Super Bowl LX is over, and I hope your team won. One team that certainly won was the U.S. poultry industry. The Super Bowl weekend is one of the highest annual periods of demand for chicken wings in the United States. Approximately 6.2 billion broiler chickens are produced annually in the United States, each yielding two full wings. Once disjointed for commercial purposes, the two wings are typically divided into four retail portions, resulting in an estimated 24.8 billion individual wing pieces produced each year. The National Chicken Council projects that Americans will consume approximately 1.48 billion wings during Super Bowl gatherings—an amount equivalent to less than one month of domestic broiler production. Given this surge in consumption, the U.S. poultry industry could reasonably refer to the event as the “Chicken Wing Bowl!”
Chicken wing prices have experienced considerable volatility in recent years. However, early 2025 appears favorable for consumers. Wholesale wing prices opened the year below $1.00 per pound and have risen only modestly to slightly above $1.10 per pound (Fig. 1). This price level represents a 66 percent decline from the historic peak of $3.24 per pound recorded in January 2022. With March Madness—another major period of heightened wing consumption—approaching, current trends suggest positive conditions for consumers and retailers alike.
Despite these trends, chicken wing pricing remains historically unpredictable. As one primary wing consumption event has passed, and the next one draws near, restaurants and other retail food outlets try to capitalize on consumer interest. Market competition, combined with relatively low wholesale costs, should help maintain affordable wing prices at the retail level even beyond this Super Bowl. However, current cold storage inventories show 1.12 million fewer pounds of wings compared with the same period last year, which could exert upward pressure on prices eventually. But overall wing inventory is more than double the levels observed back in 2021-22 when prices soared. According to a recent USDA retail price report, the average retail price for conventional fresh party wings in the southeastern United States stands at $2.49 per pound, with individually quick-frozen (IQF) wings priced slightly higher at $2.67 per pound. If supplies remain stable, retail prices may continue to reflect current favorable conditions. Meanwhile, U.S. broiler growers remain committed to meeting consumer demand by supplying the market with high-quality chicken wings.
Figure 1.
Brothers, Dennis. “Chicken Wing Bowl, 2026!” Southern Ag Today 6(7.2). February 10, 2026. Permalink
