Are Chicken Wings Healthy? Are Chicken wings bad for weight loss?

By - Dr Umme Hurayra

Do you love enjoying crispy chicken wings along with finger chips and some sauce? Well, chicken wings are one of the most popular foods out there but what about those extra calories they contain? Are chicken wings healthy? Do they have vitamins? What about minerals? Are chicken wings seriously high in protein? The article is going to explore the answers to all these questions related to how healthy chicken wings are.

Chicken wings originated as finger food at the anchor bar in 1964 when a woman named Teresa Bellisimo deep-fried some wings and tossed them in margarine and hot sauce and served them along with blue cheese dressing and some celery sticks. Before this, the chicken was just considered an inferior cut of meat not suitable for eating. It may sound crazy today when Americans eat a lot of chicken wings or buffalo wing on Sunday alone. Let us discuss everything about chicken wings in this article.

Are Chicken Wings Healthy?

Chicken wings are healthy if we eat them in moderation as they are packed with a lot of vitamins and minerals. Baked chicken wing are considered good for atherosclerosis, stroke, hypertension, heart diseases, and gout if we cook them properly.

Chicken meat is rich in vitamin B1, B9, B12, B6, Vitamin A, E, D, and K. The minerals present in the chicken are calcium, phosphorus, zinc, potassium, and selenium. All of these vitamins and minerals are very good for human health. But chicken wings recipe can be healthy only if we cook them in such a way that their protein content remains safe, and they do not become high in fat.

How Healthy Are Chicken Wings?

Chicken wings are not only tasty, spicy, and delicious but they are a healthy food staple full of calories. The moderate consumption of chicken wings can have the following health benefits.

So all of these are the health benefits of eating chicken wings in a fair amount. However, people may have the following questions related to eating chicken wings.

Are Grilled Chicken Wings Healthy?

Some people, especially those struggling with weight loss, ask the question, are grilled wings bad for you? The answer is that grilled chicken wings are not bad for health but you must keep in mind the calorie content you are consuming. Although grilled chicken is a good source of niacin, selenium, phosphorus, and calcium it also contains a lot of fats and sodium content. You should not eat it in a greater amount.

Are Smoked Chicken Wings Healthy?

Smoked chicken wings are healthier than those which are fried. As they do not contain a lot of extra calories from oil, so they are comparatively healthier options.

They are cooked by the smoke and hence do not contain more fat. So, the smoked chicken wings are healthy to eat. They contain 160 calories per serving.

Are Chicken Wings Healthy in an Air Fryer?

Some people like to cook food in an air fryer to avoid extra oil consumption and to prevent gulping those extra calories that come from oil. So they ask, are air fryer wings healthy? Are air-fried chicken wings healthier than deep-fried wings? Yes,  This is indeed a more healthy method of cooking. You can save calories and can eat without guilt. Four servings of air-fried chicken wings contain 213 calories.

Are Baked Chicken Wing Healthy?

Baked chicken wings are healthier alternatives as baking requires very less or no oil. So, the chicken wings will be more protein than fats. Baking cut down the calories almost to half. You can get a crispy texture without frying the wings. 100 grams of baked chicken wing contain 203 calories. It can still increase an overall cholesterol level.

Are Buffalo Chicken Wings Healthy?

Buffalo wings are not healthy for those trying to lose weight. It can make you consume a very high amount of calories which not only cause you to gain weight but are also not good for heart health. The extra fat in buffalo meat can deposit in arteries leading to atherosclerosis and arteriosclerosis. This blocking of arteries can cause heart attacks.

Are Hot Wings Healthy?

Hot wings are so spicy that they can almost set your mouth on fire. They are not at all healthy for gut health. Consuming spicy fast food can irritate your stomach and can even cause ulcers in the intestine. However, one of the advantages of eating spicy food is that you feel full very soon as it is proven scientifically that eating spicy food signals your brain that your stomach is full and you avoid eating a bulk of the food.

Are Boneless Wing Healthy?

Boneless wings are mostly made from a lean protein portion of meat. This meat portion is good for those struggling with weight loss. As lean meat contains a high amount of proteins, it is low in fat and carbohydrates.

So, boneless wings are more healthy than bone-in wings as they do not contain that fatty skin containing more calories.

Are Chicken Wings Healthy for Bodybuilding?

No, chicken wings are not healthy for you if you are a bodybuilder. However, you can make them healthy by cooking without oil and sodium. Bodybuilders avoid sodium and fat as they can interfere with the process of muscle building. And wings are high in sodium as well as fat content. Cooking them in an air fryer or baking them without adding salt and spices can be good to eat for bodybuilders.

Are Lemon Pepper Wings Healthy?

Air-fried or baked chicken wings with lemon pepper is another healthier option. Lemon is not only rich in vitamin C but also contains acid that helps meat digest properly and can contribute to weight loss too. Moreover, lemon and pepper give a deliciously mouth-watering flavor to chicken wings.

Are Fried Chicken Wings Healthy?

Most of the chicken lovers who enjoy chicken in the form of wings ask, are chicken wings healthy to eat? So, here is the answer to the question: are wings healthy for you? The fried chicken wings are deep-fried in the oil for 12 to 15 minutes. They are more fat than proteins. That is why fried chicken wings are not all a healthier option especially for those who can not compromise on consuming the extra amount of calories. Fried chicken wings contain a bulk of calories and bad cholesterol that is not good for health.

Are BBQ Chicken Wings Healthy?

BBQ chicken wings are not very healthy but they are comparatively better than the deep fried wing.

BBQ chicken wings do not contain that extra oil that is used in fried chicken wings, that is the reason they are low in calories and so are more healthy.

Are Dry Rub Chicken Wings Healthy?

Dry rub chicken wings contain a very high sodium content. As sodium can cause bloating and many other problems such as high blood pressure, hypertension and it may lead to heart attack so dry rub chicken wings are not a healthy option especially for those having a problem of high blood pressure.

Are Nonbreaded Chicken Wings Healthy?

Well, the bread outside a chicken wing absorbs an extra amount of fat making them high in calories and more fatty. As compared to the fact that the nonbreaded chicken does not absorb much oil, that is the reason nonbreaded chicken wings can be a little healthier but still, they can increase the bad cholesterol levels.

Calories in Chicken Wings

Chicken wings contain a lot of calories and are not a healthier option for those people who want to lose weight.  Chicken wings contain 203 calories per 3.5 ounces. They contain 30.5 grams of protein and 8.1 grams of fat. 64% of total calories come from protein and 36% from fats.

These unsaturated fats are not good for human health and can cause many diseases. 1 chicken wing has 43 calories and a serving containing 6 chicken wings contains 1308 calories. So while eating chicken wings, it is very necessary to eat in moderation.

Are Chicken Wings Good for Weight Loss?

The most common questions we come across related to chicken wings are:

Do chicken wings make you gain weight? Are chicken wings good for you? Are chicken wings bad for you? Are hot wings fattening? Etc. Well, the answer to all these questions is a big yes. Yes, chicken wings can cause you to gain weight. Yes, they are fattening because they consist of all skin and fat.

Chicken wings are not a healthy food to eat regularly and since they are deep fried they contain a lot of oil and calories. Each deep-fried wing contains 14 grams of fat out of which 5 grams are saturated fat, one-half grams of trans fat, 40 milligrams of cholesterol, and 284 milligrams of sodium. All of these contents are a big risk for cardiovascular health as well as for body weight.

Disadvantages of Chicken Wings

Chicken wings are deep-fried in oil for 13 to 17 minutes. You might think of meat as protein but most of the calories come from meat, not protein. So, the chicken wings are not satiating. You just continue adding a lot of calories and keep putting on extra layers of fat on your body.

In addition, the buffalo wings are loaded with salt. Their sodium content varies per serving. Too much sodium will increase your blood pressure and too much-saturated fat can increase your level of LDL or bad cholesterol. You can ultimately get heart disease or stroke.

The Bottom Line

The final answer to the question, Are chicken wings healthy is that No, they are not at all a healthy food choice. You should replace the chicken wings with lean chicken breast steamed or boiled. You might think that air-fried or baked chicken wings are healthy but the thing is that, whether baked, air-fried, or deep-fried, one serving of chicken wings contains 4 grams of saturated fat, the dangerous fat that can cause cholesterol to deposit in vessels.

So if you still want to eat the chicken wings, eat them in moderation. Just do not consume so much amount of fats and calories that later become difficult to burn and in turn cause weight gain.

FAQs

Are chicken wings healthier than a burger?

Both the chicken wings and burgers are high in calories but the beef burger is a little healthier than chicken wings if we compare the nutrient content in both of them.

Are plain chicken wings fattening?

Yes, plain chicken wings are very high in calories. They are deep-fried in oil that makes them contain a calorie bomb which is fattening and can cause weight gain.

Are wings provide good protein?

Wings contain 6.4 grams of protein, 30.5-gram protein per 1gramsram of wings. They contain more fat as compared to lean chicken, so wings are not a good protein but lean meat is.

Are wings high in calories?

Yes, wings are very high in calories. One wing contains 43 calories. 64% of calories come from protein and 36% from fat. Six chicken wings contain a total of 1038 calories, 93 grams of which come from fats.