Chicken wings, which at one point in time were an
undesirable part of the bird, have become a prized
menu item – and restaurants across the U.S. will
celebrate that on Saturday: National Chicken Wing
Day.
I know, we just celebrated National Fried Chicken
Day three weeks ago. But back in 1977, the thenmayor
of Buffalo, New York Stan Makowski,
proclaimed July 29 as National Chicken Wing Day,
due to the city's claim as birthplace of the chicken
wing dish known as Buffalo wings.
"Thousands of pounds of chicken wings are
consumed by Buffalonians in restaurants and
taverns throughout the city each week," he said at
the time.
Buffalo's wing fixation helped spread the dish, but the origin story is a bit hazy. Since
then, we've seen the arrival of countless types of wings – honey barbecue, teriyaki,
garlic, ultra-hot – and, of course, boneless "wings."
Chicken wings, which at one point in time were an undesirable part of the bird, have
become a prized menu item – and restaurants across the U.S. will celebrate that on
Saturday: National Chicken Wing Day.
I know, we just celebrated National Fried Chicken Day three weeks ago. But back in
1977, the then-mayor of Buffalo, New York Stan Makowski, proclaimed July 29
as National Chicken Wing Day, due to the city's claim as birthplace of the chicken wing
dish known as Buffalo wings.
"Thousands of pounds of chicken wings are consumed by Buffalonians in restaurants
and taverns throughout the city each week," he said at the time.
Buffalo's wing fixation helped spread the dish, but the origin story is a bit hazy. Since
then, we've seen the arrival of countless types of wings – honey barbecue, teriyaki,
garlic, ultra-hot – and, of course, boneless "wings."
Why do we love chicken wings? "It is the ultimate and tactile finger food," said Bon
Appetit test kitchen director Chris Morocco in a chicken wing cooking video last year.
"The wing is where you get all of the nuance of texture and fattiness and richness and
flavor of an entire chicken but distilled down to its own microcosmic universe."
Here's some National Chicken Wing Day specials to help you get your fill.
Wing It On! Free wings with any purchase on National Chicken Wing Day
On Saturday, when you dine-in at Wing It On! or order online get a free 6-piece order of
wings with any purchase of $5 or more. New on the menu: All wings, sandwiches and
tender combos now come with crinkle-cut fries, a drink, and your choice of buttermilk
ranch or blue cheese dipping sauce.
