Wings for the Super Bowl, anyone? Ranking 26 chicken appetizers from grocery stores
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Super Bowl Sunday calls for an epic spread of game day snacks.
It doesn’t matter what your reason(s) for tuning in is — whether it’s for the game, the halftime show or just the commercials. When it comes down to it, you’ve got about four hours to gobble down as much game-day grub as possible.
cleveland.com reporters Brenda Cain and Yadi Rodriguez hit lots of grocery and big box stores and grabbed all the frozen appetizers they could find — 95 in all — to make your Super Bowl buffet a touchdown. See the rankings for all 95 appetizers.
Below we have spotlighted all the chicken apps we sampled, including chicken wings, boneless bites, sliders, chicken corndogs and Mexican finger foods. The 26 chicken apps below are priced $2.20 to $7.99 and some will have you clucking for more.
Check out out thoughts. The rankings are listed worst to best so you can easily decide which chicken appetizers are best for you.
No. 26 Mini Chicken Sandwiches, Market Pantry
Where we bought it: Target
Price: $3.49
Nutrition per serving:
Calories 320 | Fat 14g | Cholesterol 20mg | Sodium 680mg | Carbs 37g | Protein 13g
First ingredient: Enriched flour
Box says: Breaded chicken patty on a bun.
Our thoughts: Three and out! More bread than meat in these sliders. Processed, unseasoned chicken on a salty bun. It’s plain and boring. Skip this one!
Buy it at Target $3.49
No. 25 Boneless Chicken Bites – Buffalo-style, Market Pantry
Where we bought it: Target
Price: $3.49
Nutrition per serving:
Calories 230 | Fat 12g | Cholesterol 35mg | Sodium 970mg | Carbs 15g | Protein 16g
First ingredient: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts with rib meat
Box says: Breaded boneless skinless chicken breast chunks with rib meat coated with a buffalo-style sauce, fully cooked.
Our thoughts: Lots of breading and mild Buffalo sauce do nothing to help these nuggets of chicken pieces/parts. Totally processed. In spite of the “skinless” billing, there were pieces of skin in these nuggets.
Buy it at Target $3.49
No. 24 Chicken & Vegetables Empanadas, Mas Panadas
Where we bought it: Whole Foods
Price: $7.99
Nutrition per serving:
Calories 150 | Fat 3.5g | Cholesterol 30mg | Sodium 105mg | Carbs 20g | Protein 9g
First ingredient: Unbleached wheat flour
Box says: Real food for life in the fast lane. The perfect snack on the go.
Our thoughts: The homemade crust is filled with shredded chicken and a nice measure of Mexican spice. Flavorful, but dry.
No. 23 Chicken & Cheese Taquitos, Market Pantry
Where we bought it: Target
Price: $3.49
Nutrition per serving:
Calories 230 | Fat 11g | Cholesterol 15mg | Sodium 740mg | Carbs 25g | Protein 9g
First ingredient: Enriched wheat flour
Box says: Chicken and cheese taquitos rolled in flour tortillas. Made with white meat chicken.
Our thoughts: Salty! Good flavor but there is more refried beans than chicken and cheese.
Buy it at Target $3.49
No. 22 Mini Corn Dogs, Market Pantry
Where we bought it: Target
Price: $6.79
Nutrition per serving:
Calories 180 | Fat 8g | Cholesterol 40mg | Sodium 460mg | Carbs 22g | Protein 7g
First ingredient: Water
Box says: Cocktail chicken franks wrapped in cornmeal batter.
Our thoughts: The cornmeal coating was inconsistent and thin. Firm, chewy frank. Bland without much seasoning.
Buy it at Target $6.79
No. 21 Chicken Taquitos, Delimex
Where we bought it: Giant Eagle
Price: $6.99
Nutrition per serving:
Calories 190 | Fat 8g | Cholesterol 15mg | Sodium 400mg | Carbs 22g | Protein 7g
First ingredient: Corn masa flour
Box says: White meat chicken taquitos, delicious Mexican flavors.
Our thoughts: The crunchy shell was stuffed with plenty of finely shredded chicken that got “mushy” after cooking.
Buy it at Giant Eagle $6.99 | Buy it at Target $5.79 | Buy it at Walmart $4.98
No. 20 Chicken wings – Buffalo style, TGI Fridays
Where we bought it: Walmart
Price: $7.97
Nutrition per serving:
Calories 240 | Fat 16g | Cholesterol 45mg | Sodium 850mg | Carbs 10g | Protein 14g
First ingredient: Chicken wing sections
Box says: Crispy breaded chicken wing sections with buffalo style sauce packets.
Our thoughts: There was more breading than chicken, making these wings appear much larger than they actually are. A tale of two appetizers: one of us enjoyed a meaty experience, while the other team member got a large amount of slimy skin. The sauce adds a nice kick. Standard breaded wing.
Buy it on Instacart $10.99 | Buy it at Walmart $7.97
No. 19 Empanadas – Chicken & Cheese, Brazi Bites
Where we bought it: Whole Foods
Price: $5.99
Nutrition per serving:
Calories 230 | Fat 11g | Cholesterol 55mg | Sodium 430mg | Carbs 22g | Protein 11g
First ingredient: Tapioca flour
Box says: In South America, empanadas are a hand-held favorite. Flaky outside, savory fillings inside. Our Brazi Bites empanadas use the perfect blend of only the finest ingredients with absolutely nothing artificial. And as always our dough is made with tapioca flour, a delicious alternative to wheat. Perfect snacking and entertaining.
Our thoughts: The crust was crispy outside, but remained pasty on the inside. Shredded mixture was dry and a little on the salty side.
No. 18 Mini Corn Dogs, Foster Farms
Where we bought it: Giant Eagle
Price: $3.49
Nutrition per serving:
Calories 220 | Fat 13g | Cholesterol 25mg | Sodium 510mg | Carbs 19g | Protein 7g
First ingredient: Water
Box says: Plump and juicy bite-size chicken franks dipped in honey-crunchy batter.
Our thoughts: Reminiscent of a trip to Chik-Fil-A, these little weenies are completely covered in the rich honey-flavored batter. A solid chicken frank. This bite is not too heavy. Call it a short completion over the middle.
Buy it at Giant Eagle $3.49 | Buy it on Instacart $3.99 | Buy it at Walmart $6.96
No. 17 Any’tizers Popcorn Chicken, Tyson
Where we bought it: Giant Eagle
Price: $6.99
Nutrition per serving:
Calories 170 | Fat 9g | Cholesterol 25mg | Sodium 600mg | Carbs 14g | Protein 14g
First ingredient: Boneless, skinless chicken breast chunks with rib meat
Box says: Chicken breast chunk fritters with rib meat.
Our thoughts: We recommend some sort of dipping sauce for these chicken bites. While the chicken remains juicy after cooking, the outside crust was dry. As with many apps like these, they are too salty.
Buy it at Giant Eagle $7.99 | Buy it on Instacart $8.09 | Buy it at Target $6.99 | Buy it at Walmart $6.16
No. 16 Boneless chicken bites – Buffalo style, TGI Fridays
Where we bought it: Walmart
Price: $4.98
Nutrition per serving:
Calories 170 | Fat 6g | Cholesterol 30mg | Sodium 1050mg | Carbs 20g | Protein 12g
First ingredient: Boneless skinless chicken breast with rib meat.
Box says: Formed chicken breast fritters with rib meat, with a buffalo style sauce packet.
Our thoughts: These are close to what you would get if you went to a TGI Fridays restaurant. Meaty chicken bites, a crispy coating and a tangy sauce. Our tip: Toss the bites in the sauce before baking. Finally, another chance to stand and cheer!
Buy it at Giant Eagle $6.99 | Buy it on Instacart $6.99 | Buy it at Walmart $4.98
No. 15 Mini Corn Dogs, Great Value
Where we bought it: Walmart
Price: $2.20
Nutrition per serving:
Calories 210 | Fat 11g | Cholesterol 35mg | Sodium 490mg | Carbs 22g | Protein 6g
First ingredient: Water
Box says: Batter wrapped chicken franks.
Our thoughts: Nothing new here. Good, firm “dawg” wrapped in a sweet cornmeal coating that gets crunchy when baked. Good dog-to-coating ratio.
Buy it at Walmart $2.20
No. 14 Boneless chicken bites – Honey BBQ, TGI Fridays
Where we bought it: Walmart
Price: $4.98
Nutrition per serving:
Calories 180 | Fat 4g | Cholesterol 25mg | Sodium 700mg | Carbs 24g | Protein 11g
First ingredient: Boneless skinless chicken breast with rib meat.
Box says: Chicken breast fritters with rib meat, with a honey barbecue sauce packet.
Our thoughts: As with other chicken bites from this brand, they are typical of what you get if ordering in the restaurant. These bites seem to be more thigh meat than breast and the batter coating is lightly fried. It got a little mushy in the sauce.
Buy it at Giant Eagle $6.99 | Buy it on Instacart $6.99 | Buy it at Walmart $4.98
No. 13 Chicken wings – Honey BBQ, TGI Fridays
Where we bought it: Walmart
Price: $7.97
Nutrition per serving:
Calories 290 | Fat 15g | Cholesterol 45mg | Sodium 610mg | Carbs 24g | Protein 14g
First ingredient: Chicken wing sections
Box says: Crispy breaded chicken wing sections with honey barbeque sauce packets.
Our thoughts: The sweet and tangy sauce makes all the difference on these over-breaded wings. We cooked ours to a nice crunch before adding the sauce.
Buy it on Instacart $10.99 |Buy it at Walmart $7.97
No. 12 Buffalo Style Chicken Poppers, Trader Joe’s
Where we bought it: Trader Joe’s
Price: $4.99
Nutrition per serving:
Calories 240 | Fat 12g | Cholesterol 20mg | Sodium 340mg | Carbs 25g | Protein 8g
First ingredient: Water
Box says: White meat chicken wrapped in crispy fillo with a spicy cheesy filling.
Our thoughts: A flaky dough is wrapped around a creamy filling that really brings the heat! Since the Bills failed to make the Super Bowl, this “Buffalo-styled” option counts.
No. 11 Taquitos, Chicken, José Olé
Where we bought it: Giant Eagle
Price: $6.99
Nutrition per serving:
Calories 200 | Fat 8g | Cholesterol 15mg | Sodium 340mg | Carbs 26g | Protein 6g
First ingredient: Stone ground corn masa
Box says: Chicken in corn tortilla.
Our thoughts: The corn masa tortillas are a bit thicker than the flour ones we encountered and held a generous amount of shredded chicken filling. Just be careful the filling doesn’t spill out of the ends, leaving you with a hollow shell.
Buy it at Giant Eagle $6.49 | Buy it on Instacart $6.99
No. 10 Chicken & Cheese Taquitos, El Monterey
Where we bought it: Giant Eagle
Price: $6.99
Nutrition per serving:
Calories 220 | Fat 10g | Cholesterol 15mg | Sodium 470mg | Carbs 25g | Protein 8g
First ingredient: Enriched bleached wheat flour
Box says: Chicken and cheese in flour tortilla.
Our thoughts: Spicy and cheesy and you can see shreds of chicken when it is unrolled. This one is as satisfying as a Baker Mayfield to Jarvis Landry 40-yarder.
Buy it at Giant Eagle $6.49 | Buy it on Instacart $6.99
No. 9 Southwest Chicken Extra Crunchy Taquitos, El Monterey
Where we bought it: Target
Price: $5.99
Nutrition per serving:
Calories 220 | Fat 10g | Cholesterol 10mg | Sodium 260mg | Carbs 25g | Protein 7g
First ingredient: Enriched wheat flour
Box says: You can taste the quality. Delicious chicken, Monterey jack cheese, authentic spices, fresh- baked flour tortillas.
Our thoughts: Minimal chicken pieces, but plenty of chicken flavor in this taquito, and plenty of cheese keeps the filling moist. The ends get crispy.
Buy it at Target $5.99
No. 8 Mini Chicken Tacos, Trader Joe’s
Where we bought it: Trader Joe’s
Price: $4.49
Nutrition per serving:
Calories 190 | Fat 9g | Cholesterol 25mg | Sodium 230mg | Carbs 19g | Protein 9g
First ingredient: Chicken leg and breast with rib meat.
Box says: They’re not just adorable, they’re delicious! No matter how you choose to serve these mini chicken tacos, we guarantee you won’t be able to eat just one!
Our thoughts: Good corn shell. Flavorful chicken but not much else to be seen or tasted. The picture on the box looks like they added some toppings. Maybe we should have taken a cue from that photo and added our own to ramp up the flavor.
No. 7 Boneless Chicken Bites – Honey Barbecue Flavored, Market Pantry
Where we bought it: Target
Price: $3.49
Nutrition per serving:
Calories 180 | Fat 7g | Cholesterol 30mg | Sodium 490mg | Carbs 17g | Protein 12g
First ingredient: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts with rib meat.
Box says: Breaded boneless skinless chicken breast chunks with rib meat coated with a sweet barbecue glaze, smoke flavor added, fully cooked.
Our thoughts: Real chicken breast — not processed — in a mild, slightly smoky, honey barbecue flavor. The nugget is firm and meaty.
Buy it at Target $3.49
No. 6 Phyllo Bites, Buffalo Style Chicken, Athens
Where we bought it: Heinen’s
Price: $3.99
Nutrition per serving:
Calories 220 | Fat 11g | Cholesterol 25mg | Sodium 390mg | Carbs 20g | Protein 8g
First ingredient: Enriched wheat flour
Box says: White meat chicken, spicy sauce and a blend of cheeses nestled in phyllo dough.
Our thoughts: This buffalo chicken dip is sheltered in a bite-sized pillow you can just pop in your mouth. The pastry is tender and flaky and the dip carries just enough bite to wake up your taste buds without overwhelming the rest of your palate.
Buy it at Heinen’s $3.99 | Buy it on Instacart $3.99
No. 5 Any’tizers Boneless Chicken Bites, Honey BBQ, Tyson
Where we bought it: Giant Eagle
Price: $6.99
Nutrition per serving:
Calories 210 | Fat 9g | Cholesterol 35mg | Sodium 510mg | Carbs 20g | Protein 12g
First ingredient: Boneless, skinless chicken breast chunks with rib meat
Box says: Breaded white meat chicken glazed in a honey BBQ flavored sauce, smoke flavor added. Carved from white meat chicken.
Our thoughts: Even the tiniest of chicken nuggets were solid pieces of chicken, consistently covered in a smooth, sweet honey glaze. Not too much breading so you can really enjoy the meatiness.
Buy it at Giant Eagle $7.99 | Buy it on Instacart $7.99 | Buy it at Target $6.99
No. 4 Any’tizers Boneless Chicken Bites, Buffalo Style, Tyson
Where we bought it: Giant Eagle
Price: $6.99
Nutrition per serving:
Calories 180 | Fat 9g | Cholesterol 35mg | Sodium 920mg | Carbs 12g | Protein 12g
First ingredient: Boneless, skinless chicken breast chunks with rib meat
Box says: Breaded white meat chicken glazed in a spicy buffalo wing sauce. Carved from white meat chicken.
Our thoughts: There’s plenty of meaty chicken inside these crispy bites. The breading is a little thicker than some of the others, but soak up and deliver plenty of kick from the buffalo sauce. They are sure to hold their own in your ranch or blue cheese dipping sauces.
Buy it at Giant Eagle $7.99 | Buy it on Instacart $7.99
No. 3 Southwest Chicken Extra Crunchy Taquitos, El Monterey
Where we bought it: Target
Price: $5.99
Nutrition per serving:
Calories 240 | Fat 11g | Cholesterol 10mg | Sodium 380mg | Carbs 26g | Protein 8g
First ingredient: Enriched wheat flour
Box says: You can taste the quality. Delicious chicken, black beans, three cheeses, fresh-baked tortillas.
Our thoughts: No dip is needed for these taquitos, which have a smooth and creamy cheese filling with plenty of chicken and just the right amount of Mexican kick. Warning: The filling gets extremely hot and can leak out the sides when eating.
Buy it at Giant Eagle $6.99 | Buy it at Target $5.99
No. 2 Boneless Chicken Bites – Buffalo Style, Farm Rich
Where we bought it: Heinen’s
Price: $6.99
Nutrition per serving:
Calories 190 | Fat 9g | Cholesterol 30mg | Sodium 710mg | Carbs 17g | Protein 12g
First ingredient: White meat chicken
Box says: White meat chicken fritters with a tangy buffalo style tossing sauce packet.
Our thoughts: Real — and big — pieces of chicken breast. The spicy buffalo sauce adds just the right amount of kick.
Buy it at Heinen’s $6.99 | Buy it on Instacart $6.99
No. 1 BBQ Boneless Chicken Bites, Farm Rich
No. 1 Boneless Chicken Bites – BBQ, Farm Rich
Where we bought it: Heinen’s
Price: $6.99
Nutrition per serving:
Calories 190 | Fat 9g | Cholesterol 30mg | Sodium 710mg | Carbs 17g | Protein 12g
First ingredient: White meat chicken
Box says: White meat chicken “fritters” have one of the tastiest layers of breading we found. The sauce is sweet and perfectly complements these large meaty pieces of boneless chicken. If you are saving calories — save them for these fritters.
Our thoughts: BBQ sauce is sweet and wasn’t too thick. Real chicken and good bite-size pieces.
Buy it at Heinen’s $6.99 | Buy it on Instacart $6.99 | Buy it at Target $4.99
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