Chicken wings have been a staple of American cuisine for a long time, with the smoky flavors and spicy sauces beloved by many.

While the popular delicacy of chicken wings is said to originate in New York, perhaps no one enjoys a good chicken wing quite like a southerner.

In order to find the best wings, Southern Living set out to food trucks, barbecue joints and other eateries to find the best chicken wings in the south.

Two spots in Louisiana made Southern Living’s cut.

Best chicken wings in New Orleans

Bayou Hot Wings, located at 6221 S Claiborne Ave. in New Orleans, is open seven days a week from 10:30 a.m. until 9 p.m. and serves fresh chicken wings made from scratch. At this restaurant, all chicken is seasoned and brined for 24 hours, and then cooked to perfection.

There are 14 different sauces and flavors to choose from, from bayou sweet or bayou hotboy to Korean BBQ or pepper jelly. In addition to sauces and flavors, there are also four different house-made dips that accompany the wings.

Bayou Hot Wings was founded by Chef Allen Nguyen and Chef Kyle Makepeace with the intention to create a wing restaurant the city of New Orleans can be proud of, as many of the menu items are made in-house using local ingredients.

Kajun Kidd Burgers & Wings in Thibodaux named one of the best places for wings by Southern Living

Kajun Kidd Burgers & Wings, located in Thibodaux at 710 St Mary St., is open Tuesday through Sunday and serves up flavorful food prepared by Executive Chef and CEO Cardell Smith.

At this joint, there are 15 different sauce choices, including chipotle Crown Apple, habanero Crown Peach, Caribbean pineapple jerk, sweet heat Hennessey and hot honey drip, to name a few.

The 20 best spots for chicken wings in the South according to Southern Living

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – Louisiana’s Department of Government Efficiency has concluded its work with a final report showing just under $1 billion in state savings and a plan to overhaul the Inspector General’s office.

“Every permanent process we put in place ensures that those services only get stronger,” Governor Jeff Landry said at a press conference Thursday.

Federal program savings drive results

The report shows a large portion of the savings comes from federal dollars, with just over $600 million in total. At least half of that stems from removing ineligible people from Medicaid and SNAP programs. The full itemized breakdown of savings has not been released to the media.

“But I mean, just think about it, if you are deceased, incarcerated, no longer eligible for Medicaid, no longer live in the state — you should not be on the Medicaid rolls,” said Angele Davis, member of the LADOGE team and former Commissioner of Administration.

Landry said the removals targeted fraud in the system.

Contract streamlining and DCFS restructuring

The remaining savings in state dollars came from streamlining state contracts for services like IT and decommissioning outdated technology. Landry claims the restructuring of the Department of Children and Family Services also saves dollars and improves services.

“By adding our staff back to the front lines where we come into contact with children and families, we were able to reduce our caseloads by 17% — that produces more meaningful engagement with families and better-informed decisions for children,” DCFS Secretary Rebecca Harris said.

New Inspector General appointment

Landry appointed Davis as the next State Inspector General to maintain efficiency focus for a six-year term. The goal is to put audit reports into action rather than letting them sit unused.

“But if there are a duplication in services, the inspector general doesn’t need to be doing the same thing as the attorney general is doing or the legislative auditor is doing,” Davis said.

The changes will require legislative approval. The 2025 legislative session begins March 9.

Savings breakdown from LADOGE Final Report:

Medicaid Eligibility: $285.5 million

SNAP Eligibility: $14.9 million

State/Federal Contracts: $206.4 million

Technology Services: $68.4 Million

Telecommunications: $2.8 million

Travel / Conferences: $1.3 million

Utilization of Assets: $9.6 million

Leases: $3 million

Process Efficiency / Service and Workforce Optimization: $407.6 million

TOTAL SAVINGS: $999.5 million

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