Under the Wing-Fluence

Chicken Wings: A Blue-Collar Cuisine?

Tommy, December 16 2023

This morning I’m pondering an interesting question; Are chicken wings considered a low/middle-class, blue-collar cuisine? While my intention isn’t necessarily to ruffle feathers (well, maybe literally), these are the kinds of things that come into my mind as I sit around and think about chicken wings 24 hours a day. Why would I suggest such a...

MORE Chicken Wing Flavors!

Tommy, October 27 2023

As we prepare to consume our 700th chicken wing flavor (on our quest to eat 1,000), its fun to look back at the journey which started just over 1,300 days ago. Like most normal(?) human beings, Doni, Ryan and I started our wing enjoyment many years ago with traditional hot wings. The good ol’ hot sauce-and-butter recipe that was born at Anchor...

The History of Nashville Hot Chicken

Tommy, July 29 2023

As often happens, a spirited discussion in "Wingaddicts Community" (Facebook’s largest network of chicken wing enthusiasts), inspired me to look into the origins of Nashville Hot Chicken. Is it a cooking style? Is it a flavor? Is there a debate? And, as usual, there’s a story. Chicken wing enthusiasts well know the tale of how Buffalo wings were...

Blue Cheese or Ranch?

Tommy, July 17 2023

Blue cheese or ranch? If you’ve been asked this question, chances are you just ordered a plate of chicken wings. That, or you’re looking at an online wing survey or meme and quickly pouncing to defend your preference. Wing enthusiasts, for some reason, love to ponder things like: What state has the best

Eye of the Beholder

Tommy, June 19 2023

Does it matter to you how your wings look when they show up on the table? For centuries, dating back to Plato, philosophers have suggested that we “eat with our eyes first.” In other words, the act of enjoying food starts well before it gets anywhere near our mouths. Surely great chefs and restaurant owners are aware of this as they stress...

Tribute to Ron Duff (1939-2023)

Tommy, May 9 2023

Ron Duff didn't invent chicken wings. Ron Duff isn't the founder of Duff's Famous Wings in Buffalo. Ron Duff is, however, in very large part responsible for the ever-spreading chicken wing phenomenon we all love and experience today. On Sunday, May 7, the world lost one of the wing game's most important pioneers at the age of

2023 NFL Chicken Wing Mock Draft

Tommy, April 27 2023

The NFL season officially gets underway tonight with the 2023 Draft. Analysts, pundits and experts have been speculating for weeks on how each team will fulfill its needs. Many of the top prospects have snuck up the draft board in the past few days and the war rooms are set to go. Through extensive research, our wing experts have completed our...

The 10 Most-Popular Chicken Wing Flavors in the United States

Tommy, April 23 2023

We’ve long maintained that the word “best” is purely subjective and that ranking and rating chicken wings and wing restaurants is futile (and arrogant) because everybody has a valid opinion. However, reporting on what is “most popular” is fact based; like science. And today, I fancy myself a

The Story of Wings

Tommy, April 18 2023

(Republished from the Wingaddicts Blog; Nov 2, 2020) Upon returning from her friend's house, my then 12-year old daughter told me that she had wings for dinner. "You know I love chicken wings!" I told her, "What kind?" "Daddy, these weren't chicken wings," she answered. "They were buffalo

New Wing Ideas Taking "Flight"

Tommy, April 18 2023

As the popularity of creative chicken wing flavors continues to explode across the landscape, new ideas for featuring those wings is clearly next up. During the rise of craft beers and local breweries in the early 2000’s, “beer flights” became a popular method for people to sample different flavors and styles in one sitting. You may have...