Hot wings

Buffalo wings

Buffalo wings with blue cheese dressing
Alternative names	Buffalo chicken wings Chicken wings Wings Hot wings
Course	Appetizer Main course
Place of origin	United States
Region or state	Buffalo, New York
Created by	Teressa Bellissimo
Main ingredients	Chicken wing Cayenne pepper hot sauce Butter

A Buffalo wing, sometimes simply called a chicken wing in the cuisine of the United States, is an unbreaded chicken wing section (flat or drumette) that is generally deep-fried then coated in a sauce consisting of a vinegar-based cayenne pepper hot sauce and melted butter prior to serving. The Buffalo wing was invented in 1964 at Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York by Teressa Bellissimo. They are generally served hot, along with celery sticks and/or carrot sticks with blue cheese for dipping.

Buffalo wings have gained in popularity in the United States and abroad through the years with a number of North American restaurant chains featuring them as a main menu item. Currently, the appellation "Buffalo" is also now commonly applied to foods other than wings. Some of these include chicken fingers, chicken fries, chicken nuggets, popcorn chicken, shrimp, and pizza along with a host of other items that are seasoned with the Buffalo-style sauce or a Buffalo flavor seasoning.

There are several different claims about the invention of Buffalo wings. One of the 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 in 1964. At the time chicken wings were inexpensive and undesirable primarily being used for or soup.

Several versions of the story of the invention of the Buffalo wing have been circulated by the Bellissimo family and others including:

However, a while long article about the Anchor Bar in a local newspaper in 1969 does not mention Buffalo wings, a local long term competitor of the Anchor Bar began selling Buffalo wings in that year.

In 1977 the city of Buffalo issued an official proclamation celebrating Anchor Bar co-owner Frank Bellissimo 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 Hooter's in 1983.McDonald's began selling Mighty Wings as an optional item 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.