National Chicken Wing Day

Posted in Food Safety,Our Blog on July 29, 2026

National Chicken Wing Day has had our phones going crazy as each app alerts us to store specials to celebrate the big day. Chicken wings are a favorite snack, meal or even a great appetizer, but it is important to know all of the food safety tips about them before deciding if you want drums, flats or both.

Most people serve mass amounts of chicken wings for sporting events but personally I don’t think there is any particular season to have them. They are great any day of the week and we enjoy preparing our own as well.

Should We Pass on Washing Raw Chicken?

USDA recommends against washing your raw poultry to help minimize the spread of bacteria; however, if you do wash your raw chicken wings, please remember to fully clean and sanitize surfaces that may have come in contact with raw juices, like your sink, countertop, cutting board and utensils.

Don’t Allow Cross-Contamination

Avoid cross-contamination by separating your raw chicken wings from your ready-to-eat foods like chips and dips. Use separate serving spoons for each dip and sauce.

Bring Your Food Thermometer 

Chicken wings must be cooked to the safe internal temperature of 165 F, as measured with a food thermometer. To measure correctly, insert the food thermometer into the thickest part of the wing and avoid the bone. If a wing has not reached 165 F, cook the wings longer until they reach a safe internal temperature.

Don’t Leave Your Chicken Wings Out Too Long

Place your chicken wings and other perishable foods back into the refrigerator in small, shallow containers within two hours of them sitting at room temperature. After two hours in the Danger Zone, bacteria can reach dangerous levels, making you sick. If you’re serving chicken wings on game day, you can avoid the Danger Zone and keep them hot by placing them in a preheated oven, warming tray, or slow cooker.

Some Facts About Chicken Wings

• The record for most wings eaten is 444 wings in 26 minutes, set by Patrick “Deep Dish” Bertoletti during the 2015 Wing Bowl.
• The Pacific region currently consumes the least amount of wings, while the South consumes the most amount of wings in the country.
• The average American eats 90 chicken wings a year.
• Americans consumed 1.25 billion chicken wings on Super Bowl Sunday alone, which would circle the Grand Canyon 120 times.
• One chicken wing usually contains about 141 calories, without sauce.
• The average American can eat 12 chicken wings in one sitting.
• The National Buffalo Wing Festival is held each year in Buffalo, New York and usually attracts an average of 800,000 people.

How to celebrate: Celebrate National Chicken Wing Day by eating wings, whether at your favorite restaurant, at home or on a picnic. Be sure to share some chicken wings with friends or family. In addition, share your favorite pictures or recipes on social media.

Who invented Buffalo wings or chicken wings? There are several theories over who invented Buffalo wings. Teressa Bellissimo, the owner of Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York, claims to invented them in 1964. When her son arrived late at night with other buddies from college, she needed to make a quick meal and deep fried chicken wings that were left over for making stock soup. It caught on quickly, and other bars began selling them the same year.

Another claim is that in 1964, John Young, a transplant to Buffalo from Alabama began serving uncut chicken wings that were breaded, deep fried and served in his own special tomato based “Mambo Sauce” at his Buffalo restaurant beginning.

In 1977 the city of Buffalo declared July 29, 1977 to be Chicken Wing Day.

No matter how you plan to celebrate National Wing Day make sure that you practice food safety and enjoy as many wings as you can!

Stay tuned for more posts about National Food Days and other fun food facts at Make Food Safe.