Chicken wings

Buffalo wings

A bowl of hot Buffalo wings
Alternative names	Buffalo chicken wings Chicken wings
Course	Appetizer, main course
Place of origin	United States
Region or state	Buffalo New York
Creator	Teressa and Frank Bellissimo
Main ingredients	Chicken, cayenne pepper hot sauce, butter

Buffalo chicken wings

A Buffalo wing or chicken wing in the cuisine of the United States is a chicken wing section (flapper or drumette) that is generally deep-fried, unbreaded, and coated in vinegar-based cayenne pepper hot sauce and butter. They are traditionally served hot, along with celery sticks and/or carrot sticks with blue cheese for dipping. The Buffalo wing was invented in 1964 at Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York.

Cayenne pepper, hot sauce and melted butter or margarine are the basis of the sauce, which may be mild, medium, or hot. Typically, the wings are deep-fried in oil (although they are sometimes grilled or baked) until they are well browned. They are then drained, mixed with sauce, and shaken to coat the wings, completely covering them in the sauce.

There are several different claims about how Buffalo wings were invented.

One of the more prevalent claims is that Buffalo wings were first prepared at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York, by Teressa Bellissimo, who owned the bar with husband Frank. Several versions of the story have been circulated by the Bellissimo family and others:

However, a long article about the Anchor Bar in a local newspaper in 1969 does not mention Buffalo wings.

Another claim is that a man named John Young served chicken wings in a special "mambo sauce" at his Buffalo restaurant in the mid-1960s. His wings were breaded. Young had registered the name of his restaurant, John Young's Wings 'n Things, at the county courthouse before leaving Buffalo in 1970.