Listen up, wing lovers! I’ve been on a mission to find the absolute best chicken wings across America’s most popular chain restaurants. After tearing through dozens of boxes of wings and probably gaining 5 pounds in the process (worth it!), I’m ready to share my findings with you guys.
Whether you’re planning for game day, craving a spicy snack, or just wondering where to order your next wing fix, this comprehensive ranking will steer you in the right direction I’ve judged these wings on sauce variety, meat quality, crispiness, and overall flavor profile.
The Criteria: What Makes a Great Chicken Wing?
Before diving into the rankings, let’s be clear about what we’re judging:
- Bone-in wings only (because boneless wings are just fancy chicken nuggets, let’s be real)
- Sauce quality and variety (gotta have options!)
- Crispiness factor (nobody wants soggy skin)
- Meat quality and juiciness (dry wings = sad times)
- Overall flavor experience (the full package)
Now, let’s get to the good stuff!
The Top 15 Chain Restaurant Wings Ranked
15. Domino’s
Look, I know what you’re thinking – pizza chain wings? But hear me out. Domino’s wings aren’t terrible, they’re just. limited. The chicken quality is actually decent with medium-sized wings that pull nicely off the bone.
Their sauce selection is pretty basic (BBQ, Hot, Sweet Mango Habanero, Mild, and Plain), but what really knocks them down the list is their inconsistent crispiness. They tend to be on the greasy side rather than properly crispy. Still, when you’re already ordering pizza and want some wings on the side, they’ll do the job.
Verdict Sauce good, fatty texture bad, size okay Better than their pizza, honestly!
14. Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut wings actually outshine their pizza chain competition. Their wings are freshly fried which gives them that extra crispiness we all crave. The chicken quality is just okay, nothing special, but once they’re slathered in their BBQ sauce, you won’t even care.
They offer bone-in wings with classic sauce options, and while they aren’t going to win any awards for innovation, they deliver on basic wing satisfaction.
Verdict: Their BBQ sauce is gold tier – might actually be better than their pizza!
13. Chili’s
Chili’s wings are HUGE, which is a definite plus. They come in portions of 12, and you get to pick two flavors from their limited but solid selection. Their honey chipotle sauce is the real standout – seriously tasty stuff.
The only downside? The skin could definitely be crispier. You’ll have to make a choice: amazing sauce coverage or that perfect crunch. You can’t have both at Chili’s.
Verdict: Size impresses, crispiness disappoints, but that honey chipotle sauce makes up for a lot.
12. TGI Fridays
TGI Fridays offers a wing deal that’s hard to beat – just 50 cents per wing every Monday from 5pm until closing! The chicken is surprisingly succulent, and while their sauce selection isn’t huge, it packs a punch.
Their apple butter BBQ sauce is a unique standout that you should definitely try. The downside? The sauces can be overpowering and salty. But the crispiness is on point!
Verdict: Good value, great crispiness, but bring extra napkins – these get messy!
11. Dave & Buster’s
If you can get past the “12-year-old birthday party” vibe of Dave & Buster’s, you’ll find some pretty decent wings. They’re sizeable, but the chicken quality could be better. However, they nail the crispy skin factor, and they offer a solid range of flavors including Cajun, lemon pepper, spicy Korean, buffalo, and garlic parmesan.
Verdict: A solid middle-of-the-road option when you want wings and arcade games.
10. Applebee’s
Applebee’s wings are exactly what you’d expect – reliable but not mind-blowing. They offer a standard range from honey BBQ to hot buffalo, and the wings are average sized with satisfactory crispiness.
The main issue? If you’re a heat seeker, you’ll need to order their hottest option because even their “hot” isn’t that spicy. Their double-crunch bone-in wings are battered and fried twice, making them extra crunchy outside and juicy inside.
Verdict: Consistently good but not spicy enough for heat lovers.
9. Zaxby’s
Let me be straight with y’all – Zaxby’s food is downright TASTY. Their wings might be a bit small, but they pack so much flavor that you’ll keep eating them until your stomach protests.
The hot honey mustard sauce combined with their signature Zax Sauce creates a tangy, flavorful experience that’s hard to resist. The crispiness is just average, but the sauce more than makes up for it. Fair warning though: those full-on spices might have your stomach filing complaints the next day.
Verdict: Zax sauce makes everything better, but prepare for potential digestive consequences.
8. Twin Peaks
Twin Peaks is an underrated chain with a rustic, log cabin vibe that takes its wings seriously. They cook their wings low and slow over hickory wood, resulting in naturally tender, smoky, and flavorful meat before you even add sauce.
While they don’t offer tons of sauce options, they do have some unique choices beyond the standard buffalo, including tikka, bourbon teriyaki, and garlic parmesan. And they serve ice-cold beer in frosted mugs to wash it all down!
Verdict: Smoky, juicy, and delicious with a unique restaurant experience.
7. Slim Chickens
Slim Chickens might not be as well-known as some other chains, but their wings deserve attention. This Arkansas-based fried chicken joint serves up authentically prepared wings alongside fresh fries and Texas toast.
Their inferno wings pack a serious heat punch that will satisfy even the most devoted spice enthusiasts. The freshness of their product really stands out compared to some of the bigger chains.
Verdict: A true underdog in the fast food world with legitimate heat for spice lovers.
6. Hooters
Yes, I’m serious – Hooters actually has really good food! They take their bar menu seriously, which means the wings are consistently excellent. Their wings are smoked, well-sauced, and sized perfectly for an ideal meat-to-sauce ratio.
They offer three distinct wing styles, including their original recipe and the “Daytona Beach” naked wings, which provide a slightly healthier option without sacrificing flavor.
Verdict: Hooters isn’t just about the, um, atmosphere – the wings are legitimately great.
5. Buffalo Wild Wings
B-Dubs is a wing specialist, and it shows. They offer an almost overwhelming variety of sauces – seriously, the menu can be intimidating to wing novices. But that’s also their strength – whatever flavor profile you’re craving, they probably have it.
The wings themselves are reliably good quality and consistently crispy. They may not be the absolute best in any single category, but they excel at variety and consistency.
Verdict: Want to be spoiled for choice? B-Dubs has you covered with 26 different sauce options!
4. Wing Stop
Wing Stop sits near the top of our list for good reason. This specialist wing chain offers 14 different sauces and rubs, and their chicken quality is excellent. The wings are always cooked to perfection – crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside.
Their fries are also fantastic, making for a complete meal experience. If you’re overwhelmed by the sauce choices, their original hot, lemon pepper, and garlic parmesan are solid starting points.
Verdict: These are consistently some of the best wings you’ll find at a national chain.
3. Bonchon
If you’ve never had Korean fried chicken before, Bonchon will blow your mind! Their unique double-frying technique creates an impossibly crispy exterior while keeping the meat inside incredibly juicy.
They only offer two sauce options – soy garlic and spicy – but trust me, that’s all you need. The spicy option features gochujang (Korean red pepper paste) and delivers a complex heat that builds beautifully. It’s a completely different wing experience than American-style buffalo wings.
Verdict: A unique Korean spin on wings that’s worth seeking out for the crispiest skin ever.
2. Quaker Steak & Lube
Made famous by Man v. Food’s wing challenge (so hot you need to sign a waiver!), this former car garage turned all-American diner serves seriously good wings with a homemade feel.
Despite having 30 locations across the Midwest, they maintain quality and authenticity that many larger chains lack. Their sauce variety is impressive, ranging from mild to face-melting hot.
Verdict: An underrated gem for true chicken wing fans – they’d be #1 if they had more locations!
1. Wing Stop
Taking the crown for best chain restaurant wings is Wing Stop! What puts them over the top is their perfect balance of quality, consistency, and flavor variety. Their wings are always fresh, perfectly crispy, and generously sauced.
With 14 different sauces and rubs to choose from, Wing Stop offers something for every palate. Whether you prefer traditional buffalo, lemon pepper, garlic parmesan, or something more unique, they execute each flavor profile flawlessly.
Verdict: Hands down, the best chicken wings in America from a chain restaurant!
Final Thoughts
Wings are serious business, and finding the perfect spot can be a game-changer for your next party, game day, or just satisfying that wing craving. While Wing Stop takes our top spot overall, each chain has its strengths.
If you want variety, hit up Buffalo Wild Wings. For unique flavors, try Bonchon. If you’re already ordering pizza, Pizza Hut has surprisingly good wings. And if you want a full sports bar experience with quality wings, Hooters delivers.
But remember, the best wings are the ones YOU enjoy the most. So why not make it a personal mission to try all these spots and form your own opinion? Your taste buds will thank you (even if your waistline doesn’t)!
What’s your go-to spot for wings? Got a favorite sauce that I didn’t mention? Drop a comment below and let’s keep the wing debate going!
1 Checkers / Rally’s
Your local Checkers may be called Rallys in a Hardees/Carls Jr. situation, but theyre essentially the same. Now, heres some real nice crispiness for fast-food wings. Dominos could learn a thing or two about texture from this batch of bird limbs. But so, too, could Checkers learn from Dominos and put a little more flavor into these. Combined, theyd produce a real contender. Still, crispy basic wings beat mushy, flavorful ones. And remember, Im eating these plain. Youre probably going to have some sauce on them to help the chicken shine. I dont mean to say theres no flavor here. Its just not rippling through the meat. You get a nice taste of the chicken itself, supplemented with a little salt and pepper. Its understated, but the more I eat it, the more I enjoy it for its own sake instead of a strong signature. Still, there are moister, more flavorful chicken than this.
Seriously? Pizza Hut serves the best fried chicken of the pizza chains? Pizza Hut? Well, maybe it makes sense. The folks at parent company Yum! Brands also make KFC, though Pizza Huts unbreaded wings are quite different. I was full near bursting by the time I reached Pizza Hut, my sixth lunch of the day, yet I did not bemoan it. That says something.
These came out of the fryer mighty nice, without all the usual heartburn and worse that Ive found consuming Pizza Huts actual pizza: No weird additives, just fresh wings, crispy skin, surprisingly good flavor, despite coming across as the very definition of the word plain. Hey, its what I ordered, and they did it well. In fact, aside from the addictive eleven herbs and spices, theres a strong case to be made that Pizza Hut makes better wings unbreaded than sister brand KFC does with a delicious, deep-fried shell.
1 Buffalo Wild Wings GO
Aw, B-double-dub, you were supposed to be the chosen one! Its your whole brand! What a miss these dried-out wings were. The skin was crisp-ish but not crunchy, and the rubbery kind of chewy: another victim of that heat lamp life is my bet. They were dry enough to stick to the teeth, but the meat itself was nevertheless impressively moist, not stringy or chalky.
Buffalo Wild Wings gives you very welcome celery and carrots on the side like your local bar, and boy, do they beat the chicken for freshness. While the taste was good, it was also minimal. These wings were decidedly not wild. There was no detectable seasoning beyond salt. Again, no points lost in the sauce sideline, but its obvious these wings want to be sauced. Ordering them plain is a losing bet, yet the orange chicken sauce I pulled on the side was cloying and did nothing to redeem the meat. If you go here, stick to buffalo sauce and pray for better results. Maybe its different at the fast-casual, but the GO takeout is far short of “worth your money” territory.
Papa Johns wings looked like theyd taste so much better, but displayed the same browning minus flavor that Little Caesars sells. Its essentially the same wing, although these had more actual chicken flavor and were not so tough. Theyre the less disappointing version of whats barely worth documenting. Points for being meaty will take you places, though.
These pizza chains are throwing me for a loop. Theres no correlation between pizza quality and chicken worthiness. All I can tell you is that as wings go, theres no redemptive trashy satisfaction here, as one might find dipping a bizarrely chewy pizza crust into a golden ramekin of garlicky not-butter oil. Papa Johns is the first “not bad” but definitely not an order to get with your pizza delivery unless someone among your party is skipping carbs. And frankly, you can get better chain pizza that also makes superior wings.
I tried not to let my views of Dominos pizza color my expectations of these wings, but I will say they exceeded my fears. I thought, if anyone, Dominos would serve up the disappointment I got from Little Caesars. Nope, these arent bad, though theyre not good. They are pretty much the best you can hope for from the chain whose pizza drastically improves when served cold for breakfast the next morning.
An interesting smoky note is about the limit of the skins powers, with some garlic and maybe pepper hiding in the meat; its not super strong, but its interesting enough that youd like to see it applied to a better cooked wing. Unfortunately, a gummy texture upsets the intrigue, and youre not going to detour for Dominos wings tonight. Even so, at least you can eat these plain and count on flavor to carry the weight that texture cant lift. Ill say this: Dominos makes better chicken wings than Dominos makes pizza.
Who Makes The Best Chicken Wings? Taste Test
FAQ
What franchise has the best chicken wings?
- Wing Stop Original Hot Wings.
- Hooters Original Style Medium Wings. …
- Slim Chickens Buffalo Wings. …
- Buffalo Wild Wings Original Buffalo Wings. …
- Twin Peaks The Classic Wings. …
- Applebee’s Double Crunch Classic Buffalo Wings. …
- Chili’s Medium Buffalo Wings. …
- Zaxby’s Tongue Torch Wings. …
Who is known for chicken wings?
The Rise of Buffalo-Style Wings
The dish is believed to have been invented in 1964 at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York, by Teressa Bellissimo, the owner of the bar.
Who has better wings, Buffalo Wild Wings or hooters?
Does applebees really have the best wings?
Applebee’s Classic Buffalo Boneless Wings were preferred in every region versus the competitive national chains. Applebee’s Classic Buffalo Boneless Wings were statistically significantly preferred at a 95 percent confidence level nationally.