Keto Buffalo Wings with Bacon and Brussels Sprouts
We didn’t think buffalo wings could get better. Not, at least, until we added bacon and Brussels sprouts as a side dish. The flavor combination—spicy, salty—is amazing.
You’ve got spicy wings, crispy bacon, and crisp-tender Brussels sprouts. Sounds pretty good, right?
The good news is this entire meal is perfect for sticking to your low-carb macronutrient plan. There are fewer than 8 grams of net carbs per serving.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Chicken wings
- Bacon
- Brussels sprouts
- Olive oil
- Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
- Mayonnaise
![keto buffalo wings](jpg/dsc0422.jpg)
Three Reasons You’ll Love This Keto Recipe
Here are three reasons you'll love this low-carb buffalo wings with bacon and Brussels sprouts recipe.
1. Only 7.5g of Net Carbs per Serving
Ingredients like mayonaise, chicken, bacon, and olive oil keep this entire meal on the lower end as far as carbs go.
Brussels sprouts may cause that number to creep up a little bit. But they're also one of the most fiber-dense veggies out there, meaning the total net carbs (total carbs minus fiber and sugar alcohols) stay low.
Three chicken wings plus half a cup of Brussels sprouts constitutes a serving of this satiating and delicious meal. Not bad at all!
2. It's a Complete Meal
Oftentimes, chicken wings are the appetizer or part of a series of appetizers that accompany a sports game or other event. As such, you might not think of them as a "complete" meal.
But with this simple bacon and Brussels sprouts side dish, you can turn a game day delight into a full meal packed with vitamins, minerals, protein, and healthy fats (see the next section for more).
3. It's a Great Party Recipe
Having friends over? Making food for your kid's friends? Pretty much anyone that likes meat probably likes chicken wings, so this is the perfect recipe to whip up in big batches. (You can adjust the hot sauce to lower the spice level.)
And best of all, it's portable! Now you’ll always have a keto-friendly crowd-pleaser in your back pocket.
Featured Ingredients in this Recipe
Vitamins, minerals, and macronutrients—here are three ingredients in these buffalo wings that you can feel good about using.
1. Chicken Wings
Chicken wings are considered dark meat chicken. White chicken breast gets a lot of love in many health circles, but there are plenty of reasons that darker meat is a great option, too.
For example, chicken wings are a good source of vitamins and minerals, including vitamins B3 (niacin), B5, and B6 [1].
Niacin, in particular, is one of eight B vitamins. It's primary job is to protect neurons, keep the nervous system healthy, and to create new brain cells [2].
B-vitamin-rich foods like chicken wings are also linked to improved mental health, as they can help to reduce the oxidative effects stress and anxiety have on the body [3].
2. Brussels Sprouts
There aren't many vegetables with more health benefits than Brussels sprouts, which is the side dish to these keto chicken wings.
First, they're very low in calories. While calories aren't "everything" when it comes to weight loss, it doesn't hurt to save a little energy intake if you're trying to shed fat.
The low caloric value doesn't impact the nutritional value, though, as Brussels sprouts have [4]:
- 2.6 grams of fiber per serving
- Large amounts of vitamin A, C, and K
- More than a dozen different essential minerals, like folic acid, selenium, and zinc
With only 7 grams of carbs per serving, it's a perfect pairing to complement a fat-and-protein packed meal.
3. Bacon
We know, we know—bacon used to be ostracized as the "demon food" that made you fat and gave you heart disease.
But in many ways, bacon is one of the foods that represents the gradual shift towards the health benefits of a high-fat, low-carb diet [5]. If anything, the drama was overblown, and foods like bacon are perfectly fine to eat as part of a healthy diet.
Just consider that one ounce of bacon (a few strips) contains [6]:
- <1g of carbs
- 11.7 grams of fat
- 10.4 grams of protein
In other words, it’s perfect for the keto diet, which is a proven tool for weight loss. Oh, and it tastes amazing.
But it's bacon, so we probably didn't need to tell you that.
Other Keto Recipes You Might Like
Keto Buffalo Wings with Bacon and Brussels Sprouts
Ingredients:
- 1 dozen chicken wings
- ½ cup Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed and quartered
- 8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
- Kosher salt and pepper, to taste
Preparation:
- Heat oven to 400°F. Set a wire rack or broiling pan inside a rimmed baking sheet.
- Sprinkle wings with salt and pepper and bake until skin is crispy and cooked through, about 45 minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine hot sauce and mayonnaise, whisking until smooth.
- Toss cooked wings in mayo hot sauce until well coated.
- Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add Brussels sprouts and sauté until browned and crispy, about 10 minutes.
- Sprinkle crumbled bacon over cooked Brussels sprouts. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- One serving is 3 wings with ¼ cup sauce and ½ cup Brussels sprouts and bacon.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4
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