If you asked Dunkin, they’d say America runs on coffee.
But in recent years, it seems we’ve been devouring fast-food chicken with the same urgent appetite.
The same, of course, holds true for the almightychicken wing.
Photo: Wingstop. Design: Eat This, Not That!
So, it’s no wonder that restaurant chains specializing in chickenhave been on the rise.
And of all the chicken wing chains proliferating across America,Wingstophas become an unstoppable behemoth.
To taste them and rank the options, I ordered all 12 available flavors from a local storefront.
Photo: Matt Kirouac, Eat This, Not That!
The minimum order is 10 wings, with options for up to five wings in two flavors.
Here are the Wingstop flavors, ranked from worst to best.
Hickory smoked BBQ, despite its nostalgia play, was the latter.
Photo: Matt Kirouac, Eat This, Not That!
Its barbecue sauce was as evident as it was fragrant, but not in a good way.
Altogether, it drowned out the boneless wing underneath.
In other words, a mild wing must exceed expectations and defy its ho-hum moniker.
Photo: Matt Kirouac, Eat This, Not That!
In the most meh sense.
They did appear meaty and plump, albeit also bland and boring.
The taste:Points for accuracy because these mild wings also tasted precisely how they looked.
Photo: Matt Kirouac, Eat This, Not That!
The skin has a pleasant crunch, but it doesn’t leave an impression whatsoever.
The consensus was that, of all the flavors, the mild needs ranch to be palatable.
Unfortunately, none of the ranch I ordered came with my wings.
Photo: Matt Kirouac, Eat This, Not That!
I love lemon, I love pepper, and I love wings, so what could go wrong?
A lot, it seems!
Dawn, to be precise.
Photo: Matt Kirouac, Eat This, Not That!
The taste:Suffice it to say that the optimistic accolades ended there.
Hot Honey Rub
Hot honey is having a moment.
It’s everywhere, frompizzatosandwiches, and wings are no exception.
Photo: Matt Kirouac, Eat This, Not That!
The hot honey rub wings from Wingstop, which I tried boneless, were unexpected and perplexing.
The look:First of all, these looked nothing like I expected.
Typically, I assume anything labeled “hot honey” will arrive looking at least hot or honeyedusually both.
Photo: Matt Kirouac, Eat This, Not That!
These just looked like sauce-less chicken nuggets.
That said, they looked crisp, golden, and plump.
One friend was convinced these were just “plain” wings because he couldn’t taste honey or spice.
Photo: Matt Kirouac, Eat This, Not That!
I got a hint of it, but I could have used more.
I predicted that Wingstop’s Hawaiian wingsboneless, in this casewould fall somewhere on that scale.
And for better or worse, indeed, they did.
Photo: Matt Kirouac, Eat This, Not That!
The look:No offense to the great state of Hawaii, but these were not the prettiest wings.
With a vaguely orange-brown glaze, they didn’t look very tropical, nor sweet, nor spicy.
When I close my eyes and envision a classic Buffalo-style wing, it’s these guys.
Photo: Matt Kirouac, Eat This, Not That!
Neither off-putting nor exceptional, they land right in the middle of my Wingstop taste test.
It’s the kind of staple sauce that you’ll find at any chicken wing chain.
These earned bonus points for looking moist and meaty.
Photo: Matt Kirouac, Eat This, Not That!
The taste:The main word that comes to mind is “classic.”
While something this familiar might not wow, it certainly won’t disappoint.
But these Garlic Parmesan wings, ordered boneless, were better than they needed to be.
It’s not exactly chicken Parm, but it scratches the itch.
The look:They didn’t look all that great.
The sprinkling of Parmesan on each wing looked more like sawdust, which didn’t help the optics.
But the suspicions and assumptions ended there.
The taste:Pleasantly, these wings were much tastierand moisterthan they looked.
If only there were some marinara to dunk them in.
The look:Much like Original hot, the bone-in mango habanero wings look like a classic wing.
The taste:Woof!
If you are into spice, this is the wing to beat.
While a tad puzzling in execution, they leave a distinct and characteristic mark on the cuisine.
The look:Of all the wings, these looked most like their menu name.
The look:The boneless Louisiana rub wings look the most like chicken tenders.
So if that’s your jam, then these are winners.
The taste:The taste is just as inspired as the aroma.
It’s the perfect amount of heat to satisfy spice lovers while remaining mild enough to keep eating them.
The look:Slicked in a bright red glaze, these boneless wings look downright violent.
They smell that way, too.
Intimidating and intense, these are the wings I’d typically reserve for a dare.
The taste:I was surprised by how decidedly non-violent these wings tasted.
Still, for meand probably for most wing-eatersAtomic was way less explosive than it sounds and looks.
Most of my friends deemed it their favorite and went back for more.
Of the dozen flavors, it delivered something unique in terms of perfectly balanced spice level and flavor profile.
The look:Boneless and meaty, spicy Korean Q looks completely appetizing.
The right amount of sauce coats the crispy edges without drowning the nugget in the glaze.
It smells somewhat smoky, too, as if it were cooked at an actual barbecue.
And in this case, the barbecue is far more successful than the hickory smoked BBQ mess from earlier.
Of all the flavors, this is the one I could eat the most of.
I wish I had skipped the other 11 and placed 12 orders of spicy Korean Q.
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