Baked BBQ Wings - AIP, paleo, low-carb

Real AIP-compliant BBQ sauce is the actual hunt behind this recipe. Most bottled sauces are built on tomato, a nightshade excluded on elimination, so finding or making a version that is genuinely compliant is where the real effort sits, not the baking itself. Once you have a jar you trust, the wings are almost no work at all: a dry rub of cream of tartar, baking soda, and arrowroot starch for the crisp skin, a hot oven, and sauce brushed on at the end.

Zinc shows up reliably in chicken, and it is thought to support 2 things this body is doing right now: keeping immune-cell signaling steady, and helping the gut lining repair itself. Both are part of what managing an Autoimmune condition asks for, even on the days that work stays invisible.

A plate of wings holds several small lives, not 1, and pausing to acknowledge that honestly beats treating them as just another protein. Source them from a farm raising birds well if you can find one. Arrange the cooked wings with something green next to them, and eat with enough attention to notice what you actually made instead of finishing it on autopilot.

Ingredients

• 2.5 lbs chicken wings
• 2 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp arrowroot starch
• 1/2 cup AIP-compliant nightshade-free BBQ sauce

*Note: Most commercial BBQ sauces contain excluded nightshade ingredients. Use a nomato-based AIP sauce (beet or carrot base) or make your own. Read every label carefully before purchasing.*

Method

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Line a large baking sheet with foil or parchment and set a wire rack on top. The rack lets hot air circulate underneath and is what gives you crisp skin without deep frying.

Pat the wings completely dry with paper towels. Moisture is the enemy of crispness, so take your time here.

Combine the cream of tartar, baking soda, and arrowroot starch in a large bowl and whisk together. Add the dry wings and toss until every surface is lightly coated. Shake off any excess.

Lay the wings in a single layer on the rack, leaving a little space between each one. Bake for 40 minutes, then flip every wing and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes until the skin is golden and genuinely crisp.

Pull the wings from the oven. Tip them into a large bowl, add the BBQ sauce, and toss well. Spread them back on the rack and return to the oven for 5 to 8 minutes to let the sauce set and caramelize. Serve immediately.

Air fryer variation

Prepare the wings exactly the same way through the coating step. Air fry at 400 F for 20 to 25 minutes, flipping once halfway through, until the skin is crisp and the internal temperature reaches 165 F. Toss in BBQ sauce, return to the air fryer for 3 to 4 minutes to set. This method is faster and produces a very consistent crunch.

*Adapted from lichenpaleolovingaip.com*