BWW, also known as Buffalo Wild Wings, is a popular restaurant chain known for its chicken wings served in a variety of sauces and flavors. One of their menu items is boneless wings, which have become increasingly popular in recent years. Boneless wings provide the flavor and taste of traditional bone-in wings without the bones. But this leads many customers to wonder – what exactly are boneless wings made of if not chicken wings without bones? Let’s take a closer look at how BWW prepares their boneless wings to satisfy customers’ curiosity.
What are traditional bone-in chicken wings?
First, it helps to understand what makes up a traditional chicken wing. Chicken wings are the joints that connect the wing tip to the chicken’s body. The wings consist of three sections:
- The drumette – the upper section closest to the chicken’s body
- The flat or middle section
- The wing tip
Chicken wings contain a bone within the meat which is surrounded by skin, fat, and connective tissue. They are eaten by grasping the bones and nibbling the meat and skin off with the teeth. The bones are traditionally discarded after the meat is consumed. Chicken wings can be prepared in many ways including roasting, frying, baking, or grilling. The cooking method helps render out the fat to make the wings crispy.
What are boneless wings?
Boneless wings are essentially all meat, no bones. They typically consist of processed chicken breast meat that has been cubed or formed into the shape of a wing. These meat pieces are then breaded or floured and fried, baked, or grilled to mimic the taste and texture of bone-in wings.
Since they contain no bones, boneless wings are easier to eat as a finger food without the work of nitpicking chicken from small bones. They can be sauced and tossed in flavors just like traditional wings. The chicken breast meat also absorbs sauce flavorings well.
How are BWW boneless wings prepared?
According to BWW, their boneless wings start with all white chicken breast meat. The breast meat arrives at their suppliers in long strips or fillets with the fat, bones, and skin removed.
These lean strips of chicken breast are then cubed or chopped into the distinctive wing shapes. BWW states that their boneless wings are never formed from processed blended or restructured chicken meat like chicken nuggets.
The shaped boneless wings are breaded in a proprietary seasoned breading blend. BWW has not revealed the exact ingredients in their breading but it likely contains flour, salt, black pepper, spices, and possibly panko breadcrumbs.
Once breaded, the boneless wings are pressure-fried in vegetable oil. The pressure shortens the cook time to help the interior of the wing pieces cook through while achieving a crispy crust.
BWW offers two breading choices for their boneless wings – crispy or naked. The naked option eliminates the seasoned breading coating.
After frying, the cooked boneless wings are coated in your choice of Buffalo Wild Wings signature sauces. Options range from mild to extremely spicy. The sauced wings are served hot and ready for dipping in ranch or blue cheese dressing.
Nutritional comparison of bone-in vs boneless wings
Here is a nutritional comparison between an order of 5 traditional bone-in wings versus 5 boneless wings at BWW (based on available nutritional information):
| Nutrition Facts | Bone-in Wings (5 wings) | Boneless Wings (5 wings) |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 290 | 460 |
| Total Fat | 21g | 28g |
| Protein | 14g | 27g |
| Carbohydrates | 2g | 33g |
This comparison shows that boneless wings contain significantly more calories, fat, and carbs compared to bone-in wings. The difference comes from the breading on the boneless wings. However, boneless wings do deliver more than double the protein.
Pros and cons of BWW boneless wings
Here are some pros and cons to consider about BWW’s boneless wings:
Pros:
- No bones to work around makes eating easier
- Mesquite smoke flavor comes through in the boneless wings
- More meat per wing means more protein
- Breading provides an extra crispy texture
- Wide variety of sauce options add lots of flavor
Cons:
- Breading adds more carbohydrates
- Less natural shape compared to bone-in
- Can have an overly processed or mushy texture
- Not as much flavor from the chicken skin as bone-in
- More expensive than buying fresh chicken to make your own
Are the boneless wings actually healthier?
Many customers assume that ordering boneless wings is the healthier choice. However, the added breading and frying method actually makes them higher in calories, carbs, and fat compared to bone-in wings.
That said, the boneless wings do contain more protein than bone-in. Protein takes longer to digest and helps keep you feeling full. So the extra protein can be beneficial if you are looking to limit your portions or hungry soon after eating.
Ideally, consuming bone-in wings cooked at home in the oven with minimal added oil would be the healthiest preparation. But at a restaurant like BWW, opting for boneless wings with a lighter sauce or dry rub seasoning may be slightly better for your waistline than heavily sauced bone-in wings.
Are there any vegetarian or vegan boneless wing options?
Currently BWW does not offer any vegetarian or vegan substitutes for their boneless wings. All of their boneless wings contain real white chicken meat. However, some other restaurants have introduced plant-based “wings” as an option for vegetarians and vegans. These are typically made from seitan, tofu, cauliflower, or jackfruit to replicate pulled meat texture.
BWW does allow swapping grilled or fried chicken on any of their salads for a plant-based Beyond Burger patty. So it is possible to create a salad with Beyond Burger “wings” tossed in wing sauce. But an official veggie boneless wing alternative is not on their menu.
How do you order them?
Getting an order of boneless wings at BWW is simple. Here are the steps:
- Choose your quantity – wings come in orders of 5, 10, 15, 20, etc.
- Choose boneless vs traditional bone-in wings
- Select your desired sauce flavor from the list of signature sauces
- Opt for a dry seasoning instead of sauce if you prefer
- Pick your dipping sauce – ranch and blue cheese are classics
- Add any sides like fries, veggies, or extra sauces
BWW offers convenient online ordering for takeout or delivery. You can place your boneless wing order directly online and customize it to your preferences.
Dine-in customers can also order boneless wings at the restaurant. Let your server know you want the boneless option when placing your wing flavor order.
Price and value
The price of boneless wings versus bone-in wings at Buffalo Wild Wings depends on your local restaurant location and any special offers available. However, boneless wings typically come at a premium cost compared to bone-in wings.
Here are some average boneless wing prices at BWW:
- Snack order (5 wings) – Around $7
- Small order (10 wings) – Around $13
- Medium order (15 wings) – Around $16
- Large order (20 wings) – Around $22
You’ll usually pay $1-3 more going with boneless over bone-in wings. The convenience factor helps justify the price for some. Keep an eye out for special deals like BOGO boneless Thursdays to save.
Compared to buying frozen prepared boneless wings from the grocery store, you are paying more for the convenience, sauce flavors, and restaurant experience. But the wings from BWW do use fresh never frozen chickenbreast rather than processed nugget meat making them higher quality.
Conclusion
To satisfy customers’ curiosity, boneless wings at Buffalo Wild Wings are made from real fresh chicken breast meat chopped and shaped into wing form, breaded, and fried. The boneless wings provide a convenience factor, more protein, and kid-friendly experience compared to traditional bone-in wings. However, the added breading does pile on more calories, carbs, and fat. Getting the boneless option once in awhile can add variety to your wing experience, but bone-in still reigns supreme when you want the true, naturally juicy wing flavor.