The Accidental Invention of Chicken Wings, America’s Favorite Bar Food

By | August 15, 2018

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The Anchor Bar, 2007

Who doesn’t love chicken wings? They are the perfect bar food…versatile and handy. You can order hot and spicy wings, or mild wings, and any hotness in between. Chicken wings are meant to be eaten with your hands and they are delicious with an ice, cold beer to wash them down. Chicken wings are on the menu of most casual dining restaurants. In fact, there are countless restaurants across the country devoted to the chicken wing, as well as hundreds of chicken wing cookbooks. Truly, chicken wings are part of the American culture. It is hard to realize that chicken wings have only been on the scene for a little more than fifty years and that they were originally considered a throw-away part of the chicken. That is until a happy accident led to the creation of one of America’s favorite bar food.

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Buffalo Chicken Wings didn't Originate from Bison

The invention of chicken wings occurred in Buffalo, New York, at the Anchor Bar in 1964. The bar’s owner, Teressa Bellissimo, mistakenly ordered a case of chicken wings when she meant to order a case of chicken necks, which her husband, Frank Bellissimo, used to make the Anchor Inn’s famous spaghetti sauce. Teressa was furious with her mistake and wanted to contact the distributor and demand that he take back the worthless chicken parts but the easy-going Frank told her to accept her error.