Buffalo Wild Wings is a popular chicken wing chain that serves traditional bone-in chicken wings as well as boneless chicken options. Their boneless wings are an appealing choice for customers who prefer meat without bones or who find bones inconvenient. But what exactly is the boneless chicken product they use? This article will explore the details behind Buffalo Wild Wings’ boneless chicken.
Boneless Chicken Options at Buffalo Wild Wings
Buffalo Wild Wings offers several boneless chicken items on their menu:
- Boneless wings – This is their classic boneless chicken product. The boneless wings are breaded and fried white chicken meat designed to mimic the shape and size of traditional chicken wings, without the bones.
- Chicken tenders – Longer strips of breaded and fried white chicken meat. Buffalo Wild Wings chicken tenders are similar to their boneless wings but have an elongated tender shape.
- Grilled chicken – Grilled seasoned white chicken that can be chopped into pieces or served whole for chicken sandwiches and salads.
Of these options, the boneless wings are their signature boneless chicken item. The chicken tenders and grilled chicken offer some variety, but most customers know Buffalo Wild Wings for their famous boneless wings.
Where Does Buffalo Wild Wings Get Their Boneless Chicken?
Most major restaurant chains source their raw chicken products from large wholesale food suppliers and chicken processors. For their boneless chicken, Buffalo Wild Wings has sourced from the following suppliers:
- Tyson Foods – One of the largest meat processors in the United States.
- Perdue Farms – A major poultry producer.
- Wayne Farms – A chicken processing company and subsidiary of Continental Grain.
These major poultry suppliers provide Buffalo Wild Wings with bulk orders of breaded and unbreaded frozen boneless chicken in massive quantities. The chicken arrives pre-cut to the specifications required for boneless wings or tenders.
Buffalo Wild Wings uses central distribution centers to dispatch supplies to individual restaurant locations. Each restaurant then handles the final preparation before frying or grilling the boneless chicken to serve to customers.
How Boneless Wings Are Made
But how exactly are those boneless wings made before arriving at the restaurant? Here is an overview of the process:
- Whole chicken breast portions are brought into the supplier facility.
- The breasts are run through cutting machines that slice them into smaller, wing-shaped pieces.
- The chicken chunks are tumbled in large drums that tenderize the meat.
- After tumbling, the pieces are coated in breading and flour then flash fried.
- The par-fried boneless wings are frozen and packed to ship.
This pre-processing helps streamline operations for Buffalo Wild Wings. They receive frozen, battered boneless wings that just need to be fried on-site until crispy when customers order them.
Why Choose Boneless Over Traditional Chicken Wings?
Boneless wings have some clear advantages over bone-in wings for many customers:
- Less messy – No bones means less greasy fingers and face. Customers don’t have to navigate around bones.
- More meat – Pound for pound, boneless wings contain more edible chicken than boney wings.
- Kid-friendly – Children may find bones confusing or hazardous.
- Convenience – No need to dispose of leftover bones after eating.
However, some people prefer the flavor, texture, and challenge of maneuvering traditional bone-in wings. It comes down to customer preference. Having both options allows Buffalo Wild Wings to accommodate more guests.
Nutritional Information on Boneless Wings
What are the nutrition facts on Buffalo Wild Wings boneless wings? A typical serving provides:
- Calories: 370
- Total fat: 18g
- Carbs: 16g
- Protein: 28g
This is per average 5-6 piece serving. The biggest contributor to calories and fat is the signature fried breading Buffalo Wild Wings uses to give their boneless wings crispy outsides.
How do boneless wings compare to bone-in?
Nutritionally, boneless wings and bone-in wings have some key differences:
| Nutrition | Boneless Wings (5 pieces) | Bone-in Wings (5 pieces) |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 370 | 276 |
| Fat (g) | 18 | 15 |
| Protein (g) | 28 | 17 |
The boneless wings have more calories and protein due to the larger amount of chicken meat per piece. Bone-in wings have slightly less fat since the bones displace some of the fried breading.
Are the Boneless Wings Gluten-Free?
No, Buffalo Wild Wings boneless wings are not gluten-free. They contain significant amounts of wheat flour in the breading recipe. The flour gives the boneless wings their signature crunch and texture.
Some other things to note about allergens:
- The boneless wings are fried in the same oil as other menu items like chicken tenders and french fries. So there is a risk of gluten cross-contact.
- Those with egg allergies should also avoid the boneless wings. The breading contains egg ingredients.
Can You Get Boneless Wings Without Breading?
For customers looking to reduce carbs or gluten, Buffalo Wild Wings does offer the option of grilled boneless wings. These are unbreaded, marinated boneless chicken chunks that are grilled instead of fried.
The grilled boneless wings option allows you to enjoy the convenience of boneless chicken without the added calories, carbs, or allergens from breading. The flavor profile will be slightly different, focused more exclusively on Buffalo Wild Wings’ signature sauces. But it provides a lower carb alternative.
Just be aware that the grilled boneless wings are cooked on the same grill as bready menu items. So there can still be a small risk of gluten cross-contact.
What Sauces Can You Get With Boneless Wings?
The fun part about boneless wings from Buffalo Wild Wings is that you can coat them in any of the restaurant’s signature sauces. Some popular options include:
- Mild – Buttery and lightly spiced.
- Medium – Classic buffalo sauce flavor.
- Hot – Bring the heat!
- Wild – A sweeter, tangy take on buffalo sauce.
- Garlic Parmesan – Savory garlic and parmesan flavors.
- Mango Habanero – Mix of spicy and sweet.
- Asian Zing – Ginger, soy, and chili inspired.
You can also order boneless wings “naked” with no sauce or dry seasonings. The breaded chicken will still have plenty of flavor on its own.
How to Order Boneless Wings at Buffalo Wild Wings
Ordering boneless chicken at Buffalo Wild Wings is easy:
- Choose whether you want boneless wings or chicken tenders as your boneless chicken form.
- Pick your desired sauce from the list of Buffalo Wild Wing options.
- Select a count amount (5, 10, 15, 20 pieces, etc).
- Specify if you want grilled (unbreaded) boneless wings or regular (breaded).
- Choose any additional dry seasoning or sauce on the side.
- Pick your choice of ranch or blue cheese dipping sauce.
Let your server know if you have any food allergies. And customize your heat level by asking for extra mild, medium, or hot sauce if desired.
Conclusion
At Buffalo Wild Wings, boneless wings provide all of the flavors and fun without the mess and hassle of traditional bones. Their signature boneless chicken consists of breaded, boneless cuts sourced from major poultry suppliers. While not gluten-free, the boneless wings can be substituted with grilled unbreaded chicken to accommodate more dietary needs. With a variety of sauces to choose from, you can enjoy boneless chicken wings your own way at Buffalo Wild Wings.