Wings are among the most popular menu items served in American restaurants and sports bars. Featuring deep-fried chicken slathered in sweet, savory, and spicy sauces, this dish can make a delicious starter or snack between meals. Below, you'll learn about its history and rise to popularity.

Disputes Over Origins 

Though the exact origins of this dish are uncertain, one theory states that it originated at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York during the mid-1960s. The owner, Teressa Bellissimo, accidentally ordered a case of chicken wings instead of necks, the latter of which she used to make spaghetti sauce. During this time period, wings were considered scraps and often thrown out or used to make stock. Since she had such a large quantity, she decided to get creative with them.

According to legend, one night she cut up the chicken into drums and flats then deep-fried them without breading. Next, she coated them in hot sauce and plated them with celery stalks and blue cheese dressing for dipping. She served them to her son and his friends, and they loved the dish so much, Bellissimo added it to the Anchor Bar menu. It quickly became popular among patrons, and other restaurants in the area began serving it. 

Another theory states that this dish has beginnings in Chicago during the early to mid-20th century. Following the Great Migration, many African Americans moved to northern cities, including Chicago, which was the meatpacking hub of the nation. Many took jobs in slaughterhouses, which typically discarded chicken wings.

These workers may have acquired this chicken and prepared it using a combination of their own culinary traditions, including deep-frying and barbecuing. These workers likely also coated the chicken in a popular sweet and spicy barbecue sauce, known as Mumbo Sauce, which the Chicago rib restaurant Argia B's bottled and sold. This may have marked the birth of wings as we know them today. 

Evolution as a Bar Food 

During Prohibition, which lasted from 1920 to 1933, the sale and consumption of alcohol were forbidden in the U.S. This prompted the opening of speakeasies, which illegally served alcoholic beverages to guests. In an effort to draw more customers, many speakeasies offered "free lunch," which consisted of small bites such as salted nuts and deviled eggs. This started the tradition of pairing finger foods with booze, which became popular with the rise of happy hour specials throughout the 20th century. Once chicken wings were born, they became part of these happy hour specials, and many bars began offering them as a permanent menu item. Today, they remain a widely beloved bar food often enjoyed with draft beer.

The next time you're in the mood for delectable wings, head to Major League Sports Bar. This sports bar and American restaurant offers lunch and dinner dishes along with draft beer and cocktails to patrons throughout Dayton, OH. Call (937) 985-9723 to ask about happy hour specials, and visit the website to view their menu of food and drinks.