The New Flamin’ Hot Wings Are Good—and You’ll Only Find Them at One Store

People can’t get enough of Flamin’ Hot things. The spicy, tangy seasoning that got its humble start as a Cheetos flavor has launched a thousand products in recent years, from a limited edition Mountain Dew to a trio of Taco Bell menu items that’s sure to be a gastrointestinal rollercoaster.

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Me? I’m a passive-bordering-on-ambivalent fan. Like, I’m not going to turn down a snack-size bag of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, but I’m not going to seek out the latest and greatest Flamin’ Hot abomination. Suffice it to say that I was dubious that new Flamin’ Hot wings from Kroger (and other Kroger-owned grocery stores) would be for me. But I’m not here to force my snack food beliefs on; I’m here to give you objective opinions about products even when they don’t align with my personal preferences. The good news here? These ended up aligning! Let me explain …

New Product!

Kroger Flamin’ Hot Boneless Wings

Kroger

Pros: These definitely look Flamin’ Hot. The breaded chicken morsels, which you’ll find in Kroger’s deli section, are an unnatural reddish hue that will appeal to Flamin’ Hot fans; they look orange when they’re cold, but the color intensifies when you heat them up (we used our office air fryer). And the breading itself is thick—not oppressively thick, but thick enough that it really gets saturated with the spicy seasoning, which seeps all the way down to the white meat chicken itself. They’re pretty damn spicy and a touch tangy, but I gotta say I don’t think they taste THAT much like Flamin’ Hot—and that’s a pro in my book. No one needs to eat chicken that’s coated in citric acid, I promise. These are more like good Nashville hot wings that are saturated with spicy oil instead of a ton of powder or sauce.

Cons: If you were really dying for Flamin’ Hot wings, you might be let down. My suggestion: Grab a bag of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos from the snack aisle, pulverize them, and then sprinkle the wings with the dust. Then you get heat, moist, well-seasoned chicken, AND the citric acid you crave. What can I say, I’m a born problem solver.

Rating:

8/10

Sporks

About the Author

Howdy! I’m Gwynedd, Sporked’s managing editor. I live in Los Angeles and have access to the best tacos the U.S. has to offer—but I’m a sucker for a crunchy Old El Paso taco night every now and then. I’ve been at Sporked since 2022 and I’m still searching frozen mozzarella sticks that can hold a candle to restaurant sticks. Why you should trust me: I’ve been a journalist for 20 years (yikes), a consumer of food for 40-plus years, and I’m truly hard pressed to think of foods I don’t like (or that I can’t tolerate at the very least). Oh and one time I cooked my way through Guy Fieri’s cookbook and wrote about the journey through Flavortown. What I buy every week: Trader Joe’s Original Savory Thins. Fat free plain yogurt (usually Fage or Nancy’s). Honeycrisp apples. Sweet cream coffee creamer for my at-home Americanos. A frozen cauliflower crust pizza and some jarred mushrooms to top it with. Old El Paso Stand ‘N Stuff taco shells and Gardein Ground Be’f, even though I think “be’f” is a nightmarish contraction. Favorite ranking: Stouffer’s frozen dinners. I don’t own a microwave (I get my cancers the old fashioned way!), so I love taste testing things that I don’t really buy to eat at home. Least favorite ranking: Soy sauce. Don’t get me wrong, I love soy sauce—but consuming that much sodium in one sitting is probably illegal in some countries. Our frozen enchilada taste test was a close second; the smell of microwaved corn tortillas still haunts me.