Why Your Chicken Wing Obsession Might Get Expensive

This season may bring a tough challenge for sports fans: a chicken wing shortage.
Why Your Chicken Wing Obsession Might Get Expensive

Buffalo Chicken Wings

Photo by: David Kadlec ©2014, David Kadlec. All rights reserved.

David Kadlec, 2014, David Kadlec. All rights reserved.

Football season is just kicking off, but this year may bring a new challenge for fans who like to snack while they watch the game (which is to say, all fans): a looming chicken wing shortage.

Just let the very concept coat your consciousness like hot, buttery buffalo sauce.

Wholesale prices for chicken wings have reached record highs, the Wall Street Journal reports, prompting sports bars and restaurants who serve them up to the hungry game-watching crowds to either hoist the prices on their menus, winnow portion sizes or cut back on their promotional offers.

“It’s a very big deal for everyone that has wings on their menu,” Bonnie Riggs, a restaurant analyst at the market research firm NPD, told the Journal.

Not to mention for everyone that orders wings from their menu.

The issue? Wing supply simply cannot keep up with soaring demand. Americans just cannot get enough wings, gobbling them up as speedily as they are produced. (What, they can make cars that drive themselves, but they can’t make four-winged chickens?)

Consequently, restaurants that focus on wings, like Buffalo Wild Wings and Wingstop, are flying high and rapidly expanding, even as other kinds of food-service enterprises are fumbling, Bloomberg reports. What’s more, pizza chains, delis and grocery stores are increasingly offering wings as an option as well.

All of that translates to a lot of wings going down a lot of gullets — and prices that have risen to $2.09 a pound in August from $1.50 per pound the year prior amidst increasingly scarce supply, Bloomberg reports. That’s driving some companies to increasingly try to sell consumers on “boneless” wings, which are made from breast meat and sound more like chicken tenders. We’ll see how they fly with the wing-craving masses.

Photo: iStock

Next Up

How to Save Money on Expensive Cookware Brands

The ultimate score on a Vitamix, Le Creuset, KitchenAid and more!

Your Holiday Spread Might Be Missing Ice Cream

More ice cream makers are getting in the spirit with festive, limited-edition flavors.

14 Expensive-Looking Amazon Products to Upgrade Your Kitchen

Upgrade your kitchen without breaking the bank!

Why You Might Want to Cut Back on Seltzer

Many of us drink unsweetened seltzer like it’s water, but that might be a mistake.

How to Shop for Groceries When Everything Is More Expensive

With a few thoughtful strategies (and a trip down the frozen aisle) you can stretch your grocery budget even when things are tight.

Get Eggy with It

It’s spring and that means brunch, of course.

6 Things You Might Not Know You Could Do With Cornstarch

If you need a substitute for an egg, a more tender cake or even a thicker cheese sauce, cornstarch is there.

How to Cook Perfect Chicken Wings, No Matter How You Like Them

Whether you prefer them crispy, sticky, grilled or baked, take stock of these expert tips.

On TV

On Tonight
On Tonight

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives

9pm | 8c

What's New