I tried Buffalo wings from 5 major chain restaurants and ranked them from worst to best

My least favorite Buffalo wings came from TGI Fridays.

I ordered an eight-count of bone-in traditional Buffalo wings at the restaurant I visited in Massachusetts.

They cost $12.19, excluding taxes and fees, and came with celery sticks and sides of ranch and blue cheese.

The wings were crispy but a little under-sauced.

Unlike some of the other chains I tried, TGI Fridays also doesn't appear to make its own Buffalo sauce.

On the menu, it's advertised as simply Frank's Red Hot Buffalo. While I do like that brand of sauce, I could easily make the same wings at home, which made it feel less unique.

I also thought they were slightly smaller than some of the other wings I tried.

The meat inside was tender, but the Buffalo flavor just wasn't there for me.

Though I liked the crispy skin and texture of these chicken wings, as well as the tender meat inside, I thought they were lacking in sauce and flavor.

Overall, I probably wouldn't order these again.

The next stop I tried was Applebee's.

At my local Applebee's in Brooklyn, an order of nine classic bone-in wings costs $14.29, excluding tax and fees. They came with celery sticks and sides of ranch and blue cheese.

The wings were super crispy and the largest out of all that I tried.

The wings were a rich red-brown color and fried to a crisp.

The wings were juicy, and the sauce had a good buttery flavor.

The Buffalo sauce had a nice balance between the heat and the more savory, buttery flavor, resulting in a well-rounded bite. I thought the meat inside was pretty juicy, and I loved the sheer size of these wings.

However, I thought the wings could have been a touch spicier.

Chili's landed squarely in the middle with its crispy Buffalo wings.

At my local Chili's in New York, an eight-count of bone-in Buffalo wings cost $15.49, excluding tax and fees. They came with two dipping sauces: ranch and blue cheese.

I thought these wings were flavorful and juicy.

I've tried these wings before and commented that they could have been slightly saucier and crispier. However, when I tried them this time, I didn't feel the same — they were perfectly crispy and almost dripping in sauce.

The wings had a generous amount of meat inside.

The Buffalo sauce had a strong buttery flavor with just the right amount of heat. The chain is also known for its ranch dipping sauce, which I thought paired very nicely with the wings.

Though the wings were smaller, I thought they packed more flavor than the ones from Applebee's and TGI Fridays.

My second-favorite Buffalo wings came from Buffalo Wild Wings.

The chain's Buffalo bone-in wings are arguably Buffalo Wild Wings' most famous menu item, so I was eager to see how they would compare to other chain restaurants' wings. I certainly wasn't disappointed.

A six-count of traditional Buffalo wings cost $15.99, excluding tax and fees, and a side of ranch.

The wings were small lengthwise but had a lot of meat.

The wings were crispy and had a light coating of Buffalo sauce that covered every part of the wings.

There was a selection of both drumsticks and flats, but I noticed that the drums were particularly meaty.

I loved the flavor of the Buffalo sauce and thought the chicken meat was moist.

The chicken meat inside the wing was moist and tender, and the crispy skin and slightly sweet, just-spicy-enough sauce added a lot of flavor. Overall, these were really solid Buffalo wings.

I also thought these wings were good value for the cost and would definitely order them again.

My favorite wings I tried were from Wingstop.

I ordered 10 classic bone-in wings for $21.19, excluding tax and fees.

Wingstop doesn't offer Buffalo sauce on its menu, but it does have its Original Hot sauce, which is the chain's version of Buffalo. I ordered them with a side of ranch.

While Wingstop also sells boneless wings, tenders, and chicken sandwiches, its senior director of culinary, Larry Bellah, told Business Insider that bone-in traditional wings remain the chain's most popular item.

He added that the Original Hot flavor ranks among its top five sauces.

The wings came drenched in the bright-red sauce but were still supremely crispy.

The sticky sauce clung to my fingers as I ate these wings, which were the perfect size: not too big, not too small, and just the right amount of tender chicken meat.

The meat was tender, and the spicy hot sauce blew me away.

The sauce had a lot of levels, balancing between a strong vinegar flavor, to buttery, and topped off with a layer of spice that was slightly smoky yet not overpowering.

The Wingstop wings stood out as the spiciest among all the chains I tried. However, the heat didn't overpower the flavor — instead, it enhanced it.

Each element, from the crispy seasoned skin to the tangy undertones of the sauce, came through distinctly. These wings balanced bold, spicy flavor with a depth of taste, making them the best chain-restaurant Buffalo wings I tried.

The chain also delivered on value. Even though the wings were the most expensive I tried, the 10-count made each wing come out to around $2.12 per wing, which was slightly cheaper than the cost per wing at Buffalo Wild Wings.