What wing would you want?

When most people hear the words ‘chicken wings,’ they think of the original bone-in wings covered in their favorite sauce with celery on the side. Is tradition or lack of marketing and availability of boneless wings the reason behind why bone-in wings dominate the sales?

People usually like foods that are easier to eat. The McRib, from McDonald’s, is easy to eat because it has no bones and is a huge seasonal food that comes back every year. Both seedless watermelons and chicken nuggets are common eats because of their simplicity and not having to dig out bones or seeds.

That begs the question, why would you prefer to bite around a bone with tendons and –in some— veins to get to the meat on a chicken wing, when there is an option of a pure meat chicken wing?

What is the difference between these two wings?

Most can argue boneless wings are not normal and are fabricated from other pieces of the chicken. Technically they are not wings at all, they are pieces of the chicken breast. But are we neglecting this artificial wing’s taste due to its makeup?

Boneless wings are simple to eat; people do not even need to use their fingers, all you would need is a fork. This is pleasing to the folks who dislike greasy, messy fingers.

Bone-in wings are not always an easy meat-peeling-off-the-bone, juicy wing with sauce dripping everywhere and even covering your fingers. Sometimes you get the tough chewy chicken wings with veins or tendons. But the wing’s structure look like the wings we are used to, whether it’s the drumstick or the flats.

Buffalo Wild Wings is known for selling both bone-in and boneless chicken wings. Jeni Sieperierski, general manager of Buffalo Wild Wings in Hamburg for two and a half years, sees the trends of chicken wings and why people buy them.

“Thirty percent of all our sales, within the restaurant, are traditional wings,” Sieperierski said. “We are known for our wings, beer, sports; that’s our trademark.”

Bone-in wings are most often preferred in restaurants because it is the tradition of the consumer. Boneless wings are not available in smaller wing retailers, like pizzerias. Boneless wings are relatively new and still haven’t reached the smaller markets.

“I like traditional drumstick wings,” Sieperierski said. “I do not like the flats; they are too much work.”

Kyle Beaver, captain at Buffalo Wild Wings, added to the discussion, “Boned wings definitely, especially with the spicy garlic.”

Bone-in chicken wings are classic. When people ask for chicken wings, the question following that is, ‘what sauce would you like on it,’ not ‘would you like bone-in or boneless wings?’

“I believe there is die-hard fans on both sides, but for the most part I feel that [there are more people who like] traditional wings best,” Sieperierski said. “Buffalo is home of the chicken wing…so the Buffalo stores are affected by this.”

Seiperierski also added the fact that Buffalo Wild Wings was founded on the original bone-in wings. Maybe it is too early to evaluate or to compare bone-in wings to boneless wings.

We are a society of traditions, whether it is tradition to going to a football game every Sunday or working every weekday from nine to five. We like to stay with what we know and not what is new and upcoming. But similar to the cliché, “don’t knock it, until you try it.”