Hooters Makes Frozen Wings, and We Tried All 4 Flavors

Finally, you can get Hooters wings without going to a Hooters. I’m not saying you don’t sometimes want to go to a Hooters, whatever your reasoning, I’m not here to judge anything but wing quality. But a lot of the time, it’s just not feasible. And it’s also costly. And I don’t think they love it when you bring kids there. Maybe I’m wrong. The point is, Hooters frozen wings (and Hooters frozen popcorn chicken) now exist. And we tried all four varieties: Buffalo Popcorn Chicken, Buffalo Boneless Wings, Texas-Style Dry Rub Smoked Wings, and Daytona Beach BBQ Smoked Wings. Each box comes with the frozen chicken as well as packets of either sauce or spice rub, which you toss with the chicken once it’s cooked. It’s all very, very easy. 

Right now, you can only find Hooters frozen wings and chicken at Publix Super Markets (they sell for $7.49 to $8.99, each). But, according to a Hooters press release, they’ll get a wider release later this year. AND they’ll be joined by four more new Hooters frozen foods.

Before we get into the reviews, here’s a quick disclaimer: I’ve never been to a Hooters before. But I have visited the fleshy, booby dolphin outside of the original Hooters in Clearwater, Florida. So, that’s something. More importantly for this taste test, though, I have had a lot of frozen wings and even frozen popcorn chicken. So, while I don’t know what Hooters restaurant wings taste like, I am well informed on the frozen chicken competition. 

Here’s our review of all the new Hooters frozen wings and popcorn chicken. 

Hooters Buffalo Chicken Popcorn Chicken

Hooters Frozen Wings!

Hooters Buffalo Chicken Popcorn Chicken

What’s the difference between popcorn chicken and boneless wings? If you’re asking Hooters, it’s the type of chicken. Their popcorn chicken is made with thigh meat while the wings are made with white meat. 

Pros: Like all of these new Hooters products, these are high quality chicken meat. Or, at least, they taste like it. The meat is really well seasoned and juicy. The breading is tasty and not too thick. The sauce is delicious—it’s super creamy, buttery, tangy, and just spicy enough. 

Cons: Call me picky, but I like my popcorn chicken to be practically popcorn sized. I like small, crispy, one-bite morsels. Hooters popcorn chicken is mostly on the larger size (though there are some small bits in the mix). If they just called these thigh meat nuggets, I wouldn’t mind. But I understand that name isn’t quite as tempting.

Credit: Liv Averett / Hooters

Rating:

7.5/10

Sporks

Hooters Buffalo Boneless Wings

Hooters Frozen Wings!

Hooters Buffalo Style Wingz

Personally, I prefer bone-in wings to boneless wings, but I understand the appeal of something you don’t have to work to eat. That said, the fact that these “wings” are made with white meat instead of dark tells me that these are actually just Buffalo nuggets. And that’s just fine. 

Pros: You get that same high quality of Buffalo sauce as you get with the popcorn chicken. And it really is so, so good. These are textbook Buffalo chicken bites. You could put these out at a game day party and be an instant celebrity. 

Cons: Because these are made with white meat, they are prone to dry out. So make sure to watch the cook time. The breading could also stand to be crispier, but we cooked these in a tabletop oven, so perhaps it’s user error. If you have a really good air fryer, you might get better results. 

Credit: Liv Averett / Hooters

Rating:

8/10

Sporks

Hooters Daytona Beach BBQ Smoked Wings

Hooters Frozen Wings!

Hooters Daytona Beach BBQ Smoked Wings

Is Daytona Beach known for its BBQ? My colleague, Gwynedd Stuart, spent a good chunk of her life in the area and had no knowledge of it. And I trust her. But, after tasting these new frozen Hooters wings, it certainly deserves to be a signature Daytona dish. 

Pros: Daytona, you’re more than just a beachtown with a racetrack. Now, you’re the inspo for some Hooters frozen wings that downright wowed us. The BBQ sauce is tangy, savory, and a little bit spicy. It almost has a tart mandarin flavor, as well. It coats the wings perfectly—clinging to the meat. And the wings themselves are so good. A lot of frozen chicken wings are tiny or slimy or stringy. These are meaty (even the flats) and they taste like good, clean chicken. 

Cons: I really don’t have a con. Even in the oven we used, these ended up getting pretty crispy. If you really want a snap, try cooking them in an airfryer instead. 

Credit: Liv Averett / Hooters

Rating:

9.5/10

Sporks

Hooters Texas-Style Dry Rub Smoked Wings

Hooters Frozen Wings!

Hooters Texas-Style Dry Rub Smoked Wings

I love dry-rubbed wings. I love the punchy flavors. I love not getting my fingers too messy. And these Texas-style Hooters wings did not disappoint. Even in making them, I was impressed by how well the rub adhered to the wings after I cooked them. 

Pros: These were my favorite of all the Hooters wings we tried. They’re the ones I am, for sure, going to buy again. The meat is juicy and well seasoned. The skin gets crispy. And that BBQ seasoning powder tastes like it was scraped off a BBQ potato chip. It’s a little sweet, very savory, and quite smoky. I have never had a frozen wing like this before. Hooters, I applaud you. 

Cons: No notes! I love these Hooters wings! They are restaurant-ready. I guess, if pressed, my one major issue is that I can’t buy these because I don’t live close to a Publix!

Credit: Liv Averett / Hooters

Rating:

10/10

Sporks


About the Author

Justine Sterling

Justine Sterling is the editor-in-chief of Sporked. She has been writing about food and beverages for well over a decade and is an avid at-home cook and snacker. Don’t worry, she’s not a food snob. Sure, she loves a fresh-shucked oyster. But she also will leap at whatever new product Reese’s releases and loves a Tostitos Hint of Lime, even if there is no actual lime in the ingredients.