While Buffalo may not have made it to the Super Bowl, you can bet plenty of folks will be diving into that city’s famous wings at parties everywhere this Sunday. But Chicago has its own take on the classic dish, with a variety of flavors and styles that showcase the city’s culinary diversity.<\/p>\n
Buffalo may have served as inspiration, but there\u2019s no denying the chicken wings at C\u00e0 Ph\u00ea D\u00e1 and Dang Good Wings in Pilsen take their cue from Vietnam.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted to treat it like Buffalo wings where I dredge it, and then fry it and have a sauce separately and tossing in it,\u201d said Thai Dang, the chef and owner.<\/p>\n
Marinated in fish sauce, sugar, chilies, and garlic, the wings are dredged in cornstarch and rice flour before being fried for the first time. \u201cWhich gives it this really crispy texture on the outside,\u201d Dang said.<\/p>\n
They\u2019re fried a second time to-order, then tossed in a vibrant, lip-smacking sauce of fish sauce, sugar, fresh Thai chilies, garlic, and scallions. A riff on the Buffalo version contains sriracha and Thai chile, balanced by sugar and garlic. Both flavors are dang good.<\/p>\n
Korean fried chicken \u2013 both as sandwiches and wings \u2013 has been the heart of the menu at Crisp in Lakeview the past 18 years. The style is notable for its two-step frying, as well as the saucing options.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do pressure fry at the beginning, so it coats and makes it nice and juicy \u2013 forms a shell \u2013 and then we do a second open fry to really get it crisp, and then it\u2019s infused with some sauce on the outside,\u201d said owner Jae Lee.<\/p>\n
The crispy bird is doused in one of two sauces, finished with sesame seeds and scallions. \u201cSeoul Sassy is a soy-ginger-garlic, more like a sweet soy glaze; Crisp BBQ is based on a gochujang \u2013 it\u2019s a smoky, sweet pepper paste \u2013 so it has that familiar flavor of barbecue sauce but not tomato-based; it\u2019s a little more spicy,\u201d Lee said.<\/p>\n
Up in Albany Park, Great Sea is one of a handful of restaurants still serving Gam Pong chicken wings.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the early 1980s, a lot of ethnically Chinese Koreans moved to Albany Park, and they made this dish that was actually something they made back in Korea, but they noticed that wings in the United States were so cheap, so they said instead of doing the whole chicken, let\u2019s just use wings,\u201d said Monica Eng, co-author of the book “Made in Chicago: Stories Behind 30 Great Hometown Bites.”<\/p>\n
Unlike wings at your favorite bar, these are transformed, thanks to the creators\u2019 ingenuity. \u201cBut it\u2019s kind of messy, so let\u2019s make a little handle by Frenching the wings and making them lollipop wings,\u201d she said. Great Sea also makes a different sauce than its competitor down the street. \u201cMade it spicier, stickier, and sweeter, and they actually sell the sauce here now,\u201d said Eng.<\/p>\n
There are also other options for Korean-style wings in the Chicago area, including Bonchon and CM Chicken, both with multiple locations.<\/p>\n
C\u00e0 Ph\u00ea D\u00e1 \u2013 Dang Good Wings<\/strong><\/p>\n 1800 S. Carpenter St.<\/p>\n 773-999-1800<\/p>\n Crisp<\/strong><\/p>\n 2940 N. Broadway<\/p>\n 773-697-7610<\/p>\n Great Sea Restaurant<\/strong><\/p>\n 3253 W. Lawrence Ave.<\/p>\n 773-478-9129<\/p>\n Bon Chon<\/strong><\/p>\n 9 locations in the Chicago area<\/p>\n CM Chicken<\/strong><\/p>\n 6 locations in the Chicago area<\/p>\n Chicago’s chicken wings may not be as well-known as Buffalo’s, but they’re definitely worth trying. With a variety of flavors and styles to choose from, there’s something for everyone. Whether you’re in the mood for something spicy and sweet or crispy and savory, Chicago’s got you covered.<\/p>\n Q: What is the best way to order chicken wings in Chicago? Q: What is Gam Pong chicken wings? Q: Are there other options for Korean-style wings in Chicago? Chicago’s Best Chicken Wings A Taste of the City’s Diverse Flavors While Buffalo may not have made it to the Super Bowl, you can bet plenty of folks will be diving into that city’s famous wings at parties everywhere this Sunday. But Chicago has its own take on the classic dish, with a variety of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":12796,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-12795","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dining"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/media.nbcchicago.com\/2025\/02\/CHICKEN-WINGS.png?resize=1200%2C675&quality=85&strip=all&w=1200&resize=1200,675&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12795"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12795"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12795\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12797,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12795\/revisions\/12797"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12796"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12795"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12795"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12795"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Conclusion<\/h6>\n
FAQs<\/h6>\n
\nA: Try C\u00e0 Ph\u00ea D\u00e1 \u2013 Dang Good Wings, Crisp, or Great Sea for a unique and delicious take on the classic dish.<\/p>\n
\nA: Gam Pong is a Korean-style dish that originated in the early 1980s in Albany Park. It’s made with marinated wings, crispy fried, and served with a sweet and spicy sauce.<\/p>\n
\nA: Yes, there are several other options, including Bonchon and CM Chicken, both with multiple locations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"