Super Bowl Sunday Is America’s Biggest Wing Day
WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 29, 2026) — From coast to coast, Super Bowl Sunday has become synonymous with one food above all others: chicken wings. According to the National Chicken Council’s (NCC) annual Chicken Wing Report, Americans are projected to consume 1.48 billion chicken wings during Super Bowl LX, as the New England Patriots face the Seattle Seahawks. That total marks an increase of roughly 10 million wings compared to last year, reaffirming the Super Bowl as the single largest wing-eating event in the United States.
“I think Bradley Cooper is wrong: football is for food,” said NCC spokesperson Tom Super. “Especially when it comes to the Super Bowl, where wings rule the roost. For football fans looking to add protein to their spreads at an affordable price, wings are king of Super Bowl menus.”
Putting 1.48 Billion Wings Into Perspective
The scale of Super Bowl wing consumption is almost impossible to visualize. Laid end to end, 1.48 billion chicken wings would stretch approximately 27 times between Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts and Lumen Field in Seattle. That same line of wings would circle the Earth nearly three times, creating a crispy equator around the globe.
Eat one wing every 30 seconds and it would take until about the year 3430 to finish them all — or, viewed another way, one wing every 30 seconds since the fall of the Roman Empire. Transporting that many wings would also be a feat of logistics, requiring more than 3,400 fully loaded semi-trucks, forming a convoy roughly 40 miles long.
NFL Playoffs Drive Wing Sales Nationwide
Playoff football once again fueled strong retail demand. Over the most recent four-week playoff window, chicken wing unit sales surged 19.8% nationally year-over-year, while dollar sales increased 11.4%, reflecting heightened game-day purchasing.
Regional data shows similar momentum. In the Seattle retail market, wing sales rose 8.6% in dollars, 26.3% in units, and 22.2% in volume during the playoff period. Boston also posted gains, with wing sales up 4.4% in dollars, 17.1% in units, and 10.9% in volume. Among cities represented in the NFC and AFC Championship games, Los Angeles consumers order wings most frequently, averaging four wing purchases per person annually.
Wings Remain an Affordable Protein Option
Despite soaring demand, wings remain relatively affordable. Retail prices for fresh wings are down 2.8% year-over-year, averaging $3.47 per pound, according to Circana data cited in Wells Fargo’s Super Bowl Food Report. Lower feed costs and a 2.2% increase in U.S. broiler production in 2025 helped stabilize prices.
At the same time, USDA data shows cold storage wing inventories at 57 million pounds, the lowest November level in more than a decade outside of 2020. As a result, restaurants, bars, and grocery stores stocked up early to meet Super Bowl demand. “The bottom line,” Super said, “wings will be available in plenty, they’ll be affordable, and they’ll be delicious.”