As someone who frequently hosts parties and BBQs, I can tell you one thing. There is no side dish or appetizer as good as chicken wings. Whether they’re glazed, dry-rubbed, fried, baked, or grilled, wings never disappoint. It’s one of the most versatile appetizers you can serve.
The real challenge is figuring out how many wings to make. Portioning chicken wings can be a tricky thing. After hosting dozens of game nights, I’ve learned one thing: people will destroy wings faster than any other food on the table.
So, let’s decide how many wings to buy for your next dinner or gathering.
This guide will tell you how many wings are in a pound and how many wings do you need per person so you can get the right amount for your next meal without having to open a calculator in your mind when you visit the grocery store next time.
Whole Wings vs. Buffalo Wings — What’s the Difference?
The important thing here to understand is what type of wings you plan on cooking. The whole wing (mostly packaged as jumbo wings at grocery stores) or buffalo wings.
Whole wings:
Whole wings are wings in their true form that haven’t been butchered yet. The drumette (drums) and wingette (flats) are attached together, and the tips are still intact. They’re less common in restaurants but easy to find in grocery stores.
These types of wings weigh about 3.5 ounces each. That means you’re going to get 4-5 whole wings in a pound. I usually use whole wings if I’m going to smoke them. You can find these in the butcher or frozen sections of groceries stores. “Jumbo wings” are simply whole wings marketed under a different name.
Buffalo wings:
We mostly think that buffalo wings are deep fried chicken wings coated in sauce but no, they get their name from the city of Buffalo, New York. Where sports bars separate the drums and flats and coat them in buffalo sauce after frying them.
Buffalo wings are just the drums and wings (flats) separated, and the tips are discarded (tips are mostly skin, fat and cartilage. But they are great for making stock if you want to). Just divide a whole wing into two and you have buffalo wings. Most restaurants and eateries use buffalo wings.
Sports bars in buffalo started serving these wings which became a huge hit, a favorite among sports fans. You get about 10-12 buffalo wings in a pound. The drum and the flat weigh about 1.5 ounce each on average.
Now we know how many whole wings and buffalo wings are in 1 pound:
Whole wings = 4-5
Buffalo wings = 10-12
| Weight | Whole Wings | Buffalo Wings |
|---|---|---|
|
1lb |
4-5 wings |
10-12 wings |
|
4lbs |
16-20 wings |
40-48 wings |
|
5 lb |
20-25 wings |
50-60 wings |
|
10 lb |
40-50 wings |
100-120 wings |
A big portion of the weight of the wings are from bones (about 40% of weight is bones). Drums have the most meat and sometimes weigh twice as much as flats. Drums are like little legs, one bone in the middle with meat around it and flats are two thin bones with meat in the middle.
Do Wings Lose Weight When Cooked?
Another thing to consider is chicken wings lose about 20-25% of their weight after being defrosted and cooked. So, 1 pound of wings comes out to about 0.8 pounds after cooking. I’ve taken this into consideration and came up with the measurements below.
Now, with all this out of the way. Let’s clear up the real question. How many wings do we need per person?
How many wings do we need per person?
Now to tie it altogether. There are different scenarios that decide how many wings I’ll be serving per person. If they are an appetizer with the main course after it. I’ll go for about 2-3 whole wings or 5-6 buffalo wings per person.
If I’m serving them as a main course with a side dish, then I’ll do 1-1.5 pound of wings (5-6 whole wings or 12-14 buffalo wings) per person.
And if I’m serving them on gameday as a main dish without a side, I usually do 1.5 to 2 pounds of wings (about 8 whole wings or 18-20 buffalo wings) per person.
From experience, it’s always better to prepare a little extra than to risk running out. Running out of food is the one thing I always try to avoid when hosting.
Here’s a table to better put it in perspective:
| Scenario | Weight | Whole Wings | Buffalo Wings |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Appetizer |
1/2 lb |
2-3 wings |
5-6 wings |
|
Main Dish with Sides |
1-1.5 lb |
5-6 wings |
12-14 wings |
|
Main Dish Only / Gameday |
1.5-2 lb |
8 wings |
18-20 wings |
If your group eats like mine, always round up.
Buying Chicken Wings: Fresh vs. Frozen
Frozen wings are cheaper than fresh wings, but it takes more time to thaw. If you want to cook right away, I suggest you buy fresh chicken wings from the butcher section of your grocery store.
Grocery stores usually sell 4, 5 and 10 pound bags of frozen chicken wings. If you want, you can buy whole wings and cut them yourself and discard the tips, as whole wings are a little cheaper at most grocery stores. Then you can freeze them, this way you’ll always have chicken wings on hand.
How many people can I serve with a 10-pound bag of chicken wings?
A 10-pound bag gives you about 100-120 buffalo wings or 40-50 whole wings. If you’re serving wings as an appetizer with dinner after it, a 10-pound bag will serve about 20 people.
And if you’re serving them as a main course with a side dish (fries), then a 10-pound bag will serve about 8-9 people.
And if you are cooking chicken wings for Superbowl, then a 10-pound bag will only serve about 5-6 people.
These measurements are just an average of how I serve wings and can vary according to different people. My friends and family tend to be hearty eaters, so I always plan accordingly.
Final Tips for Serving Chicken Wings:
Wings are easy to make, and there are countless ways to prepare them. You can coat them in sauces like honey mustard, buffalo, or garlic parmesan, or use a dry rub. If frying feels messy, baking and air frying are excellent, low effort alternatives.
Serve them with blue cheese or ranch and your guests will never complain. Mine haven’t I can tell you that. Serve them with fries or crunchy vegetables like carrots or celery and you’re good.
These numbers that save me from running out of wings. Use them, adjust for your crowd and hopefully they’ll save you from running out too.
I hope this guide helps you when you’re hosting next time and do let me know your favorite way of making wings.
