the world of buffalo wings

what are buffalo wings?

A Buffalo wing in American cuisine is an unbreaded chicken wing section (flat or drumette) that is generally deep-fried, then coated or dipped in a sauce consisting of a vinegar-based cayenne pepper hot sauce and melted butter prior to serving. They are traditionally served hot, along with celery sticks and carrot sticks, and a dip of blue cheese dressing or, primarily outside of New York, ranch dressing. Buffalo wings are named for Buffalo, New York, where they were invented, and have no relation to the animal. They are often called simply chicken wings, hot wings, or just wings.

Buffalo wings have gained in popularity in the United States and abroad, with some North American restaurant chains featuring them as a main menu item. The name "Buffalo" is now also applied to other spiced fried foods served with dipping sauces, including boneless chicken wings (made from chicken breast meat rather than a chicken wing), chicken fries, chicken nuggets, popcorn chicken, shrimp, and cauliflower. It is also used for other dishes, such as pizza, that are seasoned with the Buffalo-style sauce or a seasoning.

a brief history of buffalo wings

the famous anchor bar

Deep-fried chicken wings have long been a staple of Southern cooking. But the concept of cooking wings in peppery hot sauce was born in 1964 at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York, when co-owner Teressa Bellissimo cooked leftover wings in hot sauce as a late-night snack for her son and his friends. The guys liked them so much that the Bellissimos put them on the menu the next day. Served with celery slices and bleu cheese sauce, “Buffalo Wings” were an instant hit.

Dick Winger, who sold hot sauce to the bar, went on the road with Dominic Bellissimo, the owners’ son, to promote the item and sell hot sauce, and the item gradually caught on with restaurant operators around the country. The concept hit the big time in 1990, when McDonald’s began selling Mighty Wings at some of its restaurants. KFC rolled out Hot Wings a year later, and Domino’s Pizza introduced its own wings in 1994. They’ve remained hot ever since. McDonald’s was back in the wing business in 2013, and its Mighty Wings were featured nationwide at most restaurants through the first quarter of 2014.

john young's wings

Another claim is that John Young, who moved to Buffalo from Stockton, Alabama in 1948 at the age of 13, popularized chicken wings in Buffalo. Beginning in 1961, he began serving uncut chicken wings that were breaded, deep fried, and served in his own special tomato-based Mumbo sauce at his Buffalo restaurant. Prior to opening his restaurant, he had a conversation with a boxer who traveled; in a later interview Young recalled: "He told me that there was a restaurant in Washington, D.C. that was doing a good business with wings and I decided to specialize."

In the same interview Young stated that the Anchor Bar did not offer Buffalo wings as a regular menu item until 1974. He registered the name of his restaurant, John Young's Wings 'n Things, at the county courthouse before leaving the Buffalo area in 1970. In 2013, at the National Buffalo Wing Festival held in Buffalo, John Young's contributions were acknowledged when he was inducted into the festival's National Buffalo Wing Hall of Flame.

In 1977, the city of Buffalo issued an official proclamation celebrating Anchor Bar co-owner Frank Bellissimo and declared July 29, 1977, to be Chicken Wing Day. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s Buffalo wings gained in popularity as a bar food and appetizer across the United States and Canada. Large franchises specializing in Buffalo wings have emerged, notably Buffalo Wild Wings founded in 1982 and Hooters in 1983. McDonald's began selling Mighty Wings as an option in 1990 at their restaurant locations in the United States. In 1994, following four Super Bowl appearances by the Buffalo Bills football team, the Domino's pizza chain added Buffalo wings to their national menu, followed by Pizza Hut the next year.

variations of the buffalo wing

The first flavor that comes to mind when you think of chicken wings might be Buffalo — and it's a classic for a reason. But there are plenty of other sauces and rubs to try, whether you're baking your wings, frying them, or even grilling them. Smoked chicken wings with ranch dressing; crispy garlic-glazed chicken wings; limoncello-marinated chicken wings with pepperoni sauce (pepperoni! sauce!). With more than 30 chicken wings to choose from, you're sure to taste a few new favorites.

crispy chicken wings

All you'll need are your split wings, all-purpose flour, good old salt and pepper, and a fair amount of oil for frying.

classic buffalo wings

There’s no substitute for a classic Buffalo wing when it comes to snacking while watching a game or relaxing on a weekend afternoon. These wings are fried, then tossed in a buttery hot sauce and served with blue cheese dipping sauce and celery. The tangy blue cheese dressing is the perfect counterpart to the wings. If you like extra-crispy wings, fry them for an extra minute or two. And if you have an air fryer, cook the wings skin-side up to keep the skin as crispy as possible.

lemon pepper chicken wings with hot honey glaze

Hot, sweet, crispy, and buttery, these wings are certain to become your next go-to snack recipe. They're tossed with lemon pepper seasoning, cooked until crispy in an air fryer, and coated with a buttery hot honey glaze. A garnish of cilantro adds color and more brightness to the dish.

adobo chicken wings

"This dish is fully inspired by my dad," says chef Anna Swann. "His family's chicken adobo is the first Filipino dish he taught me how to make when I first started getting into cooking." Her adobo wings are flavored to the bone thanks to a stint in an umami-rich soy sauce and vinegar marinade.

crispy garlic-glazed wings

At Anan Saigon, in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, chef Peter Cuong Franklin serves next-level chicken wings that are at once sticky-sweet and explosively umami. Baked then stir-fried in a mixture of fish sauce, lime juice, and soy sauce, the wings get finished with crunchy fried garlic and fresh scallions.

sticky baked chicken wings

For the ultimate game day snack, chef Matt Jennings tosses chicken wings that he bakes in the oven (instead of deep-frying) in a spicy glaze made with gochujang, the Korean red pepper paste.

in conclusion

As the market for chicken wings expanded, restaurants began to create and use a variety of sauces in addition to buffalo sauce. Some of these new chicken wing sauces were influenced by Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Caribbean, and Indian cuisines. Other flavors created by restaurants include unique combinations, such as Blueberry BBQ Wing Sauce and Maple/Bacon Glaze for example, to help keep customer interest and grow their businesses.

After the price of raw wings increased, and with a growing desire by some diners for a neater eating experience, restaurants began to offer a menu item called "boneless wings," sometimes marketed under the name "wyngz". Boneless wings are essentially small pieces of skinless, boneless chicken breast that are coated in flour and spices, then fried or baked, like a chicken nugget. They are usually coated in or served with the same sauces as Buffalo wings. The growing popularity in recent years of Buffalo wing consumption, and of restaurants serving wings, have led to actual and perceived shortages of chicken wings in the United States during certain times.

In many areas of the United States, chicken wing festivals are held—with Buffalo wings being used in competitive eating events such as at Philadelphia's Wing Bowl and the National Buffalo Wing Festival. It has also become commonplace for restaurants to offer a wing-eating contest. Many bars and restaurants intentionally create an extra-hot sauce for this purpose, and customers are sometimes rewarded with their picture posted on the restaurant's wall or website, a commemorative T-shirt, a free meal or a combination of rewards for successfully completing the challenge.

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