Whether you make them an appetizer or a meal, chicken wings are the bomb. And there's a special day to celebrate the dish: National Chicken Wing Day on Monday.

National Chicken Wing Day is not to be confused with National Chicken Tender Day, which was Saturday, July 27. That "holiday" made-up by Raising Cane's founder to celebrate its chicken tenders means Caniac Club members can still get a free tender through Tuesday, July 30.

National Chicken Wing Day began in 1977, when then-mayor of Buffalo, New York Stan Makowski, proclaimed July 29 as a day to celebrate Buffalo wings. 

These days, it's not just Buffalo wings Americans devour by the billions annually. Americans had 1.3 billion servings of chicken wings in the 12 months ending June 2024, according to research firm Circana CREST tracking data. That's up 5% from the previous 12 months.

"Wing chains offer a seemingly unending array of flavors, spices, sauces, and dry rubs to accompany their wing sections," Tom Super, spokesman for the National Chicken Council, told USA TODAY. "No other part of the chicken comes close to be offered in so many tasty ways from mild to super spicy hot."

While consumers remain concerned about inflation and food prices, "wings continue to be a most affordable and popular luxury when dining-out or barbecuing on the home grill," he said.

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Here's a roundup of deals on the popular side dish – or meal – depending on your appetite. Remember, check social media accounts of your local restaurants for deals, too.

Buffalo Wild Wings: Six free wings deal

With an online order of $10 or more on Monday, you get a voucher for six free wings free with the purchase of any burger on your next visit. The offer is good for dine-in as well as takeout or delivery. Use the promo code WINGDAY on the Buffalo Wild Wings website or app. Voucher can be redeemed in person or online July 30-Aug. 30.

With any $10 purchase on Monday, you get six free B-Dubs boneless or traditional wings. Customers on National Chicken Wing Day also get a voucher for another six free wings when they purchase any burger during their next visit. The voucher can be redeemed in-person, or online via promo code, between July 30 and August 30.

Also, when you buy a $50 Buffalo Wild Wings e-gift card on Kroger's website through Monday, you can save $7.50 – savings you can put toward more wings.

Popeyes: $1 wings special

Starting Monday and through Aug. 4, when you buy one order of Popeyes' new boneless wings or its bone-in wings, you can get another 6-piece order for $1. Just order through the Popeyes app or on the Popeyes website (offer good at participating restaurants; also good on delivery orders).

Wingstop: Free wings with any purchase

The restaurant chain considers Monday as the “Wingstop Wing Day,” and is giving five free wings with any purchase when you use the code FREEWINGS at checkout on Wingstop.com or the app.

Among flavors you can choose from is Hot Honey Rub, which was recently added to the permanent menu after Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo had urged Wingstop not to remove the flavor after offering it for a limited time.

More National Chicken Wing Day deals

• 7-Eleven: The convenience store chain has two BOGO deals on Monday: buy a 5-piece order of bone-in wings and get another order free, or buy an 8-piece order of boneless wings and get another order free (offer good at participating 7-Eleven, Speedway, and Stripes stores).
• Applebee's: When you order online or the Applebee's mobile app, you can buy one order of boneless wings or classic bone-in wings on Monday and get a second order free (use promo code WINGDAY24).

• bb.q Chicken: Get 20% off all online and app orders on Monday and Tuesday, July 29-30, if you use the Korean fried chicken franchise's new bb.q Rewards loyalty app (use the code WINGDAY24; up to $15 maximum discount). The restaurant chain is also partnering with the Korea Tourism Organization to giveaway five roundtrip trips for two to Korea and a $100 bb.q Chicken gift card. For a chance to win, fill out the entry form online; get bonus entries by downloading the app, following @bbqchickenus on TikTok and Instagram, and watching the KTO video on the Imagine Your Korea YouTube channel.
• Buffalo’s Cafe: Celebrate National Chicken Wing Day with all-you-can-eat wings for $19.99 on Monday (at participating locations).
• BurgerFi: The burger chain will have a $5 order of 5 Jumbo Chicken Wings available with the purchase of any beverage all day on Monday (dine-in only at participating locations).
• Dave and Buster's: Play games and get all you can eat wings here on Monday; deals start at $22.99 and include a $10 Power Card with all-you-can-eat wings. Other deals include $5 happy hour drinks such as the new Tres Tequila Rita.
• East Coast Wings + Grill: Get bone-in wings for just 85 cents on Monday at participating ECW+G locations. And if you want to take your wing appetite to Olympian levels, compete in the chain's Chicken Wing Champion contest, with the chance to win free wings for a year and other prizes. Download the app, then earn points through Aug. 11 by dining from each section of the menu (your first order from each section earns extra points). Each location will crown Gold (free wings for a year), Silver ($50 gift card) and Bronze ($25 gift card) winners on Aug. 12. During the competition, post on social media tagging @eastcoastwings and use #chickenwingchampion for a chance to win additional prizes.
• Fatburger and Buffalo's Express: Get a free 3-piece wing order with your purchase of any Fatburger meal at co-branded Fatburger and Buffalo's Express locations when ordering online with code WINGMAN24. Also, if you want some chicken wing bling, follow Fatburger on Instagram watch for a giveaway post on July 29, then and comment and tag a friend to win a custom "Chicken Wing" necklace. 

• Hooters: Buy 10 wings and get another 10 free, any style, on Monday (dine-in only at participating locations; cannot be combined with any other discount).

• Hurricane Grill & Wings: On Monday, you can get 10 wings for $12.99.
• Krispy Krunchy Chicken: Get a wing and more with the $4 Value Meal, which comes with a mildly Cajun-spiced drumstick, thigh, and entire wing, plus potato wedges. The meal deal is only available Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. (at participating locations while supplies last; not available for ordering through DoorDash, Uber Eats, GrubHub, or other digital platforms).
• Mountain Mike's Pizza: Members of the Mountain Rewards loyalty program get 15% off orders July 29-31, when you spend $30 or more – and include wings in your order.
• Native Grill & Wings: You can get 69-cent wings on Monday for dine-in and online orders; use code WINGDAY.
• PJ Whelihan’s: Get a free 5-piece wing order with a minimum $10 purchase on Monday (dine-in only, one per check).
• Perdue: The chicken purveyor has an online special on its Air Fryer Ready Crispy Wings – get three 22-ounce bags of wings, one bag of each flavor (Hot N’ Spicy, Roasted and Lemon Pepper) for $39.99 (regularly $50.97).
• Razzoo's Cajun Cafe: Get the Cajun food restaurant chain's Firemouth Wings for $10 on Monday. There's also $3 frozen Hurrycanes.
• Smokey Bones: Buy one, get one free wings on Monday; plus members of the Bones Club loyalty program can also get up to six wings for free.
• Whataburger: Get the Whataburger app and on Monday, you can buy one order of WhataWings – added to the menu in January on a limited bases and extended to year's end – and get another order free in-store, at the drive-thru or for curbside pickup or delivery. Just download the app before Monday and the offer will automatically be added to your account.
• Wings and Rings:  The Cincinnati-based sports-themed restaurant chain's 40th anniversary coincides with National Chicken Wing Day, so you can get 40% off traditional and boneless wings Sunday and Monday. Also starting July 28 is 40 Days of Giveaways including free wings for a year (1 per each Wings and Rings location) and a grand prize family vacation to Orlando, Florida. Sign up on the contest website.

Follow Mike Snider on X and Threads: @mikesnider & mikegsnider.

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