This week’s article arrives HOT OFF THE PRESS and JUST IN TIME to help all of you www.ribbqnews.com Readers in celebrating NATIONAL CHICKEN WING DAY ON JULY 29TH!!! Commemorated annually, Americans have been gobbling up chicken wings by the boat-load since its inception. “Whether you like them hot and spicy, sticky and sweet, or just served Plain Jane- AS IS,” … or whether you like them served with Blue Cheese Dressing, Plum Sauce, BBQ Sauce, Honey Mustard Sauce, Teriyaki Sauce, or ANY LEVEL of Hot Sauce and accompanied by carrot and celery sticks, “CHICKEN WINGS have to be the MOST versatile protein on the planet!” states www.nationalchickenwingday.com You may subscribe to their website for free, to receive “Reminders of Upcoming Chicken Wing Celebrations!”
There is LITERALLY an “Official National Chicken Wing Day Countdown” calendar on the www.nationalchickenwingday.com website…As of this article’s submission, the Countdown Clock Reads:
4 DAYS, 2 HOURS, and 40 MINUTES until #NationalChickenWingDay !!!
The average person can consume about a dozen wings per sitting, according to www.sparklemarkets.com The World Record for eating chicken wings is 501 wings consumed in 30 minutes, set at the 2018 “Wing Bowl: The Championship of Wing Eating!” by Molly Schuyler! After a hiatus since 2018, The Wing Bowl is set to return on February 7th, 2026 hosted in Las Vegas at The Plaza Hotel & Casino. Americans are more likely to prefer eating bone-in traditional chicken wings by a margin of 53% vs “Boneless” chicken wings, and french fries are by far the most popular side dish to accompany chicken wings, receiving 72% of the vote of preference with celery ranking a distant second with 14% of the preferred vote, with the remaining 14% divided among side dishes such as onion rings, carrot sticks, and tater tots; according to The National Chicken Council www.nationalchickencouncil.org With upwards of 29 BILLION chicken wings consumed annually, in the United States, that’s over 100 MILLION POUNDS of wings eaten! “To give you some idea of what that looks like, picture the chicken wings laid out end-to-end—they would CIRCLE THE PERIMETER OF THE EARTH NOT ONCE, BUT TWICE!”
Over 50 years ago, chicken wings were first popularized in restaurants in Buffalo, New York… thus, Chicken Wings are also called and known as, “Buffalo Wings,” as well. Chicken Wings quickly became a “Most Favorited” item on City restaurant menus and their notoriety spread at a fast pace to neighboring towns… then to neighboring states, and then throughout the US and Canada until Chicken Wings became a GLOBAL phenomenon! In 1977, the Mayor of Buffalo, Stan Makowski, declared JULY 29th “Chicken Wing Day!” In his proclamation, Mayor Stan Makowski proudly noted that “thousands of pounds of chicken wings are consumed by Buffalonians in restaurants and taverns throughout the City of Buffalo each week!” In 2018, the City of Buffalo expanded the celebration from one day to almost an entire month, taking place from July 1st through July 29th, dubbing it the “Chicken Wing Festival!” Described as “a fun month of exploring, tasting, and enjoying chicken wings” from a multitude of establishments in Buffalo, Patrons then submit their votes for “THE BEST WINGS IN TOWN!” The winning restaurant is crowned, “THE CHICKEN WING HEADQUATERS,” for the year! You may also enter the “Chicken Wing Month Photo Contest,” by sending pictures of you and your loved ones enjoying chicken wings to: in**@********************ay.com Your photo “could be featured on our social media, in snapd, and you’ll have a chance to win a Year’s Supply of Frank’s Red Hot Sauce!” #NationalChickenWingDay
Below, in HONOR OF NATIONAL CHICKEN WING DAY, find a photo of Buffalo Mayor, Stan Makowski signing a proclamation, in his office.
Buffalo, New York lays claim to the birthplace of chicken wings. In Chicken Wing History, “The story goes that Teressa Bellissimo created chicken wings at The Anchor Bar, which she owned with her husband, Frank. One evening, on March 4th in 1964, Teressa and Frank’s son, Dominic Bellissimo, was tending the bar. Later that evening, a group of Dominic’s friends decided that they wanted a late-night bite to eat.” The group of Dominic’s friends arrived with RAVENOUS appetites at his parents’ tavern, The Anchor Bar, and with Dominic making a “MOM, WE ARE STARVING!” request, Teressa, of course, complied! Teressa “wanted a fast and easy dish, so she deep-friend some chicken wings –which in 1964, were usually reserved for soup stock. She tossed the deep-fried chicken wings in butter and hot sauce. Naturally, they were an INSTANT HIT!” The Bellissimos were NOT the first Buffalo Restauranteurs to “realize the potential of chicken wings.” In 1963, restaurant proprietor John Young had opened “Wings’n Things,” on Jefferson Avenue, in the City of Buffalo…but John’s wings were breaded and dressed in a tomato-based sauce. The Anchor Bar’s chicken wing recipe “TURNED OUT TO BE IRRESISTIBLE TO CUSTOMERS AS WELL AS COMPETITORS!” From that night forward, Teressa’s “BUFFALO WINGS” became a regular part of the menu at The Anchor Bar. Other restaurants and taverns around town starting “catching on” to the dish’s popularity and started serving them at their own establishments as well. And the “LEGEND OF THE BUFFALO CHICKEN WINGS” became a part of Foodie History! Note the photos below of The Anchor Bar and of Teressa and Frank Bellissimo.
The terminology “Buffalo” describing a food as “Hot and Spicy” became more and more utilized to refer to foods other than just chicken wings. The name “Buffalo is commonly applied to other foods,” as well, such as chicken fingers, boneless chicken nuggets, shrimp, pizza, potato chips and french-fries; all of which are seasoned with the Buffalo-style sauce or a variation of said sauce. Commonly, a blue-cheese component is also incorporated into a “Buffalo” flavored dish, to simulate the complete “Buffalo Wing Experience.” www.sauceshop.co describes the flavor profile of Buffalo sauce as “spicy, tangy, creamy, and rich,” adding that “besides wings, Buffalo sauce could be used to: spice-up Mac-N-Cheese, coat corn on the cob, add a kick to grilled cheese sandwiches, and as a coating for cauliflower or broccoli!”
Today, there are a VAST VARIETY of flavors to choose from to please your Chicken Wing Palate, aside from the Original Buffalo Hot Sauce Style! Popular selections include: BBQ, Lemon Pepper, Pepper Parmesan, Garlic, Sweet and Sour, Honey-Mustard, Cherry Pepper… as well as Smoking Hot Wings, Diablo Hot Wings, and Napalm Hot Wings! Since their inception, restaurants have constantly and consistently added HUNDREDS of different flavors of Chicken Wings. www.delish.com has a list of the “36 Best Chicken Wings Recipes,” and www.whatshouldimakefor.com has a recipe for “Crispy Asian Chicken Wings,” with a marinade that is “packed full of Asian flavors…soy, hoisin, sesame, garlic and ginger combined with a little brown sugar for sweetness and lime for tang,” for your perusal AND TASTY ENJOYMENT.
“Wing King” Drew Cerza is viewed by many as the Chicken Wing food’s enduring Ambassador! Drew Cerza founded The National Buffalo Wing Festival in 2002. “An ardent Wing-Man,” Drew edged out Celebrity Chef Phenom Bobby Flay in a “Chicken Wing Throw Down,” in 2007 in an episode of “Beat Bobby Flay!” on The Food Network. Since then, Drew Cerza has become the the “Wing Emissary” for this EPIC American Food Icon—The Chicken Wing! The Wing King Drew Cerza has been featured on many media outlets including The Food Network’s “All-American Festivals,” Unwrapped,” and “Emeril Lagasse Live,” as well as The Travel Channel’s “Bar Food Paradise,” “Taste of America,” and “Food Wars,” NBC’s “The Today Show,’ CBS’s “Morning Show,” and ABC’s “The View.” Drew Cerza provides a MULTITUDE of recipes for you to try at home which can be found at: www.buffalowing.com
In regard to carousing and rollicking locally on this most auspicious day, “National Chicken Wing Day,” here are some terrific deals being offered on July 29th, 2025:
Restaurant Brands International Inc.’s owned “Popeyes” is already offering customers a #NationalChickenWingDay Deal! From now through August 3rd, In-Store Guests can get a free six-piece bone-in wings with the purchase of any bone-in wings order. For those customers who use “Popeyes” APP or website and are Popeyes Rewards Members, you can get a free six-piece spicy bone-in wings with the purchase of ANY wings order. Popeyes customers who use UBER Eats or Door Dash can enjoy a buy-one-get-one-free six-piece wings; bone-in OR boneless.
7-Eleven is offering deals for 7Rewards and Speedy Rewards members only on July 29th. The deal is; Buy 1 boneless 8 piece wings, get 8 free OR buy 5 bone-in wings, get 5 free. “Want some wings with your wings?” asks 7-Eleven… “Buy two Red Bulls–and get 5 bone-in wings for free!”
APPLEBEE’S Bar and Grill is celebrating National Chicken Wing Day as well—ONLINE ONLY! “BOGO Free Wings Are Coming! On Tuesday, July 29th, get America’s Favorite Boneless Wings or Classic Bone-In Wings and enjoy a FREE second order! Looking for a way to celebrate National Chicken Wing Day? Come wing it with us on Tuesday 7-29 with Buy One, Get One Free Wings! Mix and match America’s Favorite Boneless Wings- 10 pcs- and Classic Bone-In Wings- 9 pcs- on OUR WEBSITE or MOBILE APP – and use the PROMO CODE: WINGDAY25 at check-out.”
Buffalo Wild Wings www.buffalowildwings.com has a few Great Deals: “At Your B-Dubs: Wing Tuesdays; Grab the crew and come through for BOGO 50% off traditional wings on Tuesdays!” AND: “Boneless Thursdays; Order Buy One, get one free Boneless Wings every Thursday!” On July 29th, Buffalo Wild Wings is offering 6 free boneless or traditional wings with any purchase of $10 or more. You may Dine-In and receive this offer or if you order online, place your order through the Buffalo Wild Wings App or website and use the Promo Code: FREEWINGS.
Thomsen Foodservice
Thomsen Marketplace
141 Narragansett Park Drive, Rumford RI 02916
401-431-2190
Offers “10 Delicious Ways to Celebrate National Chicken Wing Day- July 29th!” www.thomsenfoodservice.com including their idea to create: “A STUNNING VISUAL!”—Create “An Instagram-Worthy Centerpiece with Wing Towers- featuring various flavors, stacked high and paired with crowd-pleasing sides like seasoned french fries or loaded tots!”
You are invited to join Facebook’s largest private group of wing enthusiasts, “Wingaddicts Community,” and/or check out their Social Media platforms @wingaddicts or their website www.wingaddicts.com because according to Wingaddicts, “EVERY DAY IS NATIONAL WING DAY!” and “ALL WE DO IS WING!”
“WINGS: The ULTIMATE sidekick to any occasion!”
“BUFFALO WINGS ARE ALWAYS A GOOD IDEA!”
