Perdue Farms is one of America’s leadingchickenbrands.
Well, until recently, that is.
If you’re a Costco shopper, you’re probably rolling your eyes right now.
Photos: Perdue Farms & Foster Farms. Design by Eat This, Not That!
For consumers, of course, the question of which air-fryer wings came first is a trivial concern.
A far more important question: which air-fryer wings are the best?
I then air-fried each of these wings according to the directions on the package.
Chris Shott for Eat This, Not That!
The exact source of that heat and spice?
Well, that’s something of a mystery.
The taste:Just as spicy as advertised.
Chris Shott for Eat This, Not That!
These were unquestionably the hottest wings in this survey.
Scraping residue off the surface is something new.
Predictably, the Costco-sized bag is much bigger than the Perdue packagethree times bigger, in fact.
Chris Shott for Eat This, Not That!
You get four pounds for just $15.99 at the warehouse.
The look: Fiery red and noticeably larger on average than the Perdue wings.
The flats, meanwhile, ranged from 1.7 to 2.2 ounces.
Chris Shott for Eat This, Not That!
The taste: Bright, vinegary, and hot sauce-forward.
The juicy meat pulled easily off the bone.
Like the Hot ‘N Spicy flavor, these wings are flavored with a dry rubno saucing required.
They also cost the same: $9.99 for a 22-ounce bag, containing precisely 14 wings.
The look: Beautifully golden brown and dotted with specks of black pepper.
Much like the other Perdue flavor, these wings were all modestly sized.
Drumsticks generally ranged from 1.6 to 1.8 ounces, with one larger outlier weighing in at 2.3 ounces.
Flats ranged from 1.3 to 1.7 ounces, with one tiny guy barely crossing single-ounce mark.
The taste: Bright, citrusy, and savory.
The seasoning seemed well-balanced and didn’t distract from the meat’s natural taste.
The wings came out of the air fryer super crispy outside and juicy inside.
One superfan on Reddit, in fact, called the barbecue flavor “top tier.”
They also come in a similarly super-sized 4-pound bag for $15.99 from Costco.
Mine contained a total of 27 wings.
The look: Nicely browned and meaty.
The reddish glaze gives these wings an enticing sheen and their plumpness stands out compared to their puny rivals.
The taste: Ambrosial.
The whole “finger-licking” descriptor is often overused, but in this case, it’s warranted.
