Wings and flats are two popular chicken wing preparations that are commonly found on menus at bars, restaurants, and takeout joints across America. While they may seem similar at first glance, wings and flats refer to different parts of the chicken wing that are prepared and served distinctly from each other.
What are Chicken Wings?
Chicken wings are often referred to simply as “wings.” They consist of the entire middle section of the chicken wing, including the meaty drumette and the thinner flat/flank. Chicken wings are quite versatile – they can be seasoned and fried for appetizers, grilled as entrées, or braised in savory sauces and served as snacks or bar food. Their small size makes them perfect for picking up by hand and dipping in sauces or dressings. The drumette section of the wing contains more bone, but some juicy dark meat, while the flat/flank is mostly made up of skin, fat, and thinner white breast meat.
Types of Chicken Wings
There are a few main types of chicken wings that you’ll encounter:
- Whole wings – The entire middle wing section, containing both the drumette and flat/flank.
- Drumettes – Just the thicker first section of the wing with more bone and dark meat.
- Flats – Also called wingettes; just the middle flat/flank section with less bone and white meat.
How Chicken Wings Are Prepared
Some of the most popular ways that restaurants and bars prepare their chicken wings include:
- Fried – The most common preparation, wings are seasoned, dredged in flour or batter, and deep fried until crispy.
- Baked – Wings are coated in sauce or dry rub and baked in the oven. Takes longer but can be healthier.
- Grilled – Wings placed on a grill, giving great charred and smoky flavor.
- Braised – Simmered in sauce for tenderness; often results in falling-off-the-bone wings.
- Air Fried – Wings are cooked in an air fryer, which makes them crispy without all the oil of deep frying.
The cooking method used impacts the taste, texture, and health profile of the final wings.
What are Chicken Flats?
Chicken flats, sometimes referred to as wingettes, are the narrow middle section of a chicken wing, just the flank/flat part without the meatier drumette attached. They contain less bone compared to drumettes but have more skin, fat, and thinner white breast meat. Flats are the part of the wing that typically gets saucier since sauce adheres nicely to the skin and nooks of the bones. Eating flats requires nibbling the meat off the longer, flat bones.
How Flats Are Prepared
Since flats are simply one section of a whole wing, they can be cooked using all the same methods:
- Deep fried
- Baked or broiled
- Grilled
- Braised or simmered in sauce
- Air fried
One benefit of ordering flats is that you can get them tossed in sauce or dry rub flavors without the sauce falling off as easily as it would on a whole wing. The elongated shape and abundance of skin makes flats perfect for saucing and tossing.
Differences Between Wings and Flats
While wings and flats are both parts of a chicken wing, there are some notable differences between the two:
| Characteristic | Wings | Flats |
|---|---|---|
| Cut of Chicken | Entire middle wing section | Just the flat/flank section |
| Bone | More bone from drumette | Less bone |
| Meat | White and dark meat | Only white breast meat |
| Skin | Moderate amount | Abundant amount |
| Saucing | Sauce can slide off round shape | Holds sauce well on flats |
| Eating | Requires nibbling around bones | Meat pulls off long, narrow bones |
As you can see, the main differences come down to wings containing dark meat from the drumette, more bone overall, and a shape that doesn’t hold onto sauce as well. Flats contain only white breast meat, have more skin, less bone, and their elongated shape makes them perfect for saucing.
Price Differences Between Wings and Flats
On most restaurant menus, whole chicken wings are typically a dollar or two more expensive per pound compared to chicken wing flats. For example, a pound of whole wings may cost $12 while a pound of flats costs $10. Some of the factors that contribute to wings being pricier include:
- Higher demand – Lots of people prefer wings over flats.
- More meat – Wings contain both white and dark chicken meat.
- Higher bone ratio – The drumette section adds more bone weight.
- More difficult to prepare – Frying or saucing whole wings takes more work.
The tradeoff for flats being cheaper is that you get less meat by weight without the drumette, and all white breast meat which is cheaper than dark. Flats also take slightly less time and effort for restaurants to prepare compared to whole wings.
How Many Wings and Flats Come per Order
Typical wing orders at restaurants come in quantities of 6, 10, or 12 pieces. For flats, some common order sizes are 5, 10, or 15 pieces. Here’s how wing and flat counts are typically portioned:
| Order Size | Whole Wings | Flats |
|---|---|---|
| Small | 6 wings | 5 flats |
| Medium | 10 wings | 10 flats |
| Large | 12 wings | 15 flats |
As you can see, flats orders tend to be 3-5 pieces less than wings orders. This accounts for the lack of drumettes on flats. The drumettes add more thickness and meatiness to wings, so you get slightly less quantity with flats ounce for ounce.
Nutrition Comparison of Wings vs. Flats
Nutritionally, wings and flats are fairly similar since they both come from chicken. However, flats tend to be slightly leaner and lower in calories due to having all white meat instead of the fattier dark meat that drumettes provide. Here is a nutrition comparison of a typical order of 6 fried chicken wings vs. 5 fried chicken flats:
| Nutrition Facts | 6 Fried Wings | 5 Fried Flats |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 426 | 385 |
| Fat | 32g | 27g |
| Carbs | 2g | 2g |
| Protein | 21g | 19g |
The differences are fairly small per wing/flat, but result in a lower overall calorie and fat count for a typical flats order compared to wings. However, both are high in calories and fat overall since they are deep fried. Grilled, baked or air fried wings and flats would be much lower in calories and fat.
Healthiest Cooking Methods
While fried wings and flats taste great, the healthiest preparation methods include:
- Baked
- Grilled
- Air fried
- Broiled
Using dry rubs or lighter sauces like vinegar-based barbecue sauce are also healthier options than heavy creamy or buttery sauces.
Popularity of Wings vs. Flats
Chicken wings remain significantly more popular on restaurant menus compared to flats. According to menu data, orders of bone-in chicken wings outpace orders of flats by over 25% at bars and restaurants. There are a few factors that contribute to traditional wings being the favorite:
- More meat – Wings have both white and dark chicken meat.
- Skin to sauce ratio – Drumettes provide more surface area for crisping up skin.
- Fun to eat – Wings require nibbling meat off bones, which people enjoy.
- Tradition – Wings have always dominated restaurant menus.
However, flats have been gaining traction on more menus because they are cheaper, allow more sauce adherence, and some people prefer all white meat. Flats may start appearing as more of a menu staple as prices for wings rise.
Where to Order Wings and Flats
Some of the most popular restaurant chains for ordering great wings and flats include:
| Restaurant | Wing Styles | Flats Available? |
|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Wild Wings | Bone-in or boneless in a variety flavors | Yes |
| Wingstop | Crispy bone-in wings with range of sauces | Yes |
| Hooters | Fried bone-in wings with original or boneless | Yes |
| Applebee’s | Classic bone-in wings in a variety of sauces | Yes |
| Pizza Hut | Oven-baked wings served with ranch | No |
Be sure to also check out your local sports bars, pubs, and wing joints to find their unique takes on wings and flats. The sauces and seasonings can really differentiate the flavors across restaurants.
Tips for Cooking Wings and Flats at Home
You can also make fantastic wings and flats easily at home with these helpful tips:
- Split whole wings into drumettes and flats for more control over cooking.
- Let wings and flats sit out to reach room temp before seasoning to help it adhere.
- Toss cooked wings/flats with sauce on low heat to let sauce thicken and coat.
- For crispy skin, finish wings under the broiler after sautéeing or baking.
- Coat flats lightly in a cornstarch slurry for an extra crispy crust when frying.
- Serve wings and flats with creamy blue cheese or ranch dipping sauce.
Experiment with different seasonings and sauces at home to find your favorite – classic buffalo sauce, lemon pepper, jerk seasoning, garlic parmesan are all options. Make weeknights more exciting with homemade wings and flats.
Key Takeaways on Wings vs. Flats
To recap the main differences between chicken wings and flats:
- Wings contain both white breast meat and dark drumette meat; flats have just white breast meat.
- Flats have a higher skin to meat ratio with more surface area for sauce adhesion.
- Wings contain more bone from the drumette section while flats have less bone.
- Wings cost slightly more than flats at most restaurants.
- Wings remain the more popular choice on menus, but flats are rising in popularity.
Both wings and flats make for a delicious, fun meal or appetizer! Focus on choosing healthier preparations and sauces to reduce the calorie and fat content. With the proper techniques, you can make mouthwatering wings and flats at home to enjoy anytime.