Chicken Wings
Chicken in the Midwest · up 27% this week
Per a typical 100g serving, scaled from the per-100g figures in USDA FoodData Central (Chicken, broilers or fryers, wing, meat and skin, raw).
- 1 SouthwestCheapest $2.28/lb
- 2 Northwest $2.49/lb
- 3 Midwest $2.53/lb
- 4 Southcentral $2.59/lb
- 5 Southeast $2.63/lb
- 6 Northeast $2.73/lb
Buying chicken wings in the Southwest saves about 16% versus the Northeast this week.
- How to pick a good one
- Whole wings cost considerably less per pound than pre-cut party wings, and separating them takes a minute. Look for wings with intact skin and no dry, papery patches indicating freezer damage.
- What a good price looks like
- Usually $3 to $6 a pound, and the price spikes hard around large sporting events. Under $3 is a good price. On meat weight rather than package weight, wings are among the dearest chicken, not the cheapest — the opposite of what the shelf price suggests.
- What you actually get
- Wings are about 45% bone, the highest of any chicken cut, so a pound gives barely 9 oz of meat and around 6 oz cooked. Budget a pound per person for a meal. This is why wings look cheap by the pound and are not cheap by the serving.
- How to store it
- One to two days refrigerated, up to nine months frozen.
- In the kitchen
- Separate them at the two joints into drumette, flat, and tip, cutting through the soft spot rather than the bone — you can feel it with the knife tip. Keep the tips for stock; they are almost pure collagen and make the best chicken stock of any part of the bird. Pat every surface dry before anything else happens.
- Getting the most out of it
- Wings are mostly skin and bone, so the yield of meat per pound is low — that is worth remembering when comparing their price to thighs. Drying them uncovered in the fridge for a few hours before cooking is the single biggest factor in getting them crisp without deep frying.
- Baked Lemon Pepper Wings RecipeRecipe by Natasha's Kitchen~$1.13 / serving 0 in-season
- Hot Wings.Recipe by Half Baked Harvest~$1.20 / serving 1 in-season
- Korean Style Baked Chicken WingsRecipe by The Modern Proper~$4.77 / serving 1 in-season
- Crispy Air Fryer Chicken WingsRecipe by Spend With Pennies~$0.28 / serving 0 in-season
- Garlic Parmesan WingsRecipe by Spend With Pennies~$0.97 / serving 0 in-season
- Mango Habanero WingsRecipe by Spend With Pennies~$1.13 / serving 1 in-season
See all 35 recipes with chicken wings →Filter by diet, time, budget, and macros.
Price from the USDA weekly retail meat report (conventional, per lb). Nutrition per typical serving, computed from USDA FoodData Central.
Chicken Wings — FAQ
What's the price of chicken wings this week?
As of the week of September 4, 2026, the price of chicken wings in the Midwest is $2.53/lb, up 27% from last week. Prices come from the USDA's weekly retail meat report.
Which region has the cheapest chicken wings right now?
The Southwest has the cheapest chicken wings this week at $2.28/lb — about 16% less than the Northeast, where it runs $2.73/lb.
How much protein is in chicken wings?
A typical 100g serving of chicken wings has about 17.5g protein and 191 calories (12.8g fat), per USDA FoodData Central.
What can I cook with chicken wings?
SeasonSort indexes 35 recipes using chicken wings, each priced per serving from this week's data — starting from about $0.28 a serving. The cheapest are listed on this page, with a link to the full filtered list.