A California woman’s side-by-side comparison of chicken wings from two popular sources has ignited a conversation about size, quality, and value.
At first glance, her Wingstop order looked fairly standard—until she placed another set of Costco wings right next to them on the same plate.
Woman Showcases Dramatic Wing Size Comparison
In a viral video with more than 199,000 views, content creator @s2harrooyy shared an eye-opening chicken wing comparison.
The video starts with Wingstop wings displayed on a plate, looking fairly average in size.
“Okay. So this is Wingstop wings. Very cute,” she says in the TikTok.
Then comes the reveal.
Using tongs, she places cooked Costco wings directly next to the Wingstop order. The difference is immediately apparent—the Costco wings appear more than double the size of their restaurant counterparts (and look way more blandly seasoned).
“They got them steroids,” a person says in the background.
What’s More Important? Quality Vs. Size
The chicken wing community is divided on whether bigger is actually better.
Bell & Evans thinks smaller wings are superior when it comes to taste and texture. Large wings tend to be rubbery and flavorless, with the only taste coming from the sauce rather than the meat itself. Smaller wings cook up with crispy skin and tender, juicy meat that’s full of natural flavor.
The company argues that large wings come from large chickens raised by commodity producers focused on maximizing profit from big birds. The larger the chicken, the more likely it experienced skeletal, cardiovascular, and muscular issues from growing faster and bigger than its body could handle. These chickens were also less active, resulting in tougher meat.
Making matters worse, commodity producers typically send chickens through water chill baths during processing, where the birds absorb water weight and lose their natural juices, ending up flavorless.
But not everyone agrees with this perspective.
Wing Addicts takes a more practical view, arguing that wing size is simply a matter of personal preference and how hungry you are.
Smaller wings are easy to eat and perfect for snacking over longer periods or before a meal. Jumbo wings, on the other hand, serve as “meal wings” that can be satisfying enough to replace an entire dinner.
The blog suggests that complaints about wing size are misplaced—if they’re big, order fewer; if they’re small, order more.
How Chickens Have Been Bred To Grow Larger
Modern chickens are dramatically larger than their predecessors due to decades of selective breeding focused on size and efficiency.
A 2014 Vox article reports on a University of Alberta study that raised three breeds of chickens from different eras—1957, 1978, and 2005—in identical conditions with the same diet.
The results were striking: the 2005 breed called the Ross 308 broiler ended up about four times as heavy as the 1957 breed, despite being fed exactly the same foods.
The transformation happened through selective breeding rather than hormones or genetic modification.
Modern chickens are roughly three times more efficient at converting feed into breast meat compared to 1950s breeds. This efficiency, combined with increased size, has made chicken a much cheaper and more popular food.
Americans now consume more than 83 pounds of chicken per person annually, and the price of poultry has risen at about half the rate of other consumer goods from 1960 to 2004.
However, this rapid growth comes with consequences. Previous research has noted increased bone, heart, and immune system problems in some contemporary chicken breeds. These health issues could stem from unintentional genetic effects or behavioral differences, such as carrying around significantly more weight than chickens were historically built to support.
Commenters React
“I hate big wings the texture of them is so gross and slimy,” a top comment read.
“Them Costco wings look nasty,” a person said.
“Those big wings are gross,” another wrote.
“I had Wingstop stop exactly 1 time years ago because the wings were this size. The price I paid I was like I’m good on Wingstop,” a commenter added.
BroBible reached out to the creator for comment via TikTok direct message and comment. We’ll be sure to update this if she responds.