The fiery hot flavors of Nashville Hot Chicken are infused into delicious oven or air "fried" chicken wings. These Keto, Paleo and Whole30 wings are crispy, crunchy and finger lickin' good!
Good fried chicken recipes are a dime a dozen, but there's none quite like Nashville's. I can say that with certainty because I've experienced it myself.
A few years ago, my best friend and I road tripped from Maryland to Nashville for a Shania Twain concert (totally worth the 10 hour drive btw). Upon our arrival, we were hangry, so we did a quick Yelp search and all queries pointed towards a chicken joint called Prince's. So off we went. The place was packed and we waited over an hour for our order, but my God was it worth it!
You guys, I'm not sure how to even begin describing how incredible this chicken was or why it was so much better than any other fried chicken I've ever eaten. Was it the crispy breading? Was it the hot and spicy flavors? Was it the slice of white bread conveniently placed under the fried chicken to collect the excess (delicious) greasy chicken dripppings? Was it all of the above? I honestly don't know, but it was absolutely the BEST chicken I've ever eaten. LIKE EVER.
Jump to:
I don't know why it's taken me so long to replicate the flavors I experienced that day. Probably because I assumed I didn't stand a chance, but I finally gave it a shot and oh my goodness gracious! Brined in pickle juice before being crisped to perfection in the oven or air fryer and then basted in the best wing sauce on the Internet, these wings satisfied my craving for Nashville Hot Chicken that I've had for far too long.
My rendition of Nashville Hot Chicken is Ket0-friendly, low carb, Whole30 compliant and Paleo, so without further ado -let's dive in to the recipe!
Prepping Whole30 Nashville Hot Chicken Wings
In order to make the most of this recipe, the wings must be marinaded in pickle juice for at least an hour. Here's what you'll need:
- 2 Pounds of Chicken Wings: 2 pounds of wings technically serves about 4 people, but as a seasoned wing eater I can easily polish off a pound by myself. That being said, you may need to adjust the recipe accordingly depending on how many people you're feeding.
- 1 Cup of Pickle Juice: Brining chicken in pickle juice begins the process of adding flavor to the wings in order to make these wings as delicious as possible. So ALWAYS save your pickle juice. Marinading meat in pickle juice is a game changer. My recipe for Spicy Paleo Oven “Fried” Pork Chops also uses pickle juice as a marinade and it's absolutely delicious!
Whole30 Nashville Hot Chicken Wings Can Be "Fried" in an Oven or Air Fryer
I've included detailed instructions in the recipe card below for how to "fry" these wings in an oven or air fryer. Both methods churn out super crispy and crunchy delicious wings!
- Oven "Fried" Wings: The trick to getting wings super crispy in the oven is starting them at a low temperature and then cranking up the temperature halfway through. To do so, place the wings on a wire rack above a foil-lined baking sheet. Start them in a 250 degree oven. After 30 minutes, crank the heat up to 500 degrees. Leave them be for an additional 30 to 40 minutes or until the wings are done to your liking.
- Air "Fried" Wings: Given you own an air fryer, this method takes a lot less time. Simply air "fry" the wings at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, tossing the basket every 10 minutes or so.
For both methods, I like to toss the wings in a small amount of cooking oil first, but that's simply a matter of preference.
The Secret is in the Sauce
Unlike traditional fried chicken, Nashville Hot Chicken uses a spice paste rather than a dry blend of herbs and spices. The paste-like hot chicken sauce for these wings is super simple to make! Here's how it's done:
- 10 to 15 minutes before the wings are finished oven or air frying, heat a large skillet or cast iron over medium heat.
- Add 4 tablespoons of avocado oil, 4 tablespoons of coconut milk and 1 tablespoon of hot sauce to the pan and stir continuously.
- Once the liquid begins to bubble, add the seasonings (1 T garlic powder, 1 T paprika, 1 t cayenne, 1 t dill weed, 1 t onion powder, and ¼ t pepper). Reduce the heat and continue to stir. The seasonings will soak into the liquid, creating a paste-like sauce.
- Once the wings are cooked through and crispy, add them to the pan with the sauce and gently toss until each wing is coated evenly. You can transfer the sauced wings to a platter or eat them straight out of the skillet! Do you, but these wings are best served immediately while they're still crisp and crunchy!
How to Serve Whole30 Nashville Hot Chicken Wings
These wings are great served alongside carrot and celery sticks and a side of dairy-free ranch dressing for dunking. Use your favorite store-bought Paleo ranch or try my recipe for Tahini Ranch dressing! This tangy, dairy-free ranch will one day get a post of it's own, but in the meantime you can find it here. Jump to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the deets! Oh, and don't forget to throw a few pickle chips on your plate!
If you're ever in Nashville, I can't urge you enough to stop into Prince's for the real deal, but in the meantime these wings do a great job of mimicking the fiery flavors and crunch of Nashville Hot Chicken. If you make this recipe, I'd love to see it! Please tag me in your food photos @paleoishkrista and use #paleoishkristaeats on social media! I can't wait to see your recreations! ENJOY! 🙂
PIN NOW! COOK LATER!
HUNGRY FOR MORE FINGER LICKIN' GOOD CHICKEN RECIPES? SAY NO MORE.
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📖 Recipe
Whole30 Nashville Hot Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 2 pounds fresh chicken wings drums and flats
- 1 cup pickle juice
- ¼ cup avocado oil
- ¼ cup coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce like Frank's Red Hot
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- dairy-free ranch dressing optional
- carrot and celery sticks optional
- pickle chips optional
Instructions
To Prep Wings
- Place chicken wings in a large Ziploc bag with pickle juice. Squeeze out any excess air from the bag, seal bag closed and marinade wings in fridge for at least an hour (no longer than 12 hours). Once marinated, remove wings from bag and pat dry with a paper towel. Discard pickle juice.
Oven "Fried" Chicken Wings
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil. Place a wire rack above the baking sheet. Arrange marinaded wings in a single-layer onto the rack. Roast wings in pre-heated oven for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, leaving the wings in the oven, raise the oven temperature to 500 degrees. Continue roasting for 40 more minutes or until crisped to your liking.
Air "Fried" Chicken Wings
- Line fryer basket with foil. Preheat air fryer to 400 degrees. Place marinaded wings in the air fryer being careful not to overcrowd the basket. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to work in batches.
- Air fry for 30 minutes, removing the basket and tossing the wings every 10 minutes.
For the Nashville Hot Wing Sauce
- 10 to 15 minutes before the wings are finished "frying" in the oven or air fryer begin preparing the sauce.
- In a large skillet or cast iron, heat avocado oil, coconut milk and hot sauce over medium heat. Stir continuously.
- Once the liquid beings to bubble, stir in the garlic powder, paprika, cayenne, dill, onion powder and black pepper. Reduce heat to low and leave sauce on the burner (stirring occasionally).
- Once the wings are crisped and cooked through, add them to the pan with the sauce. Gently toss the wings with the sauce until each wing is coated evenly.
- Serve sauced wings immediately alongside carrot and celery sticks, pickle chips and dairy-free ranch dressing.
Notes
- For the dairy-free ranch dressing, use your favorite store-bought or try my recipe for Tahini Ranch Dressing.
