Two Louisiana joints among 20 best places for chicken wings in the South

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

1. The Local: Atlanta, Georgia
2. Seoulside Wings: Houston, Texas
3. Ching’s Hot Wings: Memphis, Tennessee
4. Local Cue: Greenville, South Carolina
5. Howard China: Washington, D.C.
6. The Camp Restaurant: Natchez, Mississippi
7. SAW’s Juke Joint: Birmingham, Alabama
8. Bayou Hot Wings: New Orleans, Louisiana
9. Noble’s: Nashville, Tennessee
10. Certified Pies: Little Rock, Arkansas
11. Momma’s Mustard, Pickles & BBQ: Louisville, Kentucky
12. Smoke’N Joe Box: Sherwood, Arkansas
13. Nam Phuong: Atlanta, Georgia
14. Cricket’s: Madison, Alabama
15. Brother Z’s Wang Shack: Nashville, Tennessee
16. Moosehead Grill: Charlotte, North Carolina
17. Domu: Jacksonville, Florida
18. Fairley’s Wings & More: Hattiesburg, Mississippi
19. Kajun Kidd Burgers & Wings: Thibodaux, Louisiana
20. Track One: El Paso, Texas

Presley Bo Tyler is a reporter for the Louisiana Deep South Connect Team for USA Today. Find her on X @PresleyTyler02 and email at PTyler@Gannett.com