Chips are great, and dips are nice, but one of the most welcome bites at any game-day spread is a crispy, tender chicken wing bathed in spicy Buffalo sauce. It’s salty and tangy with just enough meat to satisfy.
Recipes that incorporate inventive and tempting flavor combinations abound, but for this Taste-Off, we headed straight for the freezer section and loaded up on heat-and-eat frozen wings doused in the most popular of all chicken wing flavors — Buffalo.
For the uninitiated, Buffalo sauce is a spicy, creamy mix of butter, cayenne, vinegar and garlic first served in 1964 at a bar in Buffalo, NY. The sauce is used on everything from fries to pizza, but its real raison d’être is to transform the lowly chicken wing into an unforgettable bite.
Before diving into the particulars about frozen buffalo wings, it should be noted that chicken wings are so loved that they spark debates: Which part of the wing is best, the double-bone side (wingette) or the drumette? Should wings be fried or baked? Should the sauce go on before or after cooking? Podcaster Dan Pashman of The Sporkful devoted two entire episodes to the topic, even including instructions on how to properly eat one.
Not that passionate about wings? No problem. Nearly any omnivore will find pleasure in indulging in a spicy, fatty, mouthful of Buffalo sauce-smothered chicken, especially if those wings are chosen wisely.
Great chicken wings have a crispy, chewy coating that encases generous bites of tender, juicy chicken. The best are permeated with punchy sauce that numbs the lips and warms the palate. Bad wings are over-salted, wonky flavored bites wrapped in thick layers of fat and skin.
Here’s the lowdown on the frozen Buffalo chicken wing wins and the ones that should be permanently benched. Nutrition info refers to 3 ounces or about 2 wings.
Good & Gather Buffalo-Style Wings
Bright orange in color, these huge wings have plenty of Buffalo sauce and develop a crust that caramelizes nicely in the oven. They are tingly hot, and the chicken is tender and juicy. 170 calories, 12 g fat, 450 mg sodium, no sugar, 11 g protein. $11.29 for 28 ounces at Target. (4 stars)
Perdue Air Fryer Ready Crispy Hot ’n Spicy Wings
If you like your wings extra hot, you’ll enjoy these crispy bites. Like with most wings, the skin is intact, but the fat underneath is minimal, making them seem extra meaty. 170 calories, 11 g fat, 510 mg sodium, 1 g sugar, 13 g protein. $7.99 for 22 ounces on sale at Raley’s. (4 stars)
Foster Farms Take Out Crispy Wings Classic Buffalo
Unlike most packs of Buffalo wings, these put the hot, vinegary sauce in a separate pouch. The chicken is faultless, but tossing them in sauce after cooking, as per the directions, turns the coating to mush. Tossing them in sauce before cooking would be an improvement. 150 calories, 9 g fat, 630 mg sodium, no sugar, 12 g protein. $12.99 for 16 ounces at Safeway. (3 stars)
TGI Fridays Buffalo Style Chicken Wings
An extra-thick layer of coating and fresh roasted chicken flavor make these a good choice. More heat would be an improvement. 160 calories, 11 g fat, 410 mg sodium, no sugar, 10 g protein. $6.99 for 9 ounces at Safeway. (2½ stars)
Great Value Buffalo Wings
A fair hit of heat plus a burst of roasted garlic in the sauce are a good start, but the coating is far too thick and the chicken has an odd, faux butter flavor. 190 calories, 12 g fat, 720 mg sodium, 1 g sugar, 10 g protein. $8.37 for 22 ounces at Walmart. (2 stars)
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Tyson any’tizers Hot Wings Buffalo Style
These extra-salty wings taste more like buttered popcorn than Buffalo wings. Kids might like them, but true fans of Buffalo wings will be sorely disappointed. 190 calories, 13 g fat, 760 mg sodium, no sugar, 14 g protein. $8.99 for 22 ounces at Walmart. (1½ stars)
Signature Kitchen Buffalo Wings
These massive wings have moist meat and a pleasant spice hit, but they’re much too salty. 170 calories, 760 mg sodium, no sugar, 11 g protein. $10.99 for 22 ounces at Safeway. (1 star)
Reviews are based on product samples purchased by this newspaper or provided by manufacturers. Contact Jolene Thym at [email protected]. Read more Taste-off columns at www.mercurynews.com/tag/taste-off.
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