Popular Wingstop Flavors, Ranked Worst To First

What's the best flavor of Wingstop wings? Answering that question takes not only an iron stomach, but a substantial love of chicken, as between its dry rubs and signature sauces Wingstop offers 14 different flavors to choose from. They must be doing something right, though, as according to Nation's Restaurant News the Texas-based chain saw a 20% growth in sales between 2019 and 2020. And QSR Magazine named it one of the fastest growing restaurants, chicken or otherwise, in America.

So as it seems Wingstop is taking over America, you will likely soon be faced with the dilemma of figuring out which of its flavors to order for a big night in. And part of the reason Wingstop has gotten so popular is that it really does offer something for everyone. Whether you're into Asian flavors, buttery stuff, citrus, garlic, or knock-your-face-off heat, you'll find something on this menu that fits. But some are better than others, so to help you choose we tried all 14, took a few antacids, and ranked them all from worst to first.

Like burritos and scuba diving, some things are wonderful separately, but terrible when put together. Wingstop's lemon garlic flavor falls into that category, which is interesting since the combination of lemon and garlic is a staple of many Mediterranean cuisines. Although last we checked, Texas fried chicken wing was not a cuisine based along the Mediterranean, so maybe that's part of the problem.

The flavor is painfully artificial, to the point it almost tastes like someone put a cleaning product on top of a chicken wing. If you love butter, you might not mind the dominant butter flavor, which is almost enough to cover for the lemon. But if you love butter, you probably also aren't a fan of artificial butter flavor, which is more the notes you're getting here. What we're saying is don't waste your time; for both lemon and butter lovers, there's better stuff further down the list.

You ever have those two friends who are both just awesome, and they're both inexplicably single, and since you like both of them and they both like you, you assume they'll just be perfect together? She's spicy, he's sweet with a little bit of kick, and if they got together the chemistry would create something really special? So you fix them up, they go out, and though nothing goes wrong, its just doesn't ... work.

That's what happened when Wingstop's flavor doctors got their Yenta on and played matchmaker with their cajun spices and hickory barbecue sauce. The mix seems like it would be a great idea, but when you put them together all you really get is the flavor of both without much mixing. There's some barbecue, there's some cajun, but their strong individuality doesn't lend itself well to a partnership. There's a reason they've both been so successful as singles, and sometimes it's best to just leave them be.

These wings are about as cajun as Adam Sandler playing a guy from the backwater swamps of Louisiana in "The Waterboy." Sure, they're entertaining and kind of fun, but at the end of the day, they're not convincing anyone they came from the bayou. That said, Wingstop absolutely nails the cayenne flavor here, as the wings have a distinct pepper taste that emulates the base in a lot of cajun food. The problem is, Wingstop ... stopped. And didn't add much else to round out the full Louisiana flavor.

If you love cayenne pepper, though, these are the wings for you. Especially when you dip them in ranch and let its coolness offset the heat from the pepper. These wings definitely need help to be successful, and if you need help you're not landing near the top of the list. Then again, Bobby Boucher never won anything by himself, and maybe that's kind of the point.

When first biting into these Asian-inspired wings, you might well think spicy is a generous term, and that these wings taste more like the syrup-coated stuff you get from P.F. Chang's frozen dinners. And for the first few moments of savoring Wingstop's Spicy Korean Q, you might be right. The sauce is intensely sweet with strong Asian influence, a little more reminiscent of orange chicken than anything you'd find at a Korean restaurant.

But first impressions can be deceiving, and once the sweetness wears off you're in for a ride. That's not to say the heat in these wings is in the same ballpark as the Atomic or Mango Habanero. But don't start scarfing them down before you let the heat set in. It comes on about the time you're reaching for a second wing, a sneaky, spicy burn that starts at the corner of your tongue and spreads fast. It's not an intense heat, but those who are especially sensitive to spice should take heed. When they say spicy Korean, they mean it. But, in true Korean fashion, they just may be a little more subtle about it than their American counterparts.

This is the one that started it all for Wingstop, and though there's nothing particularly groundbreaking about this sauce, it's still a solid choice. Original Hot is pretty much like every other hot wing sauce you've ever tried. So while it's not terribly original, it doesn't disappoint either. It tastes like a line cook took a bottle of Frank's Red Hot and mixed it with a little butter then tossed it in wings. Or, basically, how the Buffalo wing came to be in the first place.

Now make no mistake, hard-core wing traditionalists might feel a little deceived by Wingstop's definition of "hot," because anyone with a spice tolerance could clear an entire plate of these without even thinking about a glass of milk. But wing lovers won't be mad at it either, as Wingstop nails the flavor while still offering something a little more palatable to the masses. Heat heads would be well-served to opt for the Atomic if they're looking for something to demolish their mouths, but for normal folk, these will do just fine.

When you first look at the sauce covering Wingstop's garlic parmesan wings, it looks like an uncomfortable amount of garlic. Like "I'm not going on any dates for at least a week after this" levels of garlic, the kinda levels you find on $14 orders of French fries or on people who are deathly afraid of vampires. But then you take a bite of the stuff, and realize much of what you thought was garlic was actually parmesan cheese. And Wingstop did a masterful job of blending them both so that neither is overpowering.

Of the non-traditional wing sauces at Wingstop, this one is by and far the winner. The flavor is subtle, not at all what you'd expect from a nationwide chicken chain. The garlic and parmesan taste like they're supposed to and aren't overly artificial, and it's buttery without tasting like a stick of butter. You might be well served to order these as chicken tenders instead of wings, though. The flavors can be intense when the garlic pieces and parmesan flakes get together, and mellow out when spread out over a larger surface area.

This flavor really ought to be called Habanero Mango. At first, one might disagree, as the first bite is one of sweet, syrupy goodness that's almost indistinguishable from the Hawaiian. But that saccharine moment quickly gives way to something far more serious, as the habanero makes a slow move to the front of your palate and takes over the flavor. It cuts right through the mango's sweetness, and provides just the right amount of balance to make this Wingstop's best flavor.

Just know, like drinking a poolside Mai Thai, the sugar allows the other stuff to creep up on you without your knowledge. By the end of wing one, you're feeling it. By the end of wing three, you'll be sweating and not knowing why. By the end of wing five, you realize you're probably going to regret this tomorrow. But no matter, this sauce is so good you'll keep eating them anyway. Better judgment be damned.