Judge Says Boneless Wings Does Not Mean Wings

A federal judge in Chicago dismissed a lawsuit this week claiming Buffalo Wild Wings misled customers by selling “boneless wings” made from chicken breast meat instead of actual wing meat. The court ruled that the phrase does not have to mean wings in a literal sense, saying it has become a common menu description across the restaurant industry and that a reasonable customer should not assume it refers to deboned chicken wings.

The lawsuit was filed in March 2023 by Illinois customer Aimen Halim after he bought boneless wings at a Buffalo Wild Wings location in Mt. Prospect and later learned they were made from breast meat. He argued the name implies dark wing meat and sued under Illinois consumer fraud law while seeking class action status. U.S. District Judge John J. Tharp Jr. rejected that argument, though he allowed a short window for an amended complaint.

The ruling also highlights a broader industry practice. Many national chains and food manufacturers sell “boneless wings” that are essentially breaded and sauced pieces of chicken breast, not wing meat. Restaurants ranging from sports bars to fast food chains use the same labeling, and frozen food brands in grocery stores do as well. The product is typically shaped, breaded, and flavored to resemble traditional wings, even though it comes from a different part of the chicken.

In other words, Buffalo Wild Wings is far from alone. The judge’s decision effectively acknowledges that “boneless wings” has become a category name rather than a literal description of the cut of meat, similar to how nuggets, tenders, or popcorn chicken are marketed without reference to a specific anatomical part.

That leaves a simple question at the center of the debate. When someone hears the words boneless wings, do you think they mean wings?