Once predominantly the favorite food of sports fans, extreme spice lovers and competitive eaters, chicken wings have become America’s favorite takeout food.
According to online food ordering company GrubHub Inc., wings are the No. 1 dish ordered nationally. In the year ended Sept. 29, they beat favorite foods such as pizza and cheeseburgers to earn the top spot at GrubHub, which has 30,000 restaurants in its network and more than 4 million active diners.
What is motivating diners across the country to order a bar food that originated in Buffalo, N.Y., in the late 1960s? Chefs and operators alike say it's the introduction of numerous flavors that have broadened the appeal of chicken wings.
“It used to be hot, extra hot. There were really no flavors,” said Tom Scalese, COO of East Coast Wings Corp., parent of East Coast Wings & Grill. “Now, with so many flavors … it’s opened up that door, and a lot more flexibility.”
The 30-unit fast-casual chain offers wings in a choice of 75 hand-mixed flavors and nine different heat levels. Despite all that choice, the most popular flavor at the chicken chain is the decidedly mild Honey BBQ. Other bestselling flavors include Grand Cayman, with creamy Parmesan, lemon, basil and roasted garlic; and Chipotle Razz, with smoked jalapenos, garlic and raspberries.
With wings accounting for 70 percent of takeout business, the chicken wing chain is committed to continually developing new, on-trend flavors. Inspired by the growing popularity of Korean and other Asian food, the chain’s newest flavor, Kamikaze, is made with ginger, molasses, sesame, crushed hot peppers, vinegar, garlic and salt.
Similarly, a broader range of customer is ordering chicken wings from Wing Zone, a nearly 100-unit takeout and delivery-only chain.
“Wings were predominately just a Buffalo-based sauce: mild, medium, hot,” said Matt Friedman, Wing Zone founder and CEO. “Of [our] 17 sauces, half have no spice whatsoever. That’s broadened our appeal.”
Started in the early 1990s with just seven sauces, Wing Zone now offers 17 options, including everything from heat-inducing Hot Shot and sweet-and-spicy Mango Fire to Cinnamon Maple and Cool Ranch.
“It’s a fun food to eat. People can customize it,” Friedman said. “They like to bring food that fits a sports bar mentality, but in their own space.”
Next month the chain will give its guests one more option to enjoy at home when it introduces its newest sauce, Sriracha-cha, for a limited time. Choice, though not as much as the aforementioned chains, is what inspired Dirtyburger chef Ian Russo to create Dirty Wings.
At Dirtyburger in Plainview, N.Y., Russo offers just three styles of chicken wings: Dirty Dust, with Russo’s signature spice blend; Dirty BBQ, a sauce version with the Dirty profile; and a Classic Buffalo style.
“They're popular because they taste great and because we offer options. Not everyone likes the spicy, classic Buffalo style taste that many other places offer exclusively,” Russo said.
Though jerk is the only flavor of wings available at Miss Lily's 7A in downtown New York City, the playful revision of the classic Buffalo wing is a popular takeout item, especially during football season.
"[Jerk wings are a] fiery, tasty snack food that everyone can relate to. That … smokiness and spicy flavor with the grilled crispy edges keep them ordering more," said executive chef Adam Schop.
Originally developed by Suzanne Couch, Miss Lily’s culinary consultant and a native of Kingston, Jamaica, the jerk recipe includes onion, scallion, Scotch bonnet, allspice, ginger, vinegar and brown sugar.
Further evidence that there may be no stopping the wing trend is the recent introduction of Buffalo Chicken Dumplings at Mimi Cheng's Dumplings, a new dumpling shop in New York’s East Village. Made with local chicken, celery, carrots and hot sauce, and served, of course, with blue cheese dipping sauce, the pan-fried dumplings sold out daily when they were made available as a limited-time offer last month. Currently, they can be ordered as part of a takeout game day package.
