The chicken sandwich may have won 2019, but the chicken wing will still reign supreme over the big game in 2020. The National Chicken Council (NCC) released its annual Chicken Wing Report, projecting Americans to consume a record-breaking 1.4 billion chicken wings during Super Bowl LIV weekend.

Americans’ love for wings only continues to grow. This year’s wing consumption estimate is a two percent increase over 2019, meaning Americans will eat 27 million more wings during this year’s big game weekend versus last year’s. To put that in perspective, if Kansas City Chiefs’ coach Andy Reid ate three wings per minute, it would take him about 900 years to eat 1.4 billion wings.

More ways to visualize 1.4 billion chicken wings…

  • Every player in the NFL, including the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs, would have to consume 825,000 wings each to reach 1.4 billion
  • 175 million pounds of wings weighs 1,500 times as much as the entire 49ers team and three of their team buses
  • 1.4 billion wings could circle the circumference of the Earth 3 times
  • 1.4 billion wings are enough to give every attendee of every Super Bowl since 1967 each 342 wings
  • 1.4 billion wings laid end to end would stretch the entire Florida coastline, home of Super Bowl LIV, more than 9 times
  • If each of the 1.4 billion wings were counted as one second, they would equal about 45 years

To get a better idea of just how much Americans love their chicken wings, NCC asked wing-eaters from around the nation to tell us a little bit more about how they “wing it.” Turns out roughly two thirds of Americans (65%) who eat chicken wings, claim they like to do so while watching a major sporting event like the Super Bowl. Half (51%) claim that they believe chicken wings should be the official food of the Super Bowl.

“Football is great. Wings are great. But they’re even better together,” said Council spokesman Tom Super. “Sure, you can have your chips, your guacamole, your pizza. But when it comes to Super Bowl menus, wings rule the roost. So grab a wet nap, dive in and help put a dent in that 1.4 billion.” 

Source: NCC