Is There Still A Chicken Wing Shortage In 2023?

Considering America's love affair with eating chicken wings by the dozen it's hard to believe they're a recent invention. It just seems so natural to fry up a bunch of chicken wings, cover them in a favorite sauce, and enjoy them alongside an ice-cold beer, like it's been happening forever. While the most common sauce might be spicy Buffalo, these chicken pieces pair with a wide variety of flavors. Douse them in a savory ginger-garlic sauce, try a sticky Cantonese barbecue sauce, or go wild with a sweet and spicy raspberry chicken wing sauce.

The possibilities are endless, and there's never a shortage of hungry diners to clear them out. Chicken wings have become a Super Bowl staple, and The National Chicken Council reports a projected 1.4 billion chicken wings or more were consumed in America during this year's Big Game. Even the Mexican fast food chain Taco Bell has gotten in on the wing craze and launched its own queso-infused wings.

This is especially surprising considering there has been a shortage of chicken wings recently that has caused prices to soar. There just might be hope on the horizon as chicken prices seem to return to normal. 

Like many things in 2022, the chicken wing industry was still feeling the effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Supply chains were still under a lot of stress due to various factors, and so it became hard to get enough chicken wings shipped out to meet demand. Texas and other parts of the South also saw an unseasonable winter storm that caused temperatures to plummet, being responsible for widespread power outages. A large number of chickens didn't survive the cold, so the available supply was also diminished going into 2022.

This caused the average price of chicken to rise from $1.53 per pound to $1.80. Some dining establishments cited their prices rising by 100% from where they were the year before. There were some predictions that prices would calm by the end of 2022. Going into the 2023 Super Bowl many outlets were pleased to report that prices for chicken wings were indeed lower than they were the year before.

As of mid-February, the price of chicken wings is reportedly down by 22%. That doesn't put us back to where things were before, but it's a positive sign that things are moving in the right direction. Poultry farmers were aware of last year's shortage and increased their stock this year to try and make up for it. While poultry chickens also aren't as susceptible to illness as those that are bred to lay eggs, their populations haven't been as deeply affected by the spread of the Avian Flu.

However, this might not see the return of lower prices on chicken wings at your local sports bar. While the price of chicken is dropping, the costs for other items are still rising. Prices for other commodities like oil, sauces, and dips are still high — if not on the rise — and so restaurants have to consider this before they can lower their prices. Labor and energy costs also haven't been going down as well. So, while the wholesale price for wings, and maybe even what you see at the grocery store is going to go down, it might be a while until you see the prices dropping on menus.