The Best Chicken Wings on 'Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives'

There's never a bad time for chicken wings. Whether you're at a summer BBQ or a fall football tailgate, wings are a favorite finger food from coast to coast. And when you're Food Network host Guy Fieri, traveling from coast to coast in search of chicken wings is your specialty.

OB Noodle House is serving up more than just slurplable soups and noodles. Their spicy garlic wings are bright red from an overnight bath in a super-spicy habanero and Thai chili marinade. After a deep-fryer dip, the wings are tossed in a wok with garlic, scallion and more chilis for even more eye-popping depth of flavor.

The confit duck wings at The Fork n' Cork in Wilmington, North Carolina, might just be the kings of the wings. Slow-roasted in a heaping helping of duck fat, the drumettes are then coated in cornstarch and deep-fried. Served alongside fan-favorite orange habanero marmalade, Guy praised them for being "something fantastic."

Pterodactyl-sized and stuffed with pork, shrimp and noodles, the wings at Thai Mee Up are like nothing you’ve ever seen before. Straight out of the late Jurassic, these massive whole wings are deboned, stuffed, steamed, breaded, fried and served up alongside plum sauce and a watercress salad. Plus, this spot is right next to the airport, so feel free to island-hop on over for a nice light lunch.

If there are Buffalo wings, why not pig wings? While Guy has certainly never seen a pig fly, these savory shanks flew off the plate with the greatest of ease. At South Philadelphia Tap Room, they're tossing them in a savory, Italian sweet-and-sour known as agrodolce. These sticky swine shanks will change the way you think about wings.

Deep-fried is one of the best ways to serve wings, but what sets them apart is being tossed in sauce. From Buffalo to lemon pepper, Alabama white to Carolina mustard, there's a never-ending list of wing sauces to choose from. But if you had to pick, the vinaigrette wing sauce at Rocco's Little Chicago in Tucson, Arizona, is unlike anything else. Their sweet, acidic vinaigrette is the base for their jalapeño-spiked hot sauce, creating a puckering sweet heat that will have you coming back for more.

At The Blue-Eyed Crab, chef Jim Casey has dreamed up a menu that takes inspiration from the islands, as it’s loaded with seafood dishes that have a Caribbean twist. The flavors of the tropics shine through in chef Jim’s assortment of next-level bar eats like the banana garlic chicken wings that Guy described as "a calypso band meets Metallica."

Are you in need of a cure for the common Buffalo wing? Hickory House's crispy, smoked wings are made by someone who cares enough to cut the wings into tasty lollipops. And a blue cheese dressing you could eat with a fork doesn’t hurt either.

Did anyone have Alabama barbecue sauce in Vermont on their list today? Just us? Getting an extra bit of twang from gochujang, the sauce is served with Bluebird BBQ's smoked pitmaster wings. Smoked wings, by the way, that are deep-fried and dusted before heading to your table with that heavenly sauce.

Down by the Mississippi, you'll find a sizable "shed" that houses a loyal community of barbecue lovers and live blues music. At The Shed, the specialty of the house, or should we say "of the shed," is baby back ribs, which Guy calls "as tender as you can get." They also serve up some righteous chicken "wangs" and brisket in massive quantities.

Buffalo wings, you're officially on notice: The Asian sticky wings from Alkaline in Norfolk, Virginia, are coming for your lunch, dinner and cold breakfast. Not only are you getting the wings, but the batter is drizzled into the fryer to create additional crispy bits for munching. If that wasn’t enough, each wing is brushed by hand so that it stays crispy instead of being sogged up with sauce.

Del Seoul is owned by a brother-and-sister team who turns out creative Korean cuisine with California influences in Chicago. Be careful, you might start dreaming about the crispy K-Town chicken wings.

Texas is well-known for its high temperatures, but that's not enough for Dough Pizzeria Napoletana in San Antonio. They're turning the heat up with their Calabrian chicken wings. Instead of deep frying, Dough roasts the wings in their wood-fired oven for next-level flavor and smoky char.

Brined, rubbed and fried, the smoked wings at Meat Southern BBQ & Carnivore Cuisine will change the way you think about barbecue. After they're smoked, the wings head into the deep fryer for maximum crispiness. Guy loved the cherry BBQ sauce so much, the only words he could muster were "me likey."

Winners of back-to-back World BBQ Championship titles, there’s a good reason Smokey D’s racks up so many awards. Their team has been cranking out BBQ since they opened a catering company in 2006. Originally out of a trailer, they've grown to multiple locations and don't show any signs of slowing down. Served naked or sauced, Guy loved their "incredible, fantastic" crispiness and spicy-savory Asian glaze.