Because rugby grub doesn’t always have to contribute to the beer boep
Rugby season is heating up with makes it even harder to resist eating unhealthy food, wings included. Considering most wings are deep-fried, dripping with sauce, and slathered in a creamy dip, wings don’t exactly get health food status.
“The average wing has 35 to 40 calories. Fry it, and they’re 100 calories each,” says Jim White, R.D., owner of Jim White Fitness and Nutrition Studios in Virginia Beach. In fact, one large order of restaurant wings can run you 1,500 calories or more and soar upwards of 80 grams of fat before you even see the blue cheese dressing.
But that doesn’t mean you’re stuck eating the sad celery and carrots off the plate. Whip up wings at home so you can trade the fried stuff for grilled, baked, and even steamed wings, says White. (Better yet, get in a great calorie-blasting workout before the game, like one of the eight metabolic routines in the MetaShred Extreme DVD from Men’s Health.)
Oh, and the right serving size for guys isn’t all-you-can-eat—it’s four wings, he says. Fill the rest of your plate with some veggies and you’ve got a well-rounded meal. Waking up on Monday won’t be as painful.
With all that in mind, we rounded up 10 better-for-you and definitely not fried wing recipes to help you do your part in making wings healthy:
1. CRISPY BAKED BUFFALO WINGS
This recipe from Fed + Fit will help you realize that wings don’t have to be fried to have that nice crunch when you bite into them. The twist on buffalo sauce features coconut oil, apple cider vinegar, and lemon juice, plus tons of spices.
(Get the full recipe here.)
2. CRISPY BAKED ASIAN CHICKEN WINGS
Inspired by her favourite mini-meatballs appetiser, Kelly Senyei of Just a Taste gave these wings a dose of flavour with Chinese 5-Spice. They’re then baked on a rack until they get that nice crunch and tossed in a hoisin and blackberry jam glaze.
(Get the full recipe here.)
3. CROCK-POT SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN WINGS
Nothing wrong with lightening your workload. The recipe from Fit Foodie Finds just requires you to pile these babies into a crockpot and let them swim in a sauce of vinegar, soy sauce, ketchup, honey, and hot sauce. Three hours later, you’ll come back to perfectly cooked wings.
(Get the full recipe here.)
4. PEANUT BUTTER CHICKEN WINGS
Say what? After they’ve taken a turn in the oven, these gluten-free wings from A Dash of Megnut are given the peanut sauce treatment with natural peanut butter, tamari, garlic, and ginger. If you’ve ever needed napkins for wings, now’s the time.
(Get the full recipe here.)
5. LEMON PEPPER CHICKEN WINGS
If you’re not crazy about hot wings, try these from Jay’s Baking Me Crazy. They’re punched up with flavour by taking a dip in ghee, lemon juice, and lemon zest, and then finished off with lemon pepper seasoning.
(Get the full recipe here.)
6. TEX MEX CHICKEN WINGS WITH CILANTRO, HONEY, & LIME
When you want to keep it simple, try these three-ingredient wings from Back to the Book Nutrition. The wings get a bath in honey lime vinaigrette and then are baked and then broiled until crisp. After coming out of the oven, they’re tossed with a second layer of dressing.
(Get the full recipe here.)
7. SPANISH STYLE CHICKEN WINGS
Spicy, sweet, and tangy, these wings from registered dietician Klara Knezevic of Rebel Dieticians are coated with a combo of soy sauce, Tabasco, sherry, and brown sugar, and then baked until nicely brown.
(Get the full recipe here.)
8. HONEY SRIRACHA CHICKEN WINGS
Ambitious Kitchen has a genius tip for making wings crispy without flour: Toss them in baking power. Even better, these wings are later bathed in honey, sriracha, and red chili paste.
(Get the full recipe here.)
9. SLOW COOKER TERIYAKI CHICKEN WINGS
With Salt & Wit keeps these Asian-style wings on the lighter side by cooking them in a sauce made of honey, soy, garlic, and ginger in a crock pot. Broiling them for a hot second makes them sticky and crispy.
(Get the full recipe here.)
10. GRILLED CHICKEN WINGS WITH SEASONED BUFFALO SAUCE
Once Upon a Chef combines your love of traditional wing flavours but in grilled form to reduce calories while adding a nice char taste.
(Get the full recipe here.)
