Why We Ranked These Store-Bought Frozen Chicken Wings The Worst In Our Taste Test

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If a sudden craving for chicken wings strikes and you need a fast solution, frozen wings are your best bet because most of the work is already done. However, not all frozen wings are created equal, so to help you figure out which brands you should avoid, we ranked seven store-bought frozen chicken wings from worst to best. Our tester considered taste, smell, and texture after preparing each brand of chicken wings according to the instructions. And it's clear that there's one bag you should leave on the shelf.

Perdue Air Fryer Ready Lemon Pepper Crispy Chicken Wings ranked dead last. While the skin had a nice citrusy, buttery taste with a hint of black pepper, the chicken itself was a bit bland. Additionally, the wings were so greasy that it overshadowed the good aspects.

Nevertheless, consumer reviews are mixed, but there are enough negative comments to prove that our tester isn't the only one with complaints. One Target customer writes, "rubbery wings, would not recommend," while another declares them "too salty to eat." Meanwhile, one Amazon reviewer comments that the wings are just "okay" and that they are confused by the good reviews. Another person describes them as "a tray of soggy, gooey, sad excuses for chicken wings that tasted like disappointment."

Of course, there are better quality frozen chicken wings there, including or top pick, Foster Farms Take Out Crispy Wings Sweet Chipotle BBQ. Nevertheless, as our tester points out, lemon pepper wings are not as common as barbecue or buffalo wings. Based on our ranking, you may be better off making them from scratch.

We have an easy recipe for game day chicken wings that have plenty of lemon and pepper flavor. This recipe requires the wings to marinate for a few hours, but your patience will pay off with chicken that's much more flavorful and tender than Perdue's. Plus, this recipe is customizable, allowing you to adjust the measurements to fit your tastes; For example, you can reduce the lemon juice if you want to keep the citrusy flavor to a minimum.

If you decide to cook wings from scratch, be sure to check out our tricks that will seriously upgrade your chicken wings. These tips include patting the wings completely dry to ensure they crisp up and using a thermometer to get the cooking temperature just right. And if you want to go all out, you can even use the cooking method that a chef claims to be the best: the double fry.