I Asked 4 Chefs To Name the Best Fast Food Chicken Wings, and They All Chose the Same Chain

In the not-too-distant past, chicken wings were a mainstay of sports bar menus—but very few other restaurants. But in the last decade or so, wings have been flying onto the line-up everywhere from fancy cocktail bars to family restaurants and even fast food chains.

If you ask food blogger MacKenzie Smith, one of those categories reigns supreme when it comes to breaded bone-in and boneless wings: “Fast food joints just get breaded wings. There’s something about that crispy coating that holds up during transport, keeps the meat juicy, and gives you that satisfying slightly greasy crunch with every bite.”

Curious about which fast food spot is the best at delivering chicken wings that check all of those boxes? Read on for the scoop from chefs who definitely give a cluck.

Our Panel of Wing-Judging Chefs

Qualities of the Best Fast Food Chicken Wings

“Let’s get one thing straight: if a wing is soggy, limp, or has the texture of microwaved sadness, it’s a hard pass,” says Duran. Jaggers agrees, and believes this is often the result when fast food chains bake, rather than fry their wings. 

Grilled or baked wings are fine at a sit-down spot, Smith concedes. “Those methods allow the sauce and cooking method to really shine,” she says. “But if I’m grabbing fast food, fried wings are the move.” In fact, for optimal flavor and texture, all four chefs agree that fried fast food chicken wings are the way to go. 

Zooming in more, here are the features the chefs look for in a fried chicken wing:

• They have a crunchy coating. A contrast between tender meat and crispy breading is key, according to Jaggers. Smith agrees, saying, “I want a wing that audibly crackles when you bite into it—and leaves my lips looking like I just re-applied my lip gloss.” Ideally, the coating should be light and crispy; An excess of breading tends to overpower the meat.
• The meat is juicy. The quality of the chicken comes in clutch, too. Tough and stringy meat is an immediate turnoff for Jaggers. The best fast food chicken wings star moist and tender chicken.
• The ratios are right. Great wings are balanced, says Duran. “I look for shatteringly crisp skin with juicy meat on the inside and a sauce that doesn’t drown the whole thing in sticky regret,” he explains.
• The seasoning is on point. Even if the textures are all perfect, wings fall flat if they’re bland. The meat needs enough salt and spice to result in what Duran calls a cohesive “flavor that punches you in the taste buds.”
• The frying sticks the landing. Overcooking is a common issue, especially since many fast food places cook their wings in advance, then reheat them to order. Jaggers says that a proper deep fry is essential. Duran agrees, saying, “If it tastes like it came from a freezer bag and died in the fryer due to overcooking, I’m steering all the way clear.”
• Bonus: a strong sauce squad. While the wings themselves are the most crucial factor, if the chefs can be choosy, the best fast food wings come with “a variety of sauces for coating and dipping,” says Jaggers.

The Best Fast Food Chicken Wings, According to Chefs

Earning three votes, the runaway winner of our best fast food chicken wing competition is the same chain that earned gold in our chefs’ favorite fast food fried chicken and their favorite fried chicken sandwich: Popeyes.

Although it’s “like choosing a favorite child or cheese” for Smith, she crowns Popeyes the winner because its wings have “that perfect golden crunch. Plus, the seasoning slaps.” She also says Popeyes’ sauce game is “elite” with your choice of six wing sauces: Honey BBQ, Sweet ‘N Spicy, Roasted Garlic Parmesan, Sweet ‘N Smokey, Honey Lemon Pepper, and Signature Hot.

Jaggers praises Popeyes’ flavorful marinade and balanced breading-to-meat ratio. Vang cheers for “the little spaces in between the crunchy, golden crevasses of the crispy crust of the wings, which creates a little nook to capture all those secret seasonings that Popeyes uses.” He compares the crunchy breading to armor that protects the juicy, moist, and tender chicken below.

The runners-up below are also well worth diving into, the chefs say.

• Bonchon: Duran digs the double-fried technique utilized by this rapidly expanding Korean fried chicken chain. (It currently has nearly 150 shops in the U.S. and more than 300 total around the globe.) “That extra fry gives you a thin, glassy crunch that stays crisp, even when it’s sauced up. It’s like the chicken is wearing a designer suit,” Duran says. “Plus the balance of sweet, spicy, and garlicky flavors” in its signature soy-garlic sauce “is pure culinary wizardry!”
• Wingstop: For classic, unbreaded, bone-in chicken wings, you can’t do much better than this fast food restaurant that specializes in wings all the ways. “They are perfectly fried so the skin is crisp and able to hold onto sauce or dry rub,” Jaggers says.
• Pizza Hut: Vang likes the variety offered at this pizza place, which offers its wings either baked and bone-in, or fried, breaded, and boneless—ready to be dunked in your choice of seven sauces. Want to try them in their pure glory? Ask for “naked” wings and get a dipping sauce like marinara, ranch, or Buffalo sauce on the side.

How to Eat Fast Food Chicken Wings, the Chef Way

No matter where you get your chicken wing fix, the accessories can take the experience to the next level.

For dipping sauces, ranch and hot honey are the chefs’ sweethearts. As an accompaniment, Duran suggests taking a cue from Bonchon and bringing some kind of pickle into the picture. He says that Bonchon serves its spicier wings with pickled daikon radishes to counteract their heat. “We need more pickles served with spicy wings. It’s the perfect pairing!” We agree! Try our Pickled Daikon Radish and Carrot, Sugar Snap Pickled Peas, or Zucchini Pickles to create a bright and briny BFF for spicy chicken wings.

Then to round out the meal, try Vang’s trick and serve your wings over warm rice: “The crispy little bits and the sauce that fall off the wings make it the perfect flavor bomb to eat along with rice,” he says.