At eateries all across the country, you can find chicken wings ranging from totally inedible
to downright delectable.
We've compiled a list of some of the most popular spots to get chicken wings in U.S.,
and ranked them from worst to best.
Little Caesars serves up cardboard pizza that's barely edible, so it's no surprise the wings
are no better.
Like their pizza, you can find the wings at Little Caesars "Hot-N-Ready."
They sit in a little plastic container with a clear lid in the heating case festering
in their own juices until you order them, so as an added bonus, you get a strong plastic
flavoring with every order.
To say that these wings are dry is a serious understatement.
When the skin pops open, the meat has all but disappeared.
On top of their tendency to really, really oversauce their wings, the taste of Domino's
BBQ sauce is very generic.
The flavor isn't horrible, it just has no depth or smokiness at all.
Also, the skin on these wings is too chewy and fatty.
To make matters worse, once you've gnawed your way beyond the greasy, gummy skin, the
payoff is underwhelming, as the wings themselves don't have much meat.
If you want to order something on the side of your pizza at Domino's, pass on the wings
and just order a second pizza.
Back in 2014, Pizza Hut added deep-fryers at restaurants across the country as they
started churning out deep-fried wings to go alongside their pizza.
You will often see Pizza Hut stores branded as WingStreet, where you are able to order
traditional bone-in and breaded bone-out wings tossed in a variety of sauces, including Buffalo
Burnin' Hot, for delivery or carry-out.
Brand Eating describes Pizza Hut's medium hot buffalo wings as having, quote, "too much
salt and vinegary sourness."
That pretty much sums it up.
The heat is actually great, but the flavor is awful.
Whatever recipe they use, they should just toss it aside and replace it with some Frank's
Red Hot sauce and call it a day.
Do you ever order just wings at KFC?
If not, why not?
Their wings are juicy and good.
Are they the best you can get?
Nope, but they'll do in a pinch.
Original Recipe or Extra Crispy — both are pretty darn good, but let's talk about KFC's
Smoky Mountain BBQ option, because it's less impressive.
"Tada!
I call them chicken wings."
If you think it might be something like KFC's old school Honey BBQ flavor with a little
bit of smoke, be prepared for a bland disappointment.
And there doesn't seem to be any quality control or consistency in how much sauce you get.
Sometimes these wings are slathered in the sauce, and other times nearly untouched.
Thankfully, this chicken can be made much better with some deliciously flaky, buttery
biscuits served up on the side.
There's so much goodness on the P.F.
Chang's menu that you probably passed over their Hunan Dragon Wings without a second
thought.
But you shouldn't have.
Not your typical wings, they feature hunan spice, chili jam, and sesame seeds with a
side of pickled cucumbers.
The flavors blend really well together, and if you want even more heat, you can get some
extra chili jam on the side.
Are they good for you?
Definitely not.
Six wings translates to 830 calories, 19 grams of sugar, and 13 grams of saturated fat.
You also can't ignore the two days' worth of sodium, either.
But you didn't come here for healthy food, so just enjoy the wings which are, unfortunately,
only available seasonally and not at every location.
You'll find these wings on the Outback Steakhouse appetizer menu and they come in mild, medium,
or hot.
You probably never even notice the wings because you automatically order the Bloomin' Onion
without glancing any further down the list.
But give them a try, because according to Outback, they toss the wings in a secret concoction
of spices then an equally unusual sauce.
What sauce?
Who knows?
Who cares?
They are just yummy.
The hot version have a great flavor and kick.
The heat isn't so powerful that it overwhelms the flavor, and even the mild version is worth
trying.
Hooters has been serving up amazing wings for over 35 years.
And even if the Hooters Girls' outfits have changed over time, much of their menu hasn't.
You can still get hand-breaded original style wings in your choice of amazing sauces like
9-1-1 or Honey Thai Chili Pepper.
You can also get your wings naked without the breading, or boneless without the bones.
But there's one must-try: bacon wrapped wings.
Yep, bacon makes everything better.
Hooters takes their naked wings, wraps them in bacon, tosses them around in their Daytona
Beach sauce, and finishes them off on the grill.
So, what's the sauce?
It's hot and sweet and all around delicious.
No one seems sure of the exact ingredients of the Hooters sauce and we don't care, and
even though ten of these wings come in at 1150 calories, they are worth every last one
of them.
If you live in the south central or southeastern part of the United States (or randomly, Utah),
then you know about Zaxby's.
If you don't?
Well, that's unfortunate for you because Zaxby's has some delicious wings.
Their original sauce is a tasty, medium buffalo sauce that's kind of Tabasco-y, but the heat
isn't very intense.
If it's intense you're looking for, they have two much hotter sauces — Nuclear and Insane.
They are, as advertised, super hot but still amazingly good as they're just as full of
flavor as they are heat.
Grab a pitcher of beer and sit down with 10 or 20 of these wings and enjoy your night.
Pretty much any type of sauce on Buffalo Wild Wings' menu is good, especially their Mango
Habanero sauce.
It's perfectly balanced, bringing a beautifully delicious heat.
While you are eating them, your mouth will be on fire and you'll be enjoying every single
millisecond of the experience.
If you can't stand the heat or you aren't brave enough to even give it a try, then you
have plenty of other awesome choices at Buffalo Wild Wings, too.
Asian Zing is somewhat similar in flavor profile to the Mango Habanero, without all the fire.
"Get the chickens."
“Which ones?”
"All of them."
Bonchon isn't a traditional pick, but have you tasted their wings?
They're tossed in a dry flour mixture and then deep fried until crispy.
Then, they are drained and deep-fried again before being saturated in sauce.
The result is a very crunchy, juicy wing with amazing flavor and seasoning.
While they have a lot more on their menu than chicken wings, the wings are definitely where
it's at.
If you are looking for typical buffalo wings, these aren't for you.
But if you just want some really delicious wings, then don't pass up Bonchon.
From the wonderfully painful Atomic wings to their Mild wings, Wingstop has come as
close as possible to mastering the art of the chicken wing.
However, where they really stand out from the pack is the wizardry they do with their
dry rubs.
Wingstop's uninhibitedly bold dry rubs, particularly Garlic Parmesan and Lemon Pepper, have set
the standard and no other place can hold a candle to them.
You'll be licking your fingers and even tempted to lick your napkin.
The key to their success is their consistency, and there's just something about their blue
cheese that adds the optimal amount of bite without overwhelming the wings.
Win!
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