possible – overnight would be awesome, but even a few hours will do. You could make extra marinade (keeping it separate from the raw chicken of course) and use it as a sauce after the chicken is cooked. We didn’t think it needed it, but if you like them really saucy I’m sure it would be awesome that way too.
In the interest of science, I baked some of them (shown in the very top photo) and also deep fried some of them (shown directly above) to see which would get the best results. It was a toss up. The deep fried wings cooked a lot faster and were a little juicier, while the baked wings were more uniform and the meat was more succulent and tender from the longer cook time.
Both ways were attractive, crispy, and delicious – so it really depends on your personal preference. In the future I’ll probably just bake them because it was much easier and less hands on than deep frying them. Either way, these are guaranteed to be a hit so make A LOT if you’re planning to share!
Low Carb Bacon-Wrapped Asian Chicken Wings Recipe
- Yield: 16 drumettes 1x
Description
Crispy, sweet, salty and spicy – these low carb Asian inspired chicken wings are made even better with a bacon “skin!” Guaranteed to be a hit with the whole family!
Ingredients
- 16 raw chicken wing drumettes
- 1 Tbsp Hoisin Sauce
- 1 tsp 5 Spice Powder
- 1 Tbsp gluten free soy sauce (tamari)
- 2 Tbsp granulated sugar substitute
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil
- 8 oz raw bacon
Instructions
- Combine the Hoisin sauce, 5 spice powder, GF soy sauce, sweetener, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, and coconut oil in a medium bowl.
- Add the chicken wing drumettes and toss to coat.
- Marinate in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
- Open the package of bacon and cut the pieces in half.
- Wrap one half piece of bacon around each drumette and secure it with a toothpick through the fat end.
- Add the bacon-wrapped wings back to the marinade and toss to coat.
- Marinate in the refrigerator for at least one more hour or overnight.
To bake:
- Place the chicken about one inch apart in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees (F) for 45 minutes.
To fry:
- Heat oil to 375 degrees (F) and fry chicken in batches – careful not to overcrowd the pan.
- Fry for about 4 – 6 minutes depending on the size of the wings – or until the meat is no longer pink near the bone.
- Serve hot with additional sauce if desired.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 drumettes
- Calories: 338
- Fat: 22g
- Carbohydrates: 2g net
- Protein: 25g
Calvin says
Nice fusion recipe idea
Janette Guthrie-Brown says
YUMMY
Sandee says
Have you ever used Coco Aminos, made from the coconut, as a soy sauce alternative? It looks like soy sauce with no soy or gluten. It has a teriyaki flavor.
Mandy Slack says
Hello! I know this is an older post, but I’m hoping you’d be able to help me out anyway. I am thinking of making these for an upcoming Asian food themed food day at work. However, we have one person on our team who is deathly allergic to coconut oil. Would there be anything else I could substitute for that? I appreciate your time!
Mellissa Sevigny says
You can substitute any light oil for the coconut oil!
Mindy says
These look phenomenal. I will be adding Hoisin sauce to the grocery list!
Elise Wormuth says
Well, even skimping on the marinade time, they were wonderful! It was hard for me to wrap the bacon around in a nice neat way, but I thought oh well, and in the end they looked just fine. They were delicious — we all loved them. I know they’ll be a go-to meal n this new way of eating! Thanks —
Elise Wormuth says
Hi! New to the site, my husband and I are going to keep pretty strict for the first month and see how we do. I’m making the wings tonight — they’re just about ready to go in the oven. My only question is about the marinade — I’m only making 12 drumettes, and made the amount of marinade specified for 16 — and I wound up rubbing it on the chicken, because it wasn’t very liquid and there wasn’t very much of it. And when I put the bacon on, there was hardly any marinade at all left in the bowl. I’m sure it will be fine, but I’m just wondering about the amount of marinade. Your site is wonderful, and I’m sure I will be visiting every day!
Mellissa Sevigny says
There should have been a little over 1/4 cup of the marinade and because it’s so intensely flavored it wouldn’t take much to flavor the chicken so it’s not a really soupy soaking marinade. More of a thick coating – how did they turn out!?!?
Michael Nye says
These look delish!!! Do you think they would turn out well on the grill? Just got a brand spanking new gas grill and I am trying to do as much cooking out there this summer. Thanks so much…love your website!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Might be an issue with the fatty bacon drippings with flame ups – use indirect heat and you might be ok though! Not sure they will crisp the same as in the oven – let us know how they turn out if you try it!
Paul says
I went looking for Hoisin Sauce and all the brands i found had TONS of sugar in them, over 10 grams of carbs per serving.
Mellissa Sevigny says
That’s why I use only a small amount in the recipe Paul – a little goes a long way because it’s a strong flavor, and since it’s pretty much the only source of carbs in this recipe, it disperses to just a small amount per serving. Totally worth it for the flavor it brings in my opinion, but you can omit it if you want to!
Jenny says
I just had to take a minute to tell you how amazing these wings are (but I’m pretty sure you already know! I just made them tonight. I omitted the sweetener, not only because I’m out but I don’t care for them as of late. Holy cow were these easy to make! And the flavor is sensational. I posted a picture on my Instagram and I’m sending everyone in this direction. I love your recipes!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks so much Jenny! I’m thrilled that you liked them! Thanks for spreading the word on instagram! :)
Mickie Gross says
I’m going to see if this turns out well with chicken thighs, since that is what my local grocery has on mega-sale this week; they tend to be on the smallish side anyway. I’m thinking maybe an extra 20-30 mins in the oven (watching the bacon to make sure it doesn’t over-crisp). These look soooooo good; YUM!
Mellissa Sevigny says
I don’t see why it wouldn’t work with chicken thighs or even boneless chunks of chicken Mickie! Hope you liked it!!!!
Willow+@Will+Cook+For+Friends says
Holy mother of chicken wings, these sound so, so good! The marinade alone sounds delicious, and then bacon, well… bacon makes everything better. I’ll be really excited to hear about your experience at Blogher — I’ve never been but am really curious what it’s like. Looking forward to hearing all about it! :)
Mellissa Sevigny says
These really do taste as amazing as they sound Willow! I’m really excited about the Blogher conference – going to several evening functions around town in addition to the actual conference and it’s really going to be a great time! Mr. Hungry and Hungry Jr. will be coming with me too so we’ll be able to enjoy Miami together before and after the conference as well – can’t wait!!!