Flats vs. Drums: Differences Between the Chicken Cuts

Chicken wing flats, or wingettes, feature a small piece of dark meat held between two thin bones. Flats are the middle section of the chicken wing, completely encased in skin, making for particularly crispy broiled, fried, or baked wings. Chicken flats are a perfect vehicle for a dry rub with Cajun seasoning, garlic powder, or dried herbs, which you can slather in BBQ sauce or spicy buffalo sauce.

A chicken flat is an effortless, efficient bite, though not as easy to eat as boneless wings or chicken nuggets.

Chicken drums, also known as drummies or drumettes, resemble smaller versions of the drumsticks from the chicken legs. Chicken drums are the uppermost parts of the chicken wing, and while they can contain more meat overall, they also feature large amounts of cartilage around the joint ends.

Drums are ideal for dipping, thanks to the easy-to-grip large center bone.

Whether your go-to gameday order of hot wings is all flats, all drums, or a generous order of whole chicken wings—wingtips and all—either cut comes with its pros and cons. Here are the distinguishing differences in the great chicken wing debate:

1. 1. Amount of meat: Flats contain less meat than drums, but it is easier to remove from the bones, thanks to the lack of cartilage.
2. 2. Dipping ability: The winning attribute for those who prefer drums is the ease with which they can dip it into a cup of ranch dressing or blue cheese wing sauce. You can hold them with one hand for easy snacking, while flats are typically a two-hand operation (unless you can grip them at one end and eat the whole wing in one go).
3. 3. Size: Chicken drums are larger than flats, with all the meat (and cartilage) concentrated on one end.

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