How Many Chicken Wings in a Pound? -Helpful Serving Guide

Find out how many chicken wings are in a pound as well as how many pieces to serve per person. Whether you are having guests or just cooking for your family, this guide is very helpful.

The easy answer is that there are 4 to 5 chicken wings in one pound (or 16 ounces). However you should read through this guide before you start purchasing your wings at the grocery store and prepping them. You will learn some valuable information to make serving and cooking chicken wings a breeze.

My family loves hot and crispy wings so I always keep several pounds of chicken wings in my freezer. It is the main appetizer that I make on game day and I would not have a super bowl party without them. My family loves when I cook them in the air fryer and coat them with a dry rub and some Buffalo sauce. There are so many different ways to make them but first let's learn about buying wings, knowing the right serving size and how to prep them.

Parts of the Chicken Wing

Chicken wings have three parts but not all wing pieces are exactly edible. The drummettes and flats are the part of the wing you eat and the wing tip is thrown out or used for something else. One chicken wing has 2 edible parts or pieces that can be served. Here are the three segments.

• drummettes - This is the part that looks like a little leg. It is very easy to eat this part as it has one long bone running down and it is very meaty.
• flats - Also known as wingettes, this is the flat middle part. It has two bones running down it and the meat is very tender.
• tips - There is not much meat on the tip as it is mostly skin, bone and cartilage. The tips are sometimes discarded but you can also save them in a bag in the freezer then use to make a flavorful pot of chicken broth or stock.

Whole Wings versus Already Cut

You can buy whole chicken wings or ones already cut into pieces. The whole ones include the drummettes, flats and tips but cut ones are separated into the two sections. They are ready to cook and will save you some time. Sometimes you can get a package of just flats or drummettes.

Some groceries stores will even sell wings cut and already seasoned or marinated. These are perfect to cook as soon as you bring them home as there is very little prep.

Check out this tutorial on cutting chicken wings if you buy them whole.

What about Frozen Chicken Wings?

Chicken wings are also sold in larger quantities in frozen bags. Typically they are already cut in pieces so again, there will be about 8 to 10 pieces per pound. I have seen 4 lb bags, 5 lb bags and 10 lb bags. I am sure there are other sizes too but as long as you do the math (8 pieces or 4 wings for every pound), you should be able to estimate the amount in any lb bag.

When you buy frozen wings, keep in mind that they might look a bit bigger than they really are as some have a salt solution injected in them to make them plump and juicy. They will lose some of their size after they are defrosted. And wings normally lose about 25 percent of their weight once they are cooked. Again, making a few extra is always how I go so that I don't have to worry about not having enough food for a big group or enough chicken wings for my family.

If you are using frozen, make sure to defrost them in the refrigerator overnight. They are individually frozen so you can take the number of wings needed from the bag.

How Many Chicken Wings to Serve per person?

As a main dish for dinner, I serve 1 pound of chicken wings per person. This would equate to 8 to 10 pieces or 4 to 5 wings per person and is perfect for average appetites.

If I am serving all appetizers, I will do 4 pieces (two whole) per person as there will be plenty of other choices to eat.

Remember that the size of the wings can vary a little bit. If they seem to be on the smaller side, it is a good idea to add more so you have enough wings for your guests. The worse that can happen is that you will have leftovers to eat at another time.

A good rule of thumb when grocery shopping is to buy 1 pound of uncooked chicken wings per person as the main course and ½ pound person as an appetizer.

Favorite Chicken Wing Recipes

Here are some of my favorite recipes. They are perfect for game watching, serving a large group on Super Bowl Sundays, a party or even a weeknight dinner. Recipes can easily be doubled or tripled.

• Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Wings
• Air Fryer Garlic Parmesan Wings
• Sticky Baked Chinese Chicken Wings via Recipe Tin Eats
• Franks Redhot Buffalo Wings
• Extra Crispy Maple Hot Wings via Grumpy's Honeybunch
• Grilled Buffalo Wings via Food Network

Side Dish Serving Suggestions

I always serve traditional chicken wings with a side of Blue Cheese dressing, carrot and celery sticks. They can also be served with BBQ sauce, hot sauce or your favorite sauce on the side. But I also like to add some other side dishes and here are some of my favorites.

• Crispy Oven Fried Zucchini Coins
• Caprese Pasta Salad with Pesto
• Steamed Edamame with Everything Bagel Seasoning
• Blue Cheese Tomatoes
• Perfect french Fries via Leite's Culinaria

Chicken wings are delicious and you can save money by cooking them yourself. I hope this gives you some insight on buying and prepping them the next time you have a craving!