National Chicken Wing Day Date in the current year: July 29, 2024

Fried chicken wing dishes exist in many cuisines, but in the United States chicken wings are almost always synonymous with Buffalo wings, a dish of deep-fried unbreaded and unbattered chicken wings coated in a mixture of cayenne pepper hot sauce, vinegar and melted butter and served with dipping sauces, usually along with carrot or celery sticks.

There are multiple origin stories for Buffalo wings, but most of them agree that the dish originated in Buffalo, New York sometime in the early 1960s. Several popular versions credit the invention of Buffalo wings to Teresa Bellissimo, the owner of the Anchor Bar on Main Street in Buffalo. She first served the dish in her bar in 1964.

According to another claim, Buffalo wings were invented by John Young in 1961. In his version of the dish, chicken wings were breaded before deep frying and served in tomato-based mambo sauce. Although it is Teresa Bellissimo who is typically regarded as the inventor of Buffalo wings as we know them, John Young was inducted into the National Buffalo Wing Hall of Flame for his role as a chicken wing pioneer.

Buffalo wings became a popular appetizer and bar food across the United States and Canada during the 1970s and 1980s, leading to the emergence of entire franchises specializing in chicken wings and sauces that go with them, such as Buffalo Wild Wings and Hooters. Chicken wings can be served with various dipping sauces including blue cheese dressing, ranch dressing, plum sauce, sweet and sour sauce, etc.

Buffalo wings became so popular that people started to apply the name “Buffalo” to other fried foods seasoned with the Buffalo-style sauce, including chicken nuggets, chicken tenders, popcorn chicken, nachos, and even pizza.

The origin of many food days observed in the United States is unclear, but National Chicken Wing Day is an exception. This holiday was proclaimed in 1977 by Stanley M. Makowski, the then mayor of Buffalo, to celebrate his city’s signature dish.

On July 29, restaurants across the United States offer discounts and promotions on chicken wings, so don’t miss out! Go out to your favorite restaurant and enjoy some chicken wings with your friends because everything tastes better when shared with people you love. Or you can stay at home, cook some chicken wings yourself, and serve them to your family with an assortment of dipping sauces and some veggies to balance out the fat and spice.

And don’t forget to snap a picture of your portion of chicken wings before eating and post it on social media with the hashtag #NationalChickenWingDay to spread the word about the holiday and encourage others to treat themselves.

Another celebration of Buffalo wings is the annual National Buffalo Wing Festival that has been held in Orchard Park, New York every Labor Day weekend since 2003. The only exception was 2020, when the festival was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.