Zaxby’s is a popular fast food restaurant chain known for its chicken wings, chicken fingers, and signature sauces. One of their most popular menu items is the Wings & Things combo, which includes traditional or boneless wings, Zaxby’s signature Texas Toast, crinkle fries or fried cheese curds and a 22 oz drink. With so many options to customize your Wings & Things combo, the total calorie count can vary significantly depending on your choices.
In this article, we will provide a detailed breakdown of the calorie count for each component of a traditional Zaxby’s Wings & Things combo. We will look at the calorie counts for traditional wings with different sauce options, Texas Toast, crinkle fries and fried cheese curds. We will also consider drink options and provide some tips for lowering the calorie count of your Wings & Things order. Read on to learn everything you need to know about the calories in Zaxby’s Wings & Things.
Calories in Zaxby’s Wings
The main component of any Wings & Things order is the chicken wings. Zaxby’s offers both traditional bone-in wings and boneless wings tossed in your choice of 9 signature sauces.
Traditional Bone-In Wings
Zaxby’s traditional wings come in orders of 5, 10 or 20 wings. Here are the nutrition facts for Zaxby’s traditional chicken wings:
| Serving Size | Calories | Fat (g) | Carbs (g) | Protein (g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 wings | 370 | 28 | 0 | 28 |
| 10 wings | 740 | 56 | 0 | 56 |
| 20 wings | 1480 | 112 | 0 | 112 |
As you can see, traditional bone-in wings are high in fat and calories without any carbs or sugar. A 5 wing serving has 370 calories, while a 10 wing serving contains 740 calories. So if you order the traditional Wings & Things combo with 10 bone-in wings, just the wings alone will already account for 740 calories.
Boneless Wings
For a slightly lower calorie option, you can order your Wings & Things with boneless wings instead of traditional wings. Here are the nutrition facts for Zaxby’s boneless wings:
| Serving Size | Calories | Fat (g) | Carbs (g) | Protein (g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 wings | 340 | 24 | 15 | 22 |
| 10 wings | 680 | 48 | 30 | 44 |
| 20 wings | 1360 | 96 | 60 | 88 |
A 5 piece boneless wing order has 340 calories, while a 10 piece order has 680 calories. So opting for boneless over traditional wings will save you about 60 calories for a 5 wing serving and 60 calories for a 10 wing serving.
Sauces
The sauce you choose for your wings can also impact the total calorie count. Zaxby’s offers the following wing sauces:
- Hot Honey Mustard: 60 calories per sauce cup
- Garlic Parmesan: 130 calories per sauce cup
- Asian Zing: 90 calories per sauce cup
- Homestyle BBQ: 140 calories per sauce cup
- Spicy Cajun: 0 calories per sauce cup
- Mild: 0 calories per sauce cup
- Hot: 0 calories per sauce cup
- Insane: 0 calories per sauce cup
- Nuclear: 0 calories per sauce cup
The calorie counts refer to a single 2 oz dipping cup of sauce. If you order multiple flavors or extra sauce, the calories will add up quickly. Your best lower calorie sauce options are the Spicy Cajun, Mild, Hot, Insane, and Nuclear flavors since they have 0 calories per cup.
Calories in Texas Toast
Every Wings & Things combo comes with an order of Zaxby’s signature Texas Toast. This thick sliced Texas-style toast is crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.
Here are the nutrition facts for Zaxby’s Texas Toast:
| Serving Size | Calories | Fat (g) | Carbs (g) | Protein (g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 slice (34g) | 140 | 2.5 | 24 | 3 |
| 2 slices (68g) | 280 | 5 | 48 | 6 |
A single slice of Texas Toast has 140 calories, 2.5g of fat, 24g of carbs, and 3g of protein. The Wings & Things combo comes with 2 slices, so that’s 280 calories just for the Texas Toast.
Calories in Crinkle Fries vs. Cheese Curds
Your Wings & Things order includes a choice of crinkle cut fries or fried cheese curds as a side. Here is how these two options compare calorie-wise:
Crinkle Fries
| Serving Size | Calories | Fat (g) | Carbs (g) | Protein (g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small | 370 | 19 | 41 | 3 |
| Medium | 550 | 28 | 61 | 5 |
| Large | 740 | 38 | 82 | 6 |
A small order of crinkle fries has 370 calories, while a medium has 550 calories and a large has 740. The Wings & Things combo comes with a medium fry, so the crinkle fries will add 550 calories to your total.
Fried Cheese Curds
| Serving Size | Calories | Fat (g) | Carbs (g) | Protein (g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small | 670 | 43 | 31 | 21 |
| Medium | 1000 | 65 | 47 | 31 |
| Large | 1330 | 86 | 62 | 41 |
The fried cheese curds have significantly higher calorie counts, with a small order clocking in at 670 calories and a medium order having 1000 calories. Since the Wings & Things combo includes a medium cheese curd order, choosing this side will add 1000 calories to your meal.
Drink Calories
Your Wings & Things meal includes a 22 oz fountain drink. Zaxby’s offers a variety of zero calorie diet soda options, as well as higher calorie regular sodas, juices, lemonade and iced tea.
Here are the calorie counts for a 22 oz drink from Zaxby’s:
- Diet/Zero Calorie Soda: 0 calories
- Regular Soda (Coke, Sprite, etc): 240-280 calories
- Sweet Tea: 280 calories
- Unsweetened Tea: 0 calories
- Lemonade: 220-250 calories
- Juice: 210-260 calories
Choosing a diet soda or unsweetened tea will allow you to avoid adding drink calories to your Wings & Things combo. However, a 22 oz sweet tea, regular soda or lemonade can add over 220 calories to your total calorie count.
Putting It All Together
Now that we’ve looked at the calorie count for each component, let’s put it all together to see the total calories in a Zaxby’s Wings & Things meal.
Here is an example combo with moderate calorie options:
- 10 Boneless Wings with Homestyle BBQ Sauce: 740 calories
- 2 Slices Texas Toast: 280 calories
- Medium Crinkle Fries: 550 calories
- 22 oz Diet Soda: 0 calories
Total Calories: 1,570
And here is an example of a higher calorie Wings & Things order:
- 10 Traditional Wings with Garlic Parmesan Sauce: 900 calories
- 2 Slices Texas Toast: 280 calories
- Medium Cheese Curds: 1000 calories
- 22 oz Sweet Tea: 280 calories
Total Calories: 2,460
As you can see, customizing your sauces, sides and drink can make a big difference in the total calorie count! Choosing boneless over traditional wings, crinkle fries over cheese curds, diet soda over sweet tea, and lighter sauces like the BBQ can cut hundreds of calories from your Wings & Things meal.
Tips for Lowering Calories
Here are some tips to reduce the calorie count if you want to enjoy Zaxby’s Wings & Things without going overboard on calories:
- Choose boneless wings instead of traditional wings to cut about 60 calories per 5 wings
- Opt for lighter sauces like Homestyle BBQ, Spicy Cajun, Mild, Hot, Insane or Nuclear to avoid added sauce calories
- Go for crinkle fries instead of fried cheese curds to save 450 calories with a medium order
- Select a diet soda, unsweetened tea or water instead of high calorie sweet tea, juices or lemonade
- Downsize the fry portion from medium to small to cut 180 calories
- Order a 5 or 10 wing plate instead of 20 wings to reduce overall calories
- Share your Texas Toast with a friend to halve the calories
Using these simple tricks can easily save you 400-600 calories compared to higher calorie options. This allows you to enjoy the delicious flavors of Wings & Things while maintaining your daily calorie goals.
Conclusion
Zaxby’s Wings & Things can range anywhere from around 1,200 calories for more moderate options up to over 2,400 calories for higher calorie selections. But with some simple substitutions like boneless wings, lighter sauces, diet soda and crinkle fries instead of cheese curds, you can bring the total down to a more reasonable range.
At the end of the day, it all comes down to customizing your order to suit your own calorie needs and goals. Zaxby’s offers a huge variety of flavors and options, so you can find ways to work Wings & Things into your diet if you make smart choices with your order. Just be mindful of the extra calories that sauces, fried sides, and sugary drinks can add.
