Review: Cup Noodles Debuts 3 New Chicken Wing Flavors But There's Not Much To Get Excited About

Historically, January is the month that football fans love because of the playoffs leading up to the big event: The Super Bowl. That means we're prepping lots of Super Bowl snack and recipe ideas, one popular dish being buffalo wings. They're the type of grub that's kind of messy and requires napkins, moist towelettes, and, depending on how saucy, a bib. Nissin Cup Noodles knows the struggle is real and has created a few new Walmart-exclusive ramen noodle wing flavors: Spicy Buffalo with Ranch, Lemon Pepper, and Garlic Parmesan.

According to Nissin, this wings trio will run you $1.18 per cup, and you can pre-order them starting on January 14. Direct online purchasing begins on January 21, with in-store availability later in the month.

The brand has created some questionable flavored soups in the past, like these Nissin Cup Noodles with caffeine or Cup Noodles limited-edition Thanksgiving-inspired flavors. So do the company's latest offerings make for a slurpable snack worthy of the Super Bowl? Let's find out.

I think Nissin tried to be too on-the-nose with the Cup Noodles Buffalo Ranch Wings flavor. Unfortunately, even with the brand's best intentions, it becomes a one-note offering. As with many of its spicy chicken-flavored products, the spice overpowers everything, leaving you with a hot mouth thanks to the generous amounts of chili pepper. You might think the addition of ranch would counterbalance some of that heat, but there isn't enough in there to assist. I couldn't taste any of the ranch in my serving, and I mixed it up pretty well. What you do get is something like hot, spicy vinegar in noodles with bits of textured soy protein, which is probably there to mimic chicken, but it's too chewy to fool you. This offering has 1,180 milligrams of sodium per cup.

What I did like was the heat. It wasn't too spicy, but it did make my nose run. It was my least favorite of the limited-edition flavors, partly because I couldn't taste the ranch but mostly because it didn't live up to its promise of the classic wing combo.

Full of garlic flavor with a hint of parmesan, this Cup Noodles offering (1,130 milligrams of sodium per cup) promises the ingredients listed in order on the label. In other words, if you don't mind bad breath from a whole lot of garlic, this version isn't going to bother you. In fact, it tastes pretty good. Unfortunately, Nissin's mission to deliver chicken wings in the form of ramen doesn't quite stick the landing. Wings are dense with meat, which, when baked or fried in sauce, should result in a crispy skin and juicy interior that's flavorfully synergetic.

Trying to replicate this fusion in liquid form, especially with wet noodles, reduces its crave quotient. The garlic and parmesan do come through, and it's not bad, but the chicken wings aspect doesn't shine. As a standalone product where chicken is not a factor, this might work. But on game night, it's a pass.  

Nissin's Cup Noodles Lemon Pepper Wings flavor is the best of the three limited-edition options I tried. It has 1,230 milligrams of sodium per serving. Although nothing here tastes like chicken wings, the ramen noodles have a citrus tang and peppery aftertaste that pair well together. More mild than either the Buffalo Ranch or Garlic Parmesan cups, the Lemon Pepper version is almost refreshing in a savory kind of way. The zestiness of lemon was front and center on the first bite, and when the pepper snuck in on the back end, it was a great mix. However, just like the rest of Nissin's limited edition Wings set, the chicken just doesn't come through. I really looked for it too, sometimes slurping the noodles to allow my nose to put its olfactory receptors to work.

Others have nailed the chicken flavoring in their noodles, Nissin included. When brands try to do too much by adding in things like red pepper, garlic, or these dill pickle-flavored Cup Noodles, however, the chicken becomes the supporting player. For a product that attempts to mimic the flavor profile of chicken wings, it's underwhelming when that meatiness is noticeably absent from the final product.

I love ramen noodles, and there are some good and affordable choices out in the marketplace. Although most are loaded with sodium, they make great snacks in moderation. Nissin's regular Cup Noodles rank among the best instant ramen brands, but when the company tries to get creative (we're looking at you, pancake breakfast-flavored Cup Noodles), it often falls short.

For this taste test, Nissin sent me its limited-edition Wings cups in three flavors: Garlic Parmesan, Lemon Pepper, and Spicy Buffalo with Ranch. I prepared them using the microwave according to the label with one small adjustment. The instructions recommend letting the noodles sit for one minute right out of the microwave. This is probably for safety reasons, but I let mine settle longer to ensure the spices dissolved and the vegetables had time to rehydrate. It also allowed the noodles to absorb some of the broth, making them hardy and robust. 

I reviewed the product based on the flavors outlined on the label, while keeping in mind that these cups are meant to mimic chicken wings. If the poultry flavor wasn't noticeably present, I ranked them according to the secondary profile, which in this case was buffalo ranch, garlic parmesan, and lemon pepper.