There are many foods I love in this world: chocolate, noodles, nachos, and chicken wings. Chicken wings are a constant craving of mine. I’m not alone here. Many Americans love a good chicken wing or 10. It’s a staple food choice for many sports viewing parties like the Super Bowl. In fact, last year, the National Chicken Council’s annual Chicken Wing Report projected Americans to consume a record-breaking 1.45 billion chicken wings during Super Bowl LVII weekend.
There are multiple places to get your chicken wing fix, but my favorite spot is Wingstop. If you’re on TikTok, you get it. In the first two seconds of watching a Wingstop mukbang, I’m already contemplating ordering from the fast food chain for a six-piece wing combo and an extra dip of the ranch.
As someone who really loves chicken wings, ranking Wingstop wing flavors is a no-brainer. Below is my ranking, where I️ tried each wing flavor as a bone-in and boneless wing. I️ opted for no ranch (crazy, I️ know) while trying them as I️ wanted to go off the flavor of each wing alone.
13. Atomic
All I tasted was spicy. As I’m typing this, I’m getting spicy flashbacks, and not in a good way. I didn’t know what smelling spicy meant until I came in contact with this wing. Atomic is Wingstop’s hottest flavor, scoring five flames on its heat scale. It’s not a joke BTW, proceed with caution.
12. Plain
Though ranked second to last, this chicken wing showcases the true Wingstop spices with a very herb-y and crispy taste. In this case, I️ do prefer a boneless plain wing over a bone-in.
However, I️ still prefer a sauce and a dry rub over this classic.
11. Mild
Mild is just Buffalo’s younger sister. The sauce is coated all over the wings. There’s not a lot of heat, obviously, as it’s Wingstop’s Original Hot sauce brought down a bit. It’s a good wing, but the mildness here just doesn’t do it for me.
10. Spicy Korean BBQ
Spicy Korean BBQ is another flavor I had for the first time this year. Not sure if it’s my taste buds, but I don’t find this flavor to be three fire flames like Wingstop claims. It gives more of a sweet and sour type of a vibe than spicy with flavors of ginger, garlic, sriracha, and crushed red pepper.
9. Original Hot
If the red coloring didn’t give it away, this is spicy. Spoiler: it’s not.
Original Hot is nothing like a Buffalo sauce but just as saucy. This is a great wing, but the color is deceiving. I️ don’t think it’s spicy at all and that’s something that should be present in a hot wing.
8. Cajun
Another red flavor, no seriously, it’s bright red color. The chicken wings are tossed in Wingstop’s Original Hot sauce and then dusted with bold and zesty Cajun seasoning. At first, i️t felt like a lot was going on flavor-wise and all I️ was tasting was spice. But in my second bite, I️ was able to taste all the flavors of the Cajun chicken wing. This is such a great and fiery wing that you have to pace yourself with as it’s spicy throughout.
7. Louisiana Rub
This flavor is a spiced dry rub that allows the crispiness of the chicken wing to shine. I prefer this flavor with bone-in wings rather than boneless. Foodbeast says this flavor is a combination of Cajun, Original Hot, and Lemon Pepper. It’s basically a lot going on in your mouth.
6. Hawaiian
I had this for the first time this year, and I was pleasantly surprised! This is such a refreshing flavor — I know this is a weird way to describe a chicken wing flavor. There’s a strong citrus flavor here, I would guess pineapple and it had me going back for more. There’s also a saltiness to the wing that I’m guessing is soy sauce based on the “rich Asian flavors” that Wingstop labels the sauce to have.
5. Lemon Pepper
A trusty choice if you’re not super into spicy chicken wings. This is one of the milder wings with an intense lemon flavor throughout that pairs nicely with the cracked black pepper that coats the wing.
4. Hickory Smoked BBQ
BBQ chicken wings are a must. It’s a flavor that many choose that will be a crowd favorite. It’s no wonder Hickory Smoked BBQ is one of Wingstop’s most popular flavors. The smoky flavor reminds me more of a teriyaki sticky sauce than BBQ. It’s a very bold flavor that has a small hint of spiciness that the crowd will love.
3. Garlic Parmesan
Who doesn’t love a garlic parm wing? This is one of my go-to flavors; however, I will say I prefer this flavor as a boneless wing rather than a bone-in wing. The times I’ve had as a bone-in, I wasn’t left that satisfied putting garlic parm in the top three.
Regardless of the type of wing, this has a strong garlic flavor with parmesan cheese sprinkled on top almost coating the chicken. Garlic parm is a flavor that you know is always going to be good.
2. Hot Honey Rub
Before I had Hot Honey, Garlic Parmesan was my number two chicken wing flavor. When Hot Honey brought this limited-edition flavor back during Valentine’s Day week, I was intrigued. This dry rub has a mild spiciness that grows after each wing. If you feel that honey flavor doesn’t mellow the heat out for you, the iconic ranch will. Since its release, Hot Honey Rub has been my go-to flavor and I don’t see that stopping anytime soon (well, until it’s no longer on the menu — @Wingstop, make this a forever flavor please, and thank you).
1. Mango Habanero
First, it’s sweet, then it’s hot. This is one of Wingstop’s “wet” flavors since the wings are drenched in the orange-y sauce. Mango Habanero is my favorite wing flavor — it’s the perfect balance of sticky, sweet, and spicy.