REVIEW: McDonald’s Mighty Wings

McDonald's Mighty Wings

I’m not a big fan of eating messy foods, like ribs, because my OCD starts whispering in my head, “Hey! You have sauce on your fingers…grease too. Also, those napkins are getting sticky. You can wipe your face and hands with a wet-nap but it’s still there. Keep wiping. You’ll never get rid of the smell.”

Agggggh, shut the hell up!!!

However, it’s a different story with breaded chicken wings. I dislike naked wings because I love how the breading soaks up whatever sauce it’s engulfed in, but maintains a little crispy give that satiates that “bite-down” rush. Greasy, fried chicken-smelling fingers be damned! I’ll tear into drumsticks and wings like any of the undead in the now over-exposed zombie genre. It’s a guilty pleasure and I prefer to eat them in the privacy of my home and away from company…even my wife.

So when I heard McDonald’s was going to sell (for a limited time) chicken wings under the idiotic name, Mighty Wing, I was skeptical. The name reminds me of The Mighty Ducks or Mighty Joe Young. Anything named “mighty” is sure to disappoint, right? (Except Mighty Mouse.)

Oh, how wrong I was. McDonald’s plan sounds shaky at first; they sell burgers, not chicken wings. Yet, I also thought about the midnight fast food binges most of us have experienced, and sometimes you just want damn hot wings. Besides, how many burritos or Krystal burgers can you eat after midnight before it becomes boring? And haven’t you always wanted McDonald’s fries with some hot wings? It can’t just be me.

McDonald's Mighty Wings Bone-In Chicken

McDonald’s touts on their box, “It’s Time for Bone-In Chicken.” That’s weird and sounds pseudosexual in an awful way. However, the box also sternly warns, “Spicy. Bold. Delicious.”

McDonald’s delivered on its triple threat.

I opted for the 5-piece because an order of ten only tips the guilty pleasure/gluttony scale. As for the order of 3-pieces, that is a blatant lie to yourself and everyone you love.

Due to my wife’s wheat allergy, I knew the fries were deep fried in its own vat. This is great because fried foods that smell and taste alike are a pet peeve of mine. Don’t believe me? Next time order fish and chips at some seedy place and note how smell and taste almost the same. I was happy, but not surprised, that only the scent of fried chicken wafted out of the bag.

It was a long ten minute drive back to the house and the box was still hot. I don’t think McDonald’s is given enough recognition for their packaging. Seldom, except for the fries, do I get anything from McDonald’s that is not warm when I get home. This box of poultry extremities is a testament.

McDonald's Mighty Wings Meat

On my first bite, the chicken’s coating was satisfyingly crispy which then gave way to a moistness in the meat that can only be achieved through a deep fryer with perfectly scalding, clean oil or magic farts from a dragon. I’m going with magical farts because I cannot stress how perfectly fried these wings were and I do not believe any human could have done these.

The other thing noticeable on the first bite was the spicy heat that sauntered in smoothly (but that may also be from magic dragon farts too). I could tell the grease from the wings were sufficiently drained because there was little oily residue on my fingers. The breading was in the “Goldilocks” zone, where it was thick enough to give your canines that pleasurable and violent passion of tearing into it. Too many times breaded wings are so over coated: I just taste fried, floury breading, which sucks.

I could also taste the characteristics of black pepper from the paprika. However, unlike black pepper that mildly fades away like the credibility of those late night ads that promise to make your dong super large, the paprika’s heat confidently hangs on with each bite. The hints of onion and garlic lend a slightly sweet taste, but it’s quickly punched in the face by the intoxicating salty and spicy concerto that barrages your mouth.

Like a bookend, the last thing I tasted was the previously mentioned spiciness. I was impressed the peppery heat stayed well after I devoured the wings. While I normally eat hot wings that make you poop lava, and these Mighty Wings don’t get near that level, I was surprised by their heat.

McDonald's Mighty Wings Closeup

One gripe I had was the wing-to-drumstick ratio. In a perfect world where magic dragon farts and penis enlarging pills exist, it would be all drumsticks but I got only two drums and three wings. Another gripe was not being asked for any a choice of sauce and given two Tangy Barbecue containers like they were default prizes. Maybe it was just this particular McDonald’s, but a cold creamy ranch would’ve make this perfect.

This last gripe isn’t really an issue for me, but it may be one for you. Paying $4.99 for five wings is a tad steep when you compare it with Buffalo Wild Wings or any other places that makes its name on wings and beer. I’ll pay for the convenience of ordering it through a drive-thru speaker because I’m that damned lazy. So you’ll have to wage for yourself if it’s worth paying for. I’ll be honest, if I was eating this inside a McDonald’s, I’m not sure I would drop five dollars for them. However, they are so good, I just may.

Although chicken wings are common, it’s rare that wings are done so well. More often than not, they are overfried until they are dry like the scabs on your knee you are told not to pick. Worse, some are drowned in thick and viscous sauces. McDonald’s does a great job with their Mighty Wings and delivers on the spicy, the bold, and the delicious.

(Nutrition Facts – 5 pieces – 480 calories, 31 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 145 milligrams of cholesterol, 1450 milligrams of sodium, 20 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, and 30 grams of protein.)

Item: McDonald’s Mighty Wings
Purchased Price: $4.99 (5-piece)
Size: 5 pieces
Purchased at: McDonald’s
Rating: 9 out of 10
Pros: Perfectly breaded. The spice packs a punch. The chicken was moist. You can now have wings with a Quarter Pounder and fries. The heat stays around. Magic Dragon farts.
Cons: It’s only a limited affair. When your OCD is mind-effing you. Zombie genre is more over-exposed than twerking. Kinda pricey. Wing to drum ratio is a tad disappointing. The term “bone-in” is stupid.

31 thoughts to “REVIEW: McDonald’s Mighty Wings”

  1. Thanks for this review. I used to get wings about 800 years ago from a great place in Tampa. Being my life has drastically changed (I have no car) good wings are a challenge to say the least. I have a Micky D’s at my local Walmart yippee!
    PS REMEMBER 9/11

  2. The sheer price of these things made the Mighty Wings a one-time purchase for me. Just… $1 a wing? That’s way too much even for convenience.

    But are they good? Heck yeah. Which makes me really really sad that they’re priced so horribly!

    1. The price for 5 mighty wings with medium fries and medium soda was almost $9. They aren’t that good – more like supermarket five pound frozen food section wings fried until they burn the roof of your mouth. . The inside meat was not all white and some had a black overcooked bones inside.

  3. My husband is as close to a professional wing eater as you can get, and he loves these new wings. Having a wheat allergy myself, I wish they weren’t breaded so I could try them too!
    Just an FYI: though McDonalds may use a seperate fryer for their fries, the fries themselves actually contain wheat from the beef flavoring.

    1. The beef flavoring is no longer part of McDonalds frie-flavoring ritual. Some group of vegans successfully sued them several years ago for not letting everyone know that their fries had beef stuff. That’s why they’re not quite as good as they used to be.

  4. They said on the news that McD’s was hoarding wings for the last 18 months in anticipation of this. So how fresh are these?

    1. WARNING: This my first time commenting on fast food. I searched for a site like this precisely because I needed to warn the public about these new bone-in wings. It was an impulse buy but never again! Horrible ! No meat, no taste, all fat and gristle, most of which I removed from my mouth before ingesting. Not to mention the price! How can they get away with this sham?? Bring back Chicken Selects!!

  5. I like how the price is an issue for some people at $1/wing. That’s 100% McDonald’s conditioning you to expect to pay close-to-nothing for complete, disgusting garbage. The moment they make something apparently good, and price it accordingly, your brain’s like, “THIS IS WRONG!”. 🙂

    1. I have tried the mighty wings. Each ‘wing’ is either a drumette or a flat, i.e. half of the edible part of a whole wing. They are very good, meaty and crispy, and with good flavor. I also have numerous bars near my home that have ‘wing nights’ where I can purchase great wings for as little as 25 cents each. McDonald’s wings are overpriced for what you get. That will keep me from getting them in the future unless I am travelling and get hungry at a freeway exit. They should sell 5 ‘wings’ for no more than $3.49, not for $4.99.

  6. Perfection ….could be spicier.They are UNCOMPARABLY!! better than the 5 piece from KFC.

    I was so Satisfied …

    1. Yep. For all the garbage McD sells they do have some quality items that nobody buys because it’s not on the dollar menu. Their premium chicken sandwich line is pretty good but gets overshadowed when you can get 3 McChickens for the price of one of those.

      These wings are pretty good but compared to other places they are a tad overpriced. But here in Alaska they’re actually priced reasonably well since all other places are around the $1 mark for wings.

      And compared to KFC hot wings these are so so much better than those, it frankly saddens me how bad KFC has become.

  7. Tried these wings and they are awesome!
    My batch of 3 were hot, crispy and boy were they spicy!
    Love the crunch and the spice that still lingered after I ate.
    Yes, $1 each is too much, but its one of those once in a while things.

  8. Local Kennedy Fried Chicken [Ghetto Fried Chicken] has a better value than mighty wings: 20x wings for $10.00

    1. I agree, these “wings” are garbage. The ones I bought today 9/29/13 in Cleveland GA were FAKE! Actually thigh pieces disguised as wings… Absolutely horrible!

  9. TOOO pricey for fast food, I can go to ralleys and get thier asian kick wings , 10 for 7.99. the ralleys wings are not breaded and still taste better than mickey Ds

  10. My son raved about these wings yesterday. He said that they were dee-licious and that he would totally buy them again. However once I pointed out that he actually paid $3 for 1 1/2 wing, he had second thoughts. These are wingettes. Not whole wings. The price point is way too high for me to consider purchasing them. EVER.

  11. I’ve bought these wings twice so far at 2 different stores.The first time the wings were spicy.juicy and good.The second time just yesterday they were Tijuana hot to the point that they burnt my mouth but still juicy and I suppose good but the heat killed off my taste buds.Someone should look into the quality control of that coating.
    BTW some McDonalds are giving a buy one get one free on Sundays so that brings the price down to a more reasonable .50 cents each

  12. I was a tad pessimistic at first. My son works for Pluckers which has fabulous wings. I could not stand it as the pictures of Mighty Wings (dumb name) looked so enticing. I ordered the 3 just in case they sucked (wings from McD’s – possible) brought them back to work – after one bite I was hooked and would have bitten someones hand had they tried to take one. The spices…spicy but not overwhelming…and I know that spice – I live in Texas and it’s just so familiar – habanero ??? Spicey, crunchy , juicy … what is not to love. Who would have thought McD’s … just … wow. I’ve searched everywhere – unable to find what specific spices they use..if anyone has please post 🙂 Too bad it won’t (at least for now ) be a continued item. The price? a tad high for McD’s but honestly once I had them it was no big deal.. what’s a buck a wing???

      1. $8.99 a pound of wings anywhere—– WTF? and this much fried skin and bread crumbs, little real meat— just a screw!!!

  13. I thought the wings were good, but I went through drive-thru, and they said it would be an EIGHT minutes wait, it was more like ten minutes, so much for fast food!

  14. These wings are dry yet greasy, overcooked and tasteless. You could deep fry saltines and get a better result. A little red pepper on trash only produces hot trash.

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