Surely people were cooking chicken wings before Teressa Bellisimo first tossed some in the fryer at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, N.Y., but it was the inspired move of dousing them in hot sauce and vinegar with celery and blue cheese dressing to cool the burn that earned these throwaway parts (and the bar) their fame. Now, wings make up nearly half of all Super Bowl takeout. If you prefer to cook them at home, it’s easy to unzip a bag of frozen pre-seasoned wings and bake or fry them. But how do you know which taste best? And what if you’re watching your sodium? (Well, you probably shouldn’t be eating wings at all, but we’ve done the math for you.) – Kristen Browning-Blas
How we did the taste tests: We placed the wings on unmarked plates and asked tasters to rate them on meatiness, spiciness and sauce flavor, and to pick a favorite. Denver Post staffers tasted the takeout and Fort Collins High School teachers and administrators ranked the frozen wings.
How we did the nutrition facts: Some brands express serving size in ounces or grams, others by piece. Using the numbers on each package, we calculated the calories, fat and sodium per wing or boneless piece. Buffalo Wild Wings and Wingstop do not offer nutrition info. Find Wing Street nutrition facts at www.yum.com/nutrition/menu.asp. One Wing Street hot wing has 55 calories, 3.5g fat, and 230mg sodium.
Wings that sing
Need to get your wing on? Here are five area spots offering tasty wings.
Fagan’s
1135 E. Evans Ave., 303-778-6426
11 a.m.-2 a.m. Monday- Saturday; 4 p.m.-2 a.m. Sunday.
Wings and beer make this south Denver neighborhood pub a worthwhile stop.
Luciano’s Pizza and Wings
1043 Broadway, 303-446-2424
11 a.m.-10:30 p.m. Sunday-Thursday; 11 a.m.- 2:30 a.m. Friday-Saturday.
The thick-crust pizza’s pretty good, but the wings and blue cheese dip really shine.
Piper Inn
2251 S. Parker Road,
303-755-0771
11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 11 a.m.- 11 p.m. Friday- Saturday; 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday.
Not just for bikers, this is a friendly bar with a great patio and superhot wings.
Govnr’s Park
672 Logan St.,
303-831-8605
11 a.m.-2 a.m. Monday-Friday; 10 a.m.-2 a.m. Saturday-Sunday.
Numb your lips with the Holy Habanero wings, then cool them off with a pitcher of beer.
Jim’s Wings
1205 W. Elizabeth St., Fort Collins, 970-493-1103
11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Saturday; 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday.
Eight sauces, “green things” (which include potato salad) and mandarin oranges for the kids make this locally owned joint a Fort Collins favorite.
-Tucker Shaw and Kristen Browning-Blas
TASTE-TEST RESULTS
TAKEOUT WINGS
1Wing Street Wings with Medium Sauce
The generous sauce on these wings had a strong
cayenne pepper flavor and grainy texture. Some
tasters noted a smoky note and one taster called
them “hot but bland.” A plus: Tasters liked Wing Street’s ranch and blue cheese dressings, too.
And they don’t charge extra!
$5.99 for 10
2Wing Street Boneless Wings
with Burnin’ Hot Sauce
These breaded, boneless breast chunks were too sweet for some, and universally hot. One critic thought they looked “like something served over rice with chopsticks.”
$5.99 for 10
3Wing Stop Original
Hot Boneless Wings
One taster liked these bright orange nuggets best,
but others found them too dry, “lame by comparison.” Don’t bother: Blue cheese and ranch dressings cost
59 cents and both tasted like an “icky” powdered mix.
$7.59 for seven
4Buffalo Wild Wings Traditional Wings with Medium Classic Wing Sauce
Weird yellowish color. Mustardy. Salty.
But the fave of one hot-pepper connoisseur.
Another plus: The included blue cheese dressing was the cheesiest of the three.
$8.29 for 12
5Buffalo Wild Wings Boneless Wings
with Hot Classic Wing Sauce
Very dry. Dull. Flat, more like a rub than a sauce.
$6.79 for eight
6Wing Stop Original Hot Wings
Bone-in, Medium
Citrusy. Salty. Bland.
$5.79 for 10
TASTE TEST RESULTS
FROZEN WINGS
Tied for winner:
1Bell & Evans Buffalo Style Chicken Wings
Fed a grain-based diet without animal byproducts and antibiotics, this chicken tasted the most “like chicken” of the flock. One person complained they tasted “blah” but another complimented their “great flavor.” They’re not very saucy, but you can always add your own.
$6.99 for 16 ounces (nine pieces) at Whole Foods
1 wing: 57 calories, 3g fat,
117mg sodium
1. Tyson Buffalo Style Tenders
While some complained these boneless breast pieces were dry, not hot enough and too heavy on breading, they tied with the Bell & Evans brand overall. Several tasters perceived them to be “healthier” but the nutrition facts dispute that impression.
$11.76 for 48 ounces (32 pieces) at Sam’s Club
1 piece: 95 calories, 4g fat,
570mg sodium
2. Foster Farms Hot ‘n Spicy Wings
Some tasters said these had too much fat and skin and not enough meat.
$7.99 for 28 ounces (20 pieces) at King Soopers
1 wing: 43 calories, 3.3g fat, 115mg sodium
3. T.G.I. Friday’s Buffalo Wings
Some like the dryness of these smallish wings, saying they were easier to eat. One said they were too salty.
$3 for 10 ounces (seven to eight pieces) at King Soopers
1 wing: 50 calories, 3g fat, 300mg sodium
4Kroger Chicken Wings Buffalo Style
Saucy, with a mild flavor, the King Soopers store brand comes in bone-in and “popcorn” style (boneless).
$3.29 for 10 ounces (seven to eight pieces) at King Soopers
1 wing: 53 calories, 4g fat,
283mg sodium
5. Tyson Buffalo Hot Wings
Nearly all tasters remarked these wings had too much skin, but one said she’d like this sauce on the Kroger wings.
$13.88 for 80 ounces (40 pieces) at Sam’s Club
1 wing: 80 calories, 5g fat, 305mg sodium
How we did the nutrition facts: Each brand calculates its calories and other nutritional info differently. Some express serving size in ounces or grams, others by piece. Using the facts on each package, we calculated the calories, fat and sodium per wing or boneless piece.
