The story is told that the owner, Teressa Bellisimo had to be creative when her son and his friends came into the restaurant late one night and proclaimed to be very hungry ("Feed us, Mom!" - sound familiar?). Thinking fast on her feet, Teressa had an excess of chicken wings on hand and with a moment's inspiration, decided to fry them up and smother them in a spicy chile sauce she had created.

Still "winging it", she realized that the hot sauce on the chicken wings might be a little too hot, so she quickly put some blue cheese dip into a bowl and had the boys dip the fried wings in it to cut the heat. Then she added some cut up celery sticks for dipping into the blue cheese.

Needless to say, the snack was an instant hit. The boys gobbled up the chicken wings recipe that Teressa had brilliantly come up with on a moment's notice. How smart was Teressa? And who would have thought that quick thinking to feed some hungry young men could have started a culture that continues today?

Since Anchor Bar's chicken wings recipes put Buffalo, New York on the map, the city of Buffalo decided to designate July 29 as "Chicken Wing Day". Now, amazingly (or maybe not so amazing!) the Anchor Bar serves up more than 70 thousand pounds of chicken PER MONTH! The unbelievable success of the Buffalo Chicken Wings has made it possible for the Anchor Bar to continue the culture and popularty of chicken wings once considered the bottom of the barrel as far as food is concerned. The Anchor Bar now has a broadened source of revenue streams all because of one fast-thinking mom. You go, Mom!

Today, you can buy the sauce, not only online, but in various established grocery chains.

Below, you can make the original recipe for Buffalo Chicken Wings. It's a great easy appetizer for Super Bowl parties or any kind of gathering where you know you'll have hungry people. I've got other less spicy versions of the recipe so kids will like them too. Just check out the recipes at my Web page (details below) at Easy Appetizer Recipes.

Here is the original Buffalo Chicken Wings recipe:

What you'll need:

- 4 to 5 pounds chicken wings

- Freshly ground black pepper

- Salt (if desired)

- 4 cups vegetable oil

- 4 Tablespoon butter or margarine (1/2 stick)

- 5 Tablespoon of your favorite hot sauce

- 1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar

- Blue cheese dressing or dip- celery sticks (cut up for dipping)

First, chop off the tip of each chicken wing, and discard it. Chop the wing in half (cutting at the joint) to make 2 pieces. Next, grind and sprinkle on fresh black pepper (and salt if desired).

Heat the oil over high heat in a deep skillet or deep-fat fryer until it starts to pop and sizzle (usually around 400 degrees F). Then, add half the chicken wings and cook until they're golden crisp, stirring or shaking occasionally. When the wings are done, remove them to drain on some paper towels while cooking the remaining wings.

Last thing to do is, melt the butter or margarine over medium heat in a heavy saucepan, and add the hot sauce and 1 tablespoon of vinegar. Stir well and remove from the flame immediately.

All that's required now is to place the chicken on a warm serving platter, pour your favorite hot sauce on top, and serve. (note: you can make the wings as spicy as you like or not spicy at all. Just pick an appropriate hot sauce to match the heat you are looking for.)

This recipe makes about 8 to 10 servings and is traditionally served with blue cheese dressing and celery sticks.

About the Author:
Sara Gray is an avid lover of appetizers and has created a great website called Easy Appetizer Recipes where you can find delicious ideas for all kinds of hot and cold appetizers, raclette grilling, tapas small plates, snacks, chips and dip ideas, and appetizer soups.