Top Five Chicken Wing Flavors

We’re smack dab in the middle of Championship Week. For some people, that means absolutely nothing. For me, it means we’re just days away from Selection Sunday, when the brackets for the NCAA Tournament are revealed. In other words: MARCH MADNESS. And with March Madness brings an array of overindulgence on everything from pizza to cookies. Today, we’re focused on a prime March Madness dish: chicken wings. There are so many different types of chicken wing flavors, and it can be hard to pick the right one.

Which chicken wing flavors are best? Well, you’ll just have to keep reading to find out! This list only consists of flavors that are widely available at most wing places, so while a peach watermelon rub may be the best thing this side of the Mississippi, if most people haven’t tried it (or have the opportunity to try it), it’s out.

5. Ranch

Not to be confused with the dipping sauce, ranch wings are a dry rub with a slightly salty flavor to them. They’re harder to eat en masse, but they get a few bonus points because a restaurant might be confused and bring you ranch wings when you only wanted ranch dressing. And it’s hard to be mad about free wings.

4. Standard Buffalo

Buffalo sauce, in general, is pretty great. The problem comes when places try to make their buffalo sauce TOO spicy. I’m not looking to make my tongue more beat up than Rocky after five movies – I’m just trying to enjoy a little kick on my wings. Don’t overdo it and you’ll be fine.

3. Sweet BBQ

Now we’re talking! The brilliance of BBQ sauce gets amped up by a little bit of tangy sweetness. This is the most fun wing flavor to lick off your fingers, FOR SURE. A nice alternative is a Dr. Pepper rub, which is just like drinking the soda except you don’t feel terrible afterward. Well, unless you had 34 wings. Then you might feel terrible.

2. Lemon Pepper

We’re back to dry rubs for these last two, so I guess that’s where my allegiances lie. I’m learning so much about myself today! Lemon pepper is a wing flavor that took me a little time to get used to, but let me tell you – I’m glad I did. These tasty morsels put the “mmm” in “lemmmon pepper” and also make your spell check really confused.

1. Parmesan Garlic

This will not be number one if you’re planning to kiss someone after your meal because it will absolutely wreck your breath. But since the only thing I look forward to post-wings is sleep (or maybe additional basketball), I’ll manage. Parmesan garlic wings are like eating a delightful bit of garlic bread, but with chicken also involved. That’s a lot of good things all in one package, which is why it’s my top wing flavor.

View other Fives here.