The National Chicken Council projects Americans will consume 1.48 billion chicken wings while watching the New England Patriots face the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl. This figure represents an increase of approximately 10 million wings compared to last year’s game, cementing chicken wings as the undisputed champion of Super Bowl menus across the country.
How 1.48 Billion Chicken Wings Stack Up
The sheer volume of wings consumed during Super Bowl Sunday defies easy comprehension. Laid end to end, 1.48 billion chicken wings would stretch roughly 27 times from Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, to Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington. The wings would circle the planet almost three times, creating what could be described as a crispy equator around Earth.
For those who prefer to think in terms of time, eating one wing every 30 seconds would take until approximately the year 3430 to finish them all. Alternatively, that same pace would have required starting when the Roman Empire fell. Transporting this mountain of poultry would require more than 3,400 fully loaded semi-trucks, enough to form a 40-mile-long convoy of nothing but wings.
NFL Playoff Wing Sales Surge Nationwide
Chicken wing sales experienced dramatic growth during the NFL playoff window. National chicken wing units surged 19.8% year-over-year during the latest four weeks of playoffs, while dollar sales increased 11.4% compared to the prior period, reflecting strong seasonal and game-day demand.
Regional markets showed even more impressive numbers. In the Seattle retail market during the playoff period, wing sales climbed 8.6% in dollars, 26.3% in units, and 22.2% in volume. The Boston market saw wing sales increase 4.4% in dollars, 17.1% in units, and 10.9% in volume.
Among the four cities whose teams played in the NFC and AFC Championship games, Los Angeles consumers order the most wings per person at four times per year, beating out Boston, Seattle, and Denver.
Chicken Wings Remain an Affordable Protein Option
Retail prices for fresh chicken wings have dropped 2.8% year-over-year, with a four-week moving average from Circana of $3.47 per pound, according to the Wells Fargo Super Bowl Food Report. This price decrease results from U.S. broiler producers boosting domestic production by 2.2% in 2025, aided by lower feed costs.
Despite softer wing prices, cold storage inventories reported at the end of November stood at 57 million pounds, marking the lowest November total in more than 10 years outside of the COVID-affected 2020, according to USDA data. This indicates that restaurants, bars, and supermarkets began stocking up well in advance of the Big Game to meet anticipated demand.
“The bottom line… wings will be available in plenty, they’ll be affordable, and they’ll be delicious,” said NCC spokesperson Tom Super.
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