7 Store-Bought Frozen Chicken Wings, Ranked From Worst To Best

There's nothing quite like the spicy tang of homemade classic buffalo wings or the sweet and savory taste of homemade honey garlic chicken wings. Of course, making homemade wings can take a lot of time — between sauce creation, marinading, cooking, and anything else your specific recipe calls for, you'll often need a few hours to create the most flavorful dish. Thankfully, there are store-bought options that can be cooked in the oven, air fryer, or deep fryer for delicious wings in a fraction of the time. But, not every brand or flavor of frozen chicken wings is worthwhile — usually, figuring out which ones are would be a matter of trial and error.

The good news is you can skip the experimentation because I put my more than 15 years of food industry experience to work taste testing seven store-bought frozen chicken wing brands. Then, I ranked them from worst to best so you know exactly which options are worth your valuable time and hard-earned money. To create this ranking, I assessed each wings' taste, texture, and smell. You can find a full methodology explanation at the end of this article. Let's get into it so you can find your perfect quick fix for your chicken wings craving.

When looking at my local frozen chicken wing offerings, this was the only lemon pepper option I found, making it unique amongst a lot of barbecue and buffalo sauce variations. Since I love lemon pepper chicken and generally enjoy Perdue products, this quickly found a place on my must-tries. My trial started off strongly when the kitchen filled with a delicious citrusy smell while these wings were cooking — but everything started going downhill from there.

Since these are lemon pepper, there wasn't any sauce to taste and so I skipped straight to the wings themselves. The skin was super flavorful, featuring a predominantly citrus profile laced with buttery notes and a nice kick of black pepper. But, it was greasier than I was hoping, which made it sit heavy on my stomach. As for the chicken meat itself? It had a nice texture, but didn't appear to be seasoned at all, which was a big letdown. 

Although I appreciate the unique flavor offering, these Perdue chicken wings didn't live up to my expectations. Between the unseasoned chicken meat and the nauseating greasiness, I wouldn't purchase them again and can't recommend them. Skip these on your next shopping trip in lieu of one of the better ranked brands.

These TGI Fridays Buffalo Style Chicken Wings come in a small box that offers significantly less wings than other options on this list. That being said, they're the perfect size for a one-person snack and the much lower price tag reflects the amount of wings you receive. The wings are meant to be a replication of those you'd find at the chain restaurant, TGI Fridays, who closed down a whopping 36 locations just over a year ago. I think they come pretty close, but I say this as someone who hasn't been the biggest fan of the chain's wings.

The smell when cooking is largely undefined, but what permeated my kitchen when I opened the oven door was pleasant and a little spicy. My biggest complaint is that I wish the spicy notes hitting my nose were more dominant in the sauce itself — while there was a slight aftertaste burn, there wasn't any initial kick. Despite this, the sauce was distinctly vinegary with mild buttery notes throughout that I enjoyed. However, I prefer more spice in my buffalo wings and this didn't deliver that. 

Another complaint I have (which has become a theme on this ranking list) is that the chicken meat itself was unseasoned and a little bland. When paired with the buffalo sauce, this isn't immediately noticeable, but when you get a bite without the sauce or skin, it's pretty disappointing. Overall, these weren't bad and I'd eat them again if they were served to me, but wouldn't purposefully search them out to purchase.

These crispy roasted wings from Perdue were much better than their lemon pepper offering overall. The one thing these lacked was a mouthwatering, kitchen-filling scent during cooking — instead, there was a mild roasted chicken smell only when opening the oven, which was a little disappointing. However, the rest of the taste test went better. The chicken meat and skin both featured a light buttery taste with slightly salty notes. A combination of tender meat and crispy skin was perfectly balanced and highly enjoyable.

My one big complaint is that the chicken itself could have been seasoned better, and this seems like a common Perdue problem based on my limited taste tests. That being said, these would be the perfect frozen chicken wings if you wanted something to pair with your own flavorful sauce, like this three ingredient orange chicken sauce. Combining your favorite buffalo sauce with a few teaspoons of melted butter and a drizzle of honey could also be an excellent option. These wings are also among the few that are certified gluten free, so they'd be an excellent choice for those with Celiac or gluten intolerance, and the mild taste makes them a great choice for families with younger children. Although they weren't my favorite option, I could see myself purchasing these again.

Tyson offers a generous portion of wings in their bag, which was perfect for two full servings but could probably be a snack or appetizer for three or four people. During cooking, the smell of barbecue chicken filled my kitchen and made my mouth water, which is a huge boon because the smell of my food is important to me. Even better, this delicious smell ended up being indicative of the wing's taste.

The skin came pre-soaked in the barbecue sauce, which was tangy and featured heavy notes of sweet tomato and a small kick of unexpected (but appreciated) spice. Although the wings were already covered in sauce, they weren't soggy, which is an issue I've had with some frozen wings in the past. The chicken meat was lightly seasoned — although I would have preferred a stronger profile, I was honestly just happy the meat was seasoned at all after tasting some of the other brands on this list. The texture was nice, too, with moist meat and crispy skin. I definitely recommend these as an overall satisfying BBQ wing.

I'm a big fan of buffalo sauce generally, with my buffalo chicken dip being one of my partner's top requested dishes at home. So, of course, I was excited to try these — and while I wouldn't say my mind was blown, I certainly wasn't disappointed, either. Basically, these Tyson Buffalo Chicken Hot Wings are exactly what you want in buffalo wings without any frills. If (like me) this is what you're looking for in your frozen chicken wings, this is a must try.

The skin crisps up nice during cooking, so you're offered a small crunch when you bite in. The sauce was a little spicy with buffalo's hallmark vinegary kick and light salty notes, offering an appropriate amount of heat without being overpowering. While the chicken meat had a nice texture, it was bland and unseasoned on its own. Thankfully, the sauce was well distributed and there were few bites of chicken meat on its own, so this didn't pose a huge problem. Overall, these were the best buffalo chicken wings on this list and I would definitely buy them again. I think they would be good with homemade blue cheese dressing and recommend them to traditional hot wing fans.

These Honey BBQ glazed chicken wings were fantastic from the start and were only narrowly beaten out by the top ranked wing — which, spoiler alert, is also from Foster Farms. The bag was generously sized, offering full meal portions for two people or appetizers for four (at least based on what my own family eats). Opening the bag there isn't much smell, but once these start cooking, they produce a delicious, strong aroma that had my stomach rumbling.

The sauce is sweet and full-bodied, with the smallest hints of spice. The skin crisped up nicely to provide textural complexity to every bite, while offering a mild saltiness of its own. However, my personal favorite quality of these wings is that the chicken meat is well-seasoned and delicious of its own accord. There are mild charred notes with what tastes like a typical salt and pepper combination that perfectly layered the wing's other flavors. Texturally, the meat was tender and juicy, with a slight greasiness you'd expect from this kind of dish. I honestly can't recommend these frozen chicken wings enough.

This (alongside the brand's other wings on this list) was my first experience with Foster Farms, and they made a great impression on me. In fact, I was so impressed that I'll be looking for more of their products on my local grocery store's shelves. What really set these apart was the chicken meat itself, which was tender and well-seasoned with a mildly charred taste. The skin was also well-seasoned and crispy, adding a layer of textural complexity I enjoyed. But the sauce? It was tangy and sweet, with a small kick of spice, and thick enough that it stuck to the wings nicely, offering me balanced, flavorful bites every time.

While these wings were cooking, my kitchen was filled with delicious smells reminiscent of the fried chicken my mom made growing up. Once coated in the sauce, my nose was offered a slightly spicy, tangy smell with hints of tomato and brown sugar. Since they offered me such a fantastic experience across the board on taste, smell, and texture, these wings easily took the top spot on this ranking. I highly recommend these and think they'd be the perfect pairing for oven baked homemade French fries and everybody's favorite baked beans.

Chicken wing brands and flavors were based on what was available to me in my local area and purchased from either Walmart or Shoprite. My own personal taste preferences were also considered when choosing flavors, so I could provide honest, unbiased rankings, while still ensuring a variety of offerings. To the extent possible, I opted for national brands that should be available to most people, in most locations.

Predominantly, wings were judged based on flavor and the chicken meat, skin, and sauce were tasted separately (when appropriate) and together. Smell and texture were also considered when making my assessments. Each option was cooked according to the conventional oven instructions printed on the containers and no alterations were made to sauces or wings during the taste test. I relied on my more than 15 years experience in the food industry and a great love for good chicken wings to help make my decisions.