National Chicken Wing Day, which is observed on July 29 each year, is an occasion devoted to celebrating one of the most liked snacks across the globe.

Although deep-fried chicken wings were already a huge part of Southern cooking for a long time, the idea of cooking chicken wings in peppery only became popular in 1964 at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York.

The recipe was initially developed to transform some leftover fried chicken into a nice snack but eventually became a big hit in the restaurant under the name "Buffalo Wings." The dish gained popularity as big food chains like Mc Donalds and KFC introduced them to their menu in the 1990s.

Chicken Wings became even more popular when Americans began associating the snack with football matches, with many sports bars offering it to customers during games.

The dish remains a huge favorite to this day. It's an affordable "group food" that you and your friends can enjoy with a pitcher of beer while watching a game.

Interesting Facts About Chicken Wings

Before you head to your favorite restaurant and order your preferred variant of the snack in celebration of National Chicken Wing Day, let's take a look at some interesting facts about the dish first. (Courtesy: National Chicken Council and Days of the Year)

  • Americans are more likely to prefer eating bone-in traditional wings than boneless wings.
  • The wing is the second preferred cut of chicken in America, after the breast.
  • The world record for the most number of chicken wings eaten is 444 in just 26 minutes.
  • On average, a person in America eats 90 chicken wings per year.
  • Americans consumed 1.42 billion chicken wings during this year's Superbowl weekend.
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Representational image pixabay

Chicken Wing Recipes

If you prefer making your own chicken wings at home to ordering some from a restaurant, the following recipes may come in handy.

Chilli Garlic Wings

Ingredients:

  • 6 chicken wings - pricked
  • 1 egg - slightly beaten
  • 1/2 cup corn starch/cornflour
  • 1 tbsp garlic paste
  • 1 tsp red chili paste
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp soya sauce
  • 2 tsp vinegar
  • Oil - for deep frying

Instructions:

  1. Mix the chicken, egg, cornflour, garlic paste, chili paste, salt, soya sauce and vinegar with enough water so that the chicken pieces are coated with the batter.
  2. Keep the marinated chicken wings for about an hour.
  3. Heat oil and deep-fry the chicken wings over high heat then lower the heat until the wings are almost cooked through.
  4. Drain the wings on absorbent paper and set them aside.
  5. Fry the wings in hot oil till brown just before serving.
  6. Drain the wings on absorbent paper and serve.

(Courtesy: NDTV Food)

Honey Chicken Wings

Ingredients for Marinating:

  • 1/2 kg chicken wings
  • 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
  • 1/2 an onion, finely chopped
  • 1/2 tsp of red chili powder
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 4 tsp of lemon juice
  • 3 tbsp vinegar

Ingredients for Cooking:

  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tsp honey
  • 3 tsp of lime juice
  • salt to taste

Instructions:

  1. Combine all the marinating ingredients to the chicken and mix well.
  2. Cover and store it in the fridge for at least two hours.
  3. Heat the oil in a pan and sear the chicken for about a minute.
  4. Add the lemon juice and honey to glaze the wings and mix well.
  5. Cook for 6-8 minutes and serve.

(Courtesy: NDTV Food)

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