the base tool for both is Curve SOP or you can work with any curve in houdini then to make wire from it you can either sweep circle along it and skin it or use PolyWire SOP or Wireframe SOP
for chain you will probably need Resample SOP and Copy SOP
There is also a chain example in the Houdini Docs that uses RBDs and constraints. Do a search in the HBrowser for chain and it's the first one that comes up. This is for dynamics, if you're interested.
Francisco Rodriguez Effects Animator | Walt Disney Animation Studios