I Tried Buffalo Wings At 6 Chains, And This Is The One I'd Absolutely Order Again

While the true origin of Buffalo wings may be a culinary mystery akin to the French dip and the Juicy Lucy, these sports bar staples have become an integral part of our national restaurant culture. Like most runaway hits of American food history, the idea for Buffalo wings was born from a combination of economy and epiphany. Wings have always been on the cheaper side of the poultry spectrum, and tossing fried wings with a spicy sauce was a surefire way to get patrons to order more drinks. Ever since Teressa Bellissimo of the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York, got the idea to deep fry some chicken wings and toss them with a spicy, vinegar-forward sauce, Buffalo wings have become synonymous with game day — and helped many enterprising bar owners sell more beer.

These days, fans of Buffalo wings don't have to go very far to get their fix. With the inclusion of Buffalo wings on the menus of most pizza delivery chains, these fiery finger foods have been a delivery option since before the days of DoorDash. But just because Buffalo wings are plentiful in our national food scene doesn't mean they're all worth getting your fingers saucy for. I visited some of the nation's most well-known wing destinations and stuck as close to the original Buffalo wing formula as possible. My goal was to evaluate each Buffalo wing based on its adherence to Bellissimo's successful formula — I was looking for a bone-in wing that had a nice flavor on its own and a sauce that struck the right balance of flavors. While the margins were pretty tight, I did manage to discover the one wing to rule them all.

Though the wings at Little Caesars are called Caesar Wings, they're cooked and prepared just like traditional Buffalo wings, so I decided to include them in my list — but I really wish I hadn't. Before I get into the details, I want to go on record and say that I'm a longtime fan of Little Caesars, and I'm not the only one out there – the chain deserves a lot more love, according to the internet. That said, these were perhaps some of the most miserable chicken wings I've ever tasted.

When I cracked open my order, the Caesar Wings definitely looked the part. I noticed a smaller ratio of meat-to-bone than I've seen at other restaurants, but the wings were appropriately sauced and fried, so I dug in. After the first bite, my taste buds recoiled in alarm — it was as if I could taste each mile of the journey this chicken wing took to get to my local Little Caesars. Whether it was from overcooking or underfeeding, the meat on my first drumstick was unpleasantly rubbery and haggard.

Sometimes a good sauce can step in and save the day in situations like this, but that wasn't the case here. The Buffalo sauce was too muted to have any flavorful impact, leaving me to focus all my attention on the mediocre protein. Considering the fact that Caesar Wings are more expensive than the restaurant's Classic Pepperoni and Classic Cheese Pizzas, there's simply no reason to add them to your order.

After my experience with Caesar Wings, I was admittedly a bit wary to try Buffalo wings from another pizza place. Domino's even has a bit of a negative reputation online when it comes to its Buffalo wings, so I was bracing myself for another bout of disappointment. When I opened my box o' wings, I took a bit longer to assess the visuals of my meal. Domino's wings are definitely more sauced than Little Caesars', though they're about the same size — if you want protein at Domino's, you'll need to order the MeatZZa.

Despite my first drumstick being fattier than I like, these wings were more palatable than my order from Little Caesars. Once I was a few wings in, I felt that these could be an acceptable side dish if you absolutely must have Buffalo wings with your Domino's pizza. I don't think I'm someone who would ever really fall into that category — trying them out in this context has me quite alright with Loaded Tots or Stuffed Cheesy Bread as my Domino's side of choice.

I wasn't overly surprised when the two pizza places on my list ended up coming in dead last, so I had higher expectations for a restaurant that just focuses on chicken. Zaxby's range of poultry options and its diverse selection of sauce flavors did not disappoint. As heat level was part of my ranking methodology, I wanted something right between Nuclear and Wimpy, and the cashier recommended going with the Buffalo Garlic Sauce.

Zaxby's doesn't skimp on the sauce, and I appreciated the liberal dousing that my wings had been given. The Buffalo Garlic Sauce has a nice caramel color, which doesn't immediately scream "hot stuff," but I thought the spice level was indeed right at that middle ground. The wings at Zaxby's had more meat on them than both Domino's and Little Caesars, and the meat on the bone was much more flavorful.

Overall, my experience at Zaxby's was exactly what I was hoping for in a Buffalo wing experience. The restaurant serves up a decent plate of wings, and the addition of fries and toast makes the combo meals here a good value. The main reason Zaxby's didn't crack the top three came down to the meat-to-bone ratio — as tasty as the wings were, they weren't as meaty as our three finalists.

My visit to Chili's made me realize how much the amount of meat on the bone impacts the overall wing experience. When a plate of good-sized wings hits your table, it's hard to think of anything other than biting right into them, which is a huge plus. Though Chili's wings aren't the most popular appetizer on the menu (according to our ranking of Chili's appetizers), I thought they were perfectly serviceable — outside of the price, that is. An order of eight wings ran me about $15, which I thought was a bit pricey for the dish — perhaps the extra meat explains the exorbitant price tag.

Visually and texturally, Chili's wings get the job done. The exterior is nice and crispy, and the reddish-orange color lets you know exactly what kind of flavor journey you're about to take. The sauce has a nice heat-to-flavor ratio — I didn't think the vinegar was overly forward, but it was aggressive enough to pack an acidic punch. As I said, you do get a lot of meat with every bite, and an order of eight is definitely a meal in itself. Had these wings been a little cheaper, I think they could have had a chance to sneak into the second spot. Alas, the high price tag earned these wings the bronze medal.

It took a good amount of deliberation, but I had to give the silver medal to Buffalo Wild Wings, as much as I enjoy the fact that the chain really leans into the sports bar vibe. The variety of wing flavors and sauce options here is also impressive. On a different day, I could definitely see Buffalo Wild Wings taking the number one spot.

Visually, these wings were probably the most aesthetically pleasing. I'm not even much of a sports fan, but when these wings arrived accompanied by a contingent of celery sticks and carrots, I was ready for gameday. It's worth noting that Buffalo Wild Wings was the only restaurant that included the customary veggies as a complementary addition, which I appreciated.

The flavor and texture were on point, but the one factor that kept these wings from winning was that the sauce was not spicy enough. Outside of that, it was difficult to find a gripe with Buffalo Wild Wings, and it definitely had the best hangout vibes of all the places I visited.

My top three wings were extremely close in the ranking, but Wingstop was the place that impressed me the most. For starters, Wingstop was the most economical place to indulge a chicken wing craving. In addition to its everyday low menu prices, Wingstop has a huge choice of flavors and runs specials throughout the week that offer really good deals. Outside of going easy on your wallet, Wingstop's Buffalo wings taste objectively awesome. They were just as meaty as the wings from Chili's, and the Buffalo sauce perfectly balanced its flavor, acidity, and heat. 

I was definitely expecting a restaurant like Chili's or Buffalo Wild Wings to take first place, and I sometimes think that Wingstop gets overlooked because it doesn't offer sports bar vibes. Even though Wingstop is a fast-casual restaurant (unlike Chili's and Buffalo Wild Wings, which offer more casual dining experiences), the quality of its chicken is high because the team still cooks wings to order, so they arrive at your table piping hot. This isn't necessarily an unrealistic expectation for fast-casual eating, but still, a pleasant surprise nonetheless. Given the fact that Wingstop does a lot more with its wings for a lot less money, these are the wings that I would most definitely order again.

Buffalo wings have evolved to include a wide array of sauces, preparation styles, and even meatless options like crispy cauliflower florets. While it's true that there's room for all kinds of variations when it comes to Buffalo wings, I chose to stick to recipes that were closest to the originals prepared by Buffalo's Anchor Bar back in the 1960s. That means the wings had to be bone-in, deep-fried without breading, and tossed in a traditional vinegar-based Buffalo sauce.

Once I made my selections, I evaluated each batch of wings according to the flavor and texture of the wings themselves. If a wing was rubbery or exceedingly fatty, for example, it got penalized. From there, I evaluated each sauce on its own, as a well-balanced Buffalo sauce is a tricky process. This is also where I evaluated the heat-to-flavor ratio — a Buffalo wing that invests all its flavor currency into heat levels is typically a failure.

I also factored in the price of each order, as bang for your buck makes a big difference out there. A restaurant that was able to provide a good wing experience at an affordable price point was apt to score higher than a more expensive restaurant of equal quality.