Food - Drink
Boneless Chicken Wings Aren't Actually Wings
By RYAN CASHMAN
There are many debates in the U.S. about classic American food, including how or if you should fold a slice of pizza or whether it's appropriate to dip fries in a milkshake. One food that provokes a lot of discussion is so-called boneless chicken wings, a term that some consider to be misleading, even if these "wings" are delicious.
Boneless wings are chunks of breast meat shaped to imitate a chicken wing, which is then breaded, deep-fried, and sauced accordingly, while "real" chicken wings have bones, dark meat, and skin, and actually do come from the wings of the animal. Wings can also be butchered, cooked, and sold as "drums" or "flats."
The "drum" or drumette is the part of the wing closest to the chicken's body, while the wingette is the flat part of the wing. Boneless wings are typically not made with any wing meat at all, and while some are turned off by these "dishonest" snacks, they're cheaper to sell for restaurants and some eaters don't want to fuss with bones.