For Super Bowl Sunday, over/under 1.45 billion chicken wings eaten in first-ever ‘Wing King Sports Book’

“Wing King” and poultry tipster Drew Cerza say they bet the ranch on Super Bowl Sunday.

He pegged the over/under at 1.45 billion chicken wings eaten in the first “Wing King Sports Book”, citing National Chicken Council data and his own industry analysis.

The Kansas City Chiefs will face the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday in Super Bowl LVII.

“Americans are just as passionate about chicken wings as we are about football,” Cerza told Fox News Digital in an exclusive version of the nation’s first-ever Buffalo wing betting odds.

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“Chicken farmers are back at full capacity across the country and producing more chickens, creating a healthy supply of wings,” he said.

Drumsticks are -130 favorites to consume more than flats on Sunday, according to the Wing King Sports Book.

Buffalo Wings remain a solid -150 favorite against the field of all other Wing flavors.

Ranch dressing is a -170 favorite over blue cheese (+160), while divers are expected to outnumber non-divers 7 to 3 at Super Bowl and sports bar parties this year.

In betting parlance, -170 means someone has to bet $170 to win $100. The Wing King Sports Book is purely for fun, Cerza notes.

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He earned his royal “Wing King” status as the founder of the National Buffalo Chicken Wing Festival, held each September at Highmark Stadium, home of the Buffalo Bills.

Top-ranked woman Miki Sudo was the champion eater of the 2022 festival, consuming 233 chicken wings in 12 minutes, compared to just 224 for legend Joey “Jaws” Chestnut.

“Americans are just as passionate about chicken wings as we are about football.” – “The King of Wings” Drew Cerza

The National Buffalo Wing Festival is the “Buffalo Wings Super Bowl,” Cerza says.

The event started in 2002. About 22,000 people attended last year.

Wing King Sports Book ratings reflect Cerza’s actual analysis of wing consumer trends in the United States.

Carolina reaper wings from Wendell’s hot-wing honky tonk of Norton, Massachusetts.
(Kerry J. Byrne/Fox News Digital)

Blue cheese’s underdog status may shock wing lovers in some parts of the country, where the delicious little pieces of poultry are rarely, if ever, offered with ranch dressing.

“Blue cheese is the preferred dip for wings largely in the Northeast,” Cerza said. “The ranch rules much of the rest of the country.”

Super Bowl Sunday is the nation’s biggest day for wing enthusiasts each year. The chicken industry has long cited a figure of around 1 billion wings consumed for the annual NFL championship game.

But a variety of factors have set the stage for Americans to flock to their favorite wing joints this year in record numbers.

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National chicken wing supply has rebounded in recent months after a long period of disruption at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Wing King said.

The increased supply has caused wing prices to fall 22% from recent highs, he said.

COVID, on the other hand, actually led to an increase in the appreciation of wings, as they were a popular drop-and-go item.

Bolton’s is a laid-back east Nashville landmark famous for its insanely spicy Nashville Hot Chicken.
(Kerry J. Byrne/Fox News Digital)

“Finally, thank God, the pandemic is over,” Cerza said, “and people are back to congregating at full capacity at Super Bowl parties and sports bars.”

Cerza, a Buffalo native, credits the fortunes of the Buffalo Bills in the early 1990s with fueling America’s obsession with chicken wings.

The franchise reached the Super Bowl a record four years in a row (1990-93), sparking national media and football fan interest in what was then a local culinary phenomenon.

The Blind Rhino from Norwalk and Bridgeport, Connecticut was voted America’s Best Hot Wing at the 2022 National Buffalo Wing Festival in Buffalo, New York on Labor Day weekend (September 3-4).
(Courtesy of The Blind Rhino)

“Wings are now a national obsession,” said the Wing King.

“Even chefs take their wings seriously and take pride in their sauces. Wings have become a central dish. They are no longer just an appetizer.”

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A few other wings ratings this year: pickup/delivery is a -170 favorite over eat-in wings; 60% of Buffalo style wings eaten will be on medium heat, only 5% very hot; and unbreaded wings are major favorites -175 over breaded wings.

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“Eating breaded wings in Buffalo is punishable by up to 20 years in prison,” Cerza said, citing a little-known ordinance in her hometown.

Local laws may differ in your community.