Are you thinking of cooking chicken wings? Why not? They are incredibly delicious and are extremely versatile. Fried, in a marinade, or just on their own, there’s hardly any combinations of flavors that will not work with chicken wings.
That being said, with great chicken wings comes great responsibility! If you are cooking for a few friends or family, getting the correct amount of chicken wings in weight is essential. Perhaps you just want a solo chicken wing bonanza; you’ll find no judgment here! In any case, you’ll still need to know just how many chicken wings there are in a pound to get the perfect portion sizes.
So without further do…
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How Many Chicken Wings are In a Pound?
Generally, when purchased commercially, a pound of whole chicken wings equates to four of five chicken wings. However, this is not a rule. Depending on the cut of the chicken wings the amount may vary.
Chicken wings are cut into three parts: drumette, wingette and the tip.
For the most part when you buy chicken wings at a grocery store or in a restaurant it’s the drumette and/or the wingette that you’ll be chowing down on. A butcher might sell you a whole chicken wing, which is obviously heavier and therefore a pound will mean fewer wings, though it’s not always commonplace. Plus it’s the wingette and the drumette where all the tasty meat is! It’s better to use the tips for making chicken stock.
The wingette and the drumette are also known as ‘Buffalo wings’ – sound familiar? A pound of wingettes and drumettes (Buffalo wings) then yields roughly seven to twelve wings depending on their size.
Admittedly, this can all get a little confusing. Often times, when we think chicken wing what we’re actually drooling over is the wingette or the drumette. While the whole chicken wing isn’t what most restaurants and stores generally serve, there are of course exceptions – equally delectable exceptions!
How Many Chicken Wings Are a Regular Serving for One Person?
As an appetizer, a regular serving of chicken wings per person is around 1.125 pounds – that’s approximately twelve Buffalo wings or six whole wings. For a main dish, double it!
In a restaurant, again as an appetizer, a pound serving of buffalo chicken wings can be anywhere from seven to twelve chicken wings.
However, we all know restaurants that cut back on their portion sizes and play fast and loose with what a ‘pound’ should actually be. To be roughly in keeping with the ‘average’ serving suggestion for one person there should be no fewer than seven Buffalo wings provided that they are of a typical size.
At home, you’re in charge! Hey, you might want to eat one thousand wings, and nobody can stop you! Although nobody will likely complain, it’s certainly not recommended…
Origins of the Chicken Wing
Believe it or not chicken wings weren’t always a thing. It’s hard to imagine a world without luscious chicken wings, but prior to the 1960s, chicken wings were off the menu.
Circa 1960, in the city of Buffalo – hence Buffalo wings – in New York, the Anchor Bar had the revolutionary idea of coating chicken wings in a hot sauce and serving them for their hungry customers. Before this, chicken wings were mostly considered low-quality cuts of meat and therefore weren’t particularly desirable. When the Anchor Bar cooked them in a sauce, the planets seemingly aligned, and Earth was never the same after!
Chicken wings became incredibly popular not long after their inception, and now there’s hardly bar in the world that doesn’t serve some form of Buffalo wings.
How to Cook Chicken Wings?
Just like any cut of chicken, wings can be grilled, fried, broiled etc. You name it; if you can do it with a thigh or breast, you can almost definitely do it with a wing.
The regular way of cooking wings is to fry them, but that’s not to say that you can’t cook them in the oven. Cooking wings in the oven will mean that they are healthier too.
What to Coat them In?
BBQ sauce, BBQ sauce and more BBQ sauce, please! BBQ chicken wings are a godsend!
The fun doesn’t end there too – for traditional Buffalo wings, coat them in hot sauce. From slightly spicy to oh-my-god-there’s-a-fire-in-my-mouth, be warned, hot sauces come in all different varieties of heat.
Southern fried chicken wings are always a treat too. Top tip: make sure that your oil isn’t too hot or isn’t hot enough – getting the temperature just right will guarantee the perfect wing!
The sky is the limit for marinades and coatings. Get creative! Sometimes the best tastes come from experimentation… so do the worst tastes, but hey, life is a gamble!
And don’t forget; whenever you marinade wings make sure that you do so for at least a few hours in a refrigerator. This will ensure that the flavors have enough time to soak into the meat.
Best Chicken Wings Recipes
Salt and vinegar chicken wings
I’m Maria and I love cooking—and mostly EATING—food from all around the world. I’ve been sharing my abuela’s secret Latin-American recipes for the last 7 years with the world on this blog. I’ve been a full-time food blogger for many years and I’m always trying new delicious meals that don’t require a culinary degree or a Michelin-star chef. I also love traveling, cats, and knitting.