Ranch or blue cheese: Chicken wings only want this dipping sauce

Chicken wings and their dipping sauces can cause a huge debate, ranch or blue cheese. Only one dipping sauce is the right one for wings.

Chicken wings and a dipping sauce always seem to be paired together. From spicy wings to sweet and tangy, those wings always seem to come with a little jar of sauce. But, is that the right sauce? Only one sauce is the favorite dipping sauce for chicken wings.

Ranch or blue cheese is the sauce debate at hand. Before answering the sauce debate question, the sauces are definitely not alike. Blue cheese can be quite pungent. For many people, this sauce is either a love or a hate. Usually, there is no middle ground.

Chicken wings, photo provided by Hooters

As for ranch, it is the more common sauce. While not just used with wings, ranch seems to be a condiment for almost anything. From burgers to salads, who doesn’t have a bottle of ranch in the refrigerator?

Back to the question, which dipping sauce is the one that you should put on chicken wings? According to a GrubHub survey, “ranch dressing is five times more popular in chicken wing orders than blue cheese.” The answer is clear; ranch is the better choice.

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While it is clear that ranch is preferred, the “why” isn’t provided. It could be that ranch is just more familiar, common or a more approachable flavor. The sauce’s versatility does bring with it a wide appeal.

Also, ranch does seem to play off a variety of flavors better than blue cheese. Ranch can cool down the intensely hot wings or balance sweet wing. Even with wings that are just pedestrian, ranch can be that boost of flavor.

As for blue cheese, that flavor is very divisive. Even cheese lovers can’t all agree on blue cheese. Even in a sauce form, the blue cheese pungent level varies. That variable could keep people away from ordering it.

Are you part of the chicken wings dipping sauce majority or minority? Ranch, blue cheese or none of the above. As long as I get my traditional, spicy chicken wing, I don’t care what type of sauce comes with it.