"This year’s projection is flat compared to 2023, with USDA reporting chicken production levels are slightly down from last year and wing stocks in cold storage down 13% in November compared to the year prior. This could explain the higher demand and thus the higher wholesale prices we are seeing on wings. At the retail level, fresh chicken wing prices are down approximately 5%, and frozen wing prices are down 11% compared to January of 2023, according to Circana data."
At Wings Over here in State College, 50 wings will cost you $68. At Buffalo Wild Wings in King of Prussia, a similar price of $67. Remember to pre-order your wings as many establishments will run out of supply.
If one wishes to cook their own wings, food safety is a must ensuring that the internal meat has reached a temperature of 165F. Nothing worse than a raw, rubbery chicken wing. USDA provides some alternate cooking methods (below).
Will you be eating wings? If so, what is your favorite sauce?
National Chicken Council
https://www.nationalchickencouncil.org/americans-to-eat-1-45-billion-chicken-wings-for-the-big-game/
Americans to Eat 1.45 Billion Chicken Wings for the Big Game
January 31, 2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. – With the second biggest eating day of the year after Thanksgiving upon us, there’s no hotter time for chicken wings. According to the National Chicken Council’s 2024 Wing Report, Americans will devour 1.45 billion wings while watching Kansas City and San Francisco battle for the championship trophy.
National Chicken Council
https://www.nationalchickencouncil.org/americans-to-eat-1-45-billion-chicken-wings-for-the-big-game/
Americans to Eat 1.45 Billion Chicken Wings for the Big Game
January 31, 2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. – With the second biggest eating day of the year after Thanksgiving upon us, there’s no hotter time for chicken wings. According to the National Chicken Council’s 2024 Wing Report, Americans will devour 1.45 billion wings while watching Kansas City and San Francisco battle for the championship trophy.
“Football is great. Wings are great. But they’re even better together,” said Council spokesman Tom Super. “Sure, you can have your chips, your guacamole, your pizza. But when it comes to menus next Sunday, wings rule the roost. So, grab a wet nap and enjoy America’s favorite party food for the Big Game.”
To help visualize just how many wings that is:
45 billion wings is enough for every man, woman and child in the United States to eat four wings each.
If Kansas City Coach Andy Reid ate 50 wings every day, it would take him 79,452 years to eat all 1.45 billion.
45 billion wings is enough to put 693 wings on every seat in all 30 NFL stadiums.
If laid end-to-end, 1.45 billion wings would stretch 1/3 of the way to the moon.
If each wing represented one second moving forward, 1.45 billion would be 46 years from now, or the year 2070.This year’s projection is flat compared to 2023, with USDA reporting chicken production levels are slightly down from last year and wing stocks in cold storage down 13% in November compared to the year prior. This could explain the higher demand and thus the higher wholesale prices we are seeing on wings. At the retail level, fresh chicken wing prices are down approximately 5%, and frozen wing prices are down 11% compared to January of 2023, according to Circana data.
One of these days, Buffalo will get back to the Big Game which would give wing consumption a nice boost,” Super noted. “Maybe we’ll see Taylor Swift breaking out the ‘seemingly ranch’ again, to dip a wing in this time, though.”
Buffalo chicken wing history
Deep-fried chicken wings have long been a staple of Southern cooking. But one well-traveled tale of how the concept of cooking wings in peppery hot sauce was born took place in 1964 at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York, when co-owner Teressa Bellissimo cooked leftover wings in hot sauce as a late-night snack for her son and his friends. The guys liked them so much that the Bellissimos put them on the menu the next day. Served with celery slices and bleu cheese sauce, “Buffalo Wings” were an instant hit.
Dick Winger, who sold hot sauce to the bar, went on the road with Dominic Bellissimo, the owners’ son, to promote the item and sell hot sauce, and the item gradually caught on with restaurant operators around the country. The concept hit the big time in 1990, when McDonald’s began selling Mighty Wings at some of its restaurants. KFC rolled out Hot Wings a year later, and Domino’s Pizza introduced its own wings in 1994. They’ve remained hot ever since. McDonald’s was back in the wing business in 2013, and its Mighty Wings were featured nationwide at most restaurants through the first quarter of 2014.
Chicken wings and football – A love story
The rise of the chicken wing and its correlation to American football all had to do with timing.
Cooking the whole bird was trendy in the 1960s and 1970s, but in the 1980s, U.S. consumers started preferring boneless-skinless breast meat, and wings became an inexpensive byproduct for chicken producers. Restaurants and bars realized they could charge low prices for the relatively inexpensive protein, and due to the spicy/salty nature of the sauce, they discovered that beer sales would go through the roof when customers ate wings.
At the same time, sports bars with multiple TVs and satellite dishes were becoming more and more common in America thanks to rapidly developing technology; and the most popular sporting event to watch with friends in bars is football. Wings were easily shareable and affordable, a great “group food” to eat with other people, and are the perfect pairing with a pitcher of beer. And so the pigskin-chicken wing bond was born.
Wing Tips
- Americans are more likely to prefer eating bone-in, traditional wings (53%) than “boneless wings.”
- Two in five (38%) Americans say that the breast is their favorite cut of chicken, but wings (20%) are second.
- While there are a variety of wing sauces to choose from, BBQ (52%), ranch (46%) and buffalo/hot sauce (41%) are the preferred.
- French fries are by far the preferred side for wings (72%), distantly followed by celery (14%).
https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2015/01/27/penalty-free-chicken-wings-game-day
Penalty Free Chicken Wings for Game Day
Posted by Amelia Kermis, MPH CHES, Food Safety Education Staff, Food Safety and Inspection Service in Health and Safety
Jan 27, 2015
The star of most Super Bowl parties is the chicken wing, crispy and covered in a delicious sauce. If you are going to make wings for your Super Bowl party, follow these steps to make sure your dinner’s star player is safe to eat. You don’t want to get a penalty for giving your guests food poisoning.
Baking Your Wings
To start baking wings, preheat your oven to 400 °F. Meanwhile, place your wings in a rimmed baking sheet. To ensure maximum crispiness, do not crowd the wings and place them in a single layer.
After 30 minutes of cooking take out the pan, flip the wings and continue baking for another 15 to 20 minutes. This will ensure both sides of the wings are crispy. Read on to learn how to properly take the internal temperature of a sample of your wings before your serve them. Taking the internal temperature is the only way to know if the wings are fully cooked and ready to eat.
Frying Your Wings
If you want to fry your wings, and are using a skillet, fill oil no more than 2 inches from the top of the skillet to allow space for the oil to rise. It is best if you have a candy or deep frying thermometer to ensure the oil reaches and stays at 375 °F. When your oil reaches that temperature you’re ready to cook.
Before frying, remove the chicken wings from the refrigerator and pat dry the wings to prevent oil splatter.
Make sure not to overcrowd the chicken wings as you place them in the fryer. If crowded, wings can turn out undercooked and increase the chances of giving your guests food poisoning.
While it is important to test the internal temperature of the chicken wings to ensure they are cooked, DO NOT test the temperature while the wings are submerged in oil. This will lead to an inaccurate temperature reading. To take the temperature of your wings, place them on a clean plate covered with paper towels.
Taking the Temperature
Whether you are frying or baking your wings, it’s important to take the internal temperature of multiple wings with a clean food thermometer. For an accurate reading, insert the meat thermometer into the thickest area of the wing being careful to avoid the bone.
If the wings are below the minimum safe internal temperature of 165 °F, return to the oven or submerge again in the hot oil.
After Cooking
Coat your delicious wings with a sauce of your choosing and remember to refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours. Cooked food left out longer than 2 hours can rapidly grow bacteria making it unsafe to eat.
Frying Your Wings
If you want to fry your wings, and are using a skillet, fill oil no more than 2 inches from the top of the skillet to allow space for the oil to rise. It is best if you have a candy or deep frying thermometer to ensure the oil reaches and stays at 375 °F. When your oil reaches that temperature you’re ready to cook.
Before frying, remove the chicken wings from the refrigerator and pat dry the wings to prevent oil splatter.
Make sure not to overcrowd the chicken wings as you place them in the fryer. If crowded, wings can turn out undercooked and increase the chances of giving your guests food poisoning.
While it is important to test the internal temperature of the chicken wings to ensure they are cooked, DO NOT test the temperature while the wings are submerged in oil. This will lead to an inaccurate temperature reading. To take the temperature of your wings, place them on a clean plate covered with paper towels.
Taking the Temperature
Whether you are frying or baking your wings, it’s important to take the internal temperature of multiple wings with a clean food thermometer. For an accurate reading, insert the meat thermometer into the thickest area of the wing being careful to avoid the bone.
If the wings are below the minimum safe internal temperature of 165 °F, return to the oven or submerge again in the hot oil.
After Cooking
Coat your delicious wings with a sauce of your choosing and remember to refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours. Cooked food left out longer than 2 hours can rapidly grow bacteria making it unsafe to eat.
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