Who Really Invented Buffalo Chicken Wings? The Finger-Lickin’ Controversy Behind America’s Favorite Bar Food

Have you ever wondered who we should thank for the delicious, spicy, messy goodness that is buffalo chicken wings? Well, get ready for a saucy debate because the origin story of America’s favorite game day snack ain’t as simple as you might think!

Buffalo wings have become such an iconic part of American food culture that we consume BILLIONS of them every year (like, 27 billion according to the National Chicken Council!). But behind this spicy success story lies a contentious debate about who actually deserves credit for creating this masterpiece of finger food.

Let’s dive into the wing controversy and examine the competing claims that have been simmering for decades.

The Competing Claims: A Tale of Two Restaurants

The Anchor Bar Version

According to the most widely accepted story, buffalo wings were invented at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York in 1964 by Teressa Bellissimo, who owned the establishment with her husband Frank.

The Anchor Bar story comes with multiple variations

• The Late-Night Snack: Dominic Bellissimo, Teressa and Frank’s son, was tending bar when his friends arrived hungry late at night. Teressa wanted to whip up something quick and easy, so she deep-fried some chicken wings, tossed them in cayenne hot sauce, and served them with celery sticks and blue cheese dressing.

• The Mistaken Delivery: Another version claims there was an accidental delivery of wings instead of chicken backs and necks (which were used for the bar’s spaghetti sauce). Frank asked Teressa to figure out what to do with them, and voilà – buffalo wings were born!

• The Friday Night Special: Dominic told reporter Calvin Trillin in a 1980 New Yorker interview that it was a Friday night when his mother made the wings as a special treat for Catholic patrons who could eat meat again at midnight after abstaining.

By the 1970s, the Anchor Bar was fully embracing its role as the birthplace of buffalo wings. In 1977, the city of Buffalo even issued an official proclamation celebrating Frank Bellissimo and declared July 29 as Chicken Wing Day.

The John Young Challenge

But not so fast! There’s another important challenger to the Anchor Bar’s claim to wing fame.

John Young, a Black restaurateur who moved to Buffalo from Alabama in 1948, opened a restaurant called Wings ‘n Things in the 1960s. Young served whole chicken wings (not separated into sections like the Anchor Bar style) that were breaded and covered in his own special “mambo sauce.”

Young maintained that he was selling chicken wings in Buffalo BEFORE the Anchor Bar ever did. He even told the Buffalo Courier-Express in 1981: “I was selling 5,000 pounds of chicken wings in 1962. Mr. Bellissimo used to come into my place and eat my chicken wings.”

Young said he got the idea for his wings from a restaurant in Washington, D.C. (which, interestingly, also had a place called Wings ‘n Things). He registered his restaurant’s name before the alleged 1964 Anchor Bar wing invention.

In 2013, Young was posthumously inducted into the Buffalo Wing Hall of Flame at the National Buffalo Wing Festival, finally receiving some recognition for his contributions to buffalo wing history.

The Historical Evidence

So who’s telling the truth? Here’s where things get interesting:

• A 1969 newspaper article about the Anchor Bar doesn’t mention buffalo wings at all, suggesting they weren’t yet the signature item they would later become.

• Duff’s, another Buffalo restaurant, began selling wings in 1969, around the same time the Anchor Bar claims to have invented them.

• The Clarendon Hotel in Buffalo served “Chicken Wings, fried” according to a menu from July 1, 1857 – more than a century before the Anchor Bar’s claim!

• A local Buffalo newspaper, the Buffalo Commercial Advertiser, published a recipe for chicken wings in 1894.

• Some people claim that Teressa Bellissimo didn’t start serving buffalo wings at the Anchor Bar until 1974 – a full decade after the alleged invention date.

So, Who Really Invented Buffalo Wings?

The truth is, we may never know for sure. Both the Anchor Bar and John Young have legitimate claims to having popularized chicken wings in Buffalo in the 1960s, though in different styles.

What we do know is:

1. Chicken wings had been eaten and enjoyed for many years before either claimed to invent them
2. The Anchor Bar style (split wings, unbreaded, tossed in hot sauce) became what we now recognize as the classic “Buffalo wing”
3. John Young’s contributions were significant but often overlooked
4. Both establishments helped popularize chicken wings as a delicious food rather than a part of the chicken that was often discarded

In recent years, local historians have worked to ensure that John Young’s role in buffalo wing history isn’t forgotten. His daughter, Lina Brown-Young, even began serving her dad’s chicken wing recipe for Buffalo Bike Tours’ historical “wing ride” in 2020.

How Buffalo Wings Conquered America

Regardless of who invented them, buffalo wings began spreading beyond Buffalo in the 1970s and 1980s. Several factors contributed to their explosive popularity:

• The Perfect Bar Food: Wings are easy to eat with your fingers, pair perfectly with beer, and are great for sharing.

• Sports Connection: The Buffalo Bills’ four consecutive Super Bowl appearances in the early 1990s helped put Buffalo and its signature dish in the national spotlight.

• Restaurant Chains: Franchises like Buffalo Wild Wings (founded in 1982) and Hooters (1983) built their entire business models around wings.

• Fast Food Adoption: By the mid-1990s, chains like Domino’s and Pizza Hut had added buffalo wings to their menus nationwide.

What had once been a cheap, unwanted part of the chicken became one of the most in-demand (and expensive!) chicken cuts. Americans now consume over 27 billion wings annually, with Super Bowl Sunday being the biggest wing-eating day of the year.

The Legacy of Buffalo Wings

From their disputed origins in Buffalo, New York, chicken wings have become a true American classic. The term “buffalo” is now used to describe any food with that signature spicy, buttery flavor profile – from buffalo shrimp to buffalo cauliflower.

While we may never definitively settle who deserves the title of buffalo wing inventor, perhaps that’s okay. Like many great American food innovations, buffalo wings likely evolved through the contributions of multiple creative cooks rather than springing fully formed from a single moment of inspiration.

What we can say with certainty is that both Teressa Bellissimo and John Young played crucial roles in transforming chicken wings from an unwanted chicken part into one of America’s most beloved foods.

The Buffalo Wing Today

Today’s buffalo wings come in countless variations, from mild to tongue-scorchingly hot, and with dozens of different flavor profiles beyond the original cayenne pepper sauce. Ranch dressing has surpassed blue cheese as the most popular dipping sauce in the United States (though purists might consider this sacrilege).

The humble buffalo wing has even spawned a whole category of “boneless wings” (which aren’t wings at all, but pieces of chicken breast meat) for those who want the flavor without the mess.

No matter how you enjoy your wings or who you believe invented them, one thing is certain: buffalo wings have earned their place in the pantheon of iconic American foods. Whether you’re team Anchor Bar or team John Young, we can all agree that whoever first thought to fry up some chicken wings and toss them in spicy sauce deserves our eternal gratitude.

So next time you’re enjoying a plate of buffalo wings during the big game, take a moment to appreciate the contentious but delicious history behind this finger-licking favorite!

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Have you tried making buffalo wings at home? Do you prefer them mild or wild? Let us know in the comments below!