Every bar, every restaurant has its signature chicken wings recipe. There was a recent search to find the best wings in the area. I envy the person who had the job of testing all the wings, but I don't envy the job of making that decision. I love wings - all wings - some better than others.

Chicken wings and their popularity have had a fairly short history. You've heard of the famous Buffalo Chicken Wings, right?

Most people believe that the first Buffalo wings were created in the Anchor Bar in Buffalo Oct. 30, 1964. This recipe materialized because of some hungry young men and a quick thinking mom who also happened to be a restaurant owner.

Teressa Bellisimo found herself needing to be instantly creative and solve the hunger pangs of her son and friends one night. Thinking fast on her feet, Teressa had an excess of chicken wings on hand and with that inspiration, decided to fry them up and smother them in a spicy chili sauce.

Still “winging it,” she realized that the hot sauce on the chicken wings might be a little too hot for some palates, so she quickly mixed up some blue cheese dip and had the boys dip the fried wings in it to cut the heat. Then she rounded out the appetizer by adding some cut up celery sticks for dipping into the blue cheese dip.

They were an instant hit. Who would have thought that quick thinking to feed some hungry young men could have started a culture that continues today?

Since the Anchor Bar's chicken wings recipe put Buffalo on the map, the city of Buffalo decided to designate July 29 as Chicken Wing Day. Now, amazingly the Anchor Bar serves up more than 70,000 pounds of chicken wings per month! The unbelievable success of the Buffalo Chicken Wings has made it possible for the Anchor Bar to continue the culture and popularity of chicken wings once considered the bottom of the barrel as far as food is concerned.

Today, you can buy the sauce, not only online, but in various established grocery chains. Here are three recipes, one is close to the original and two other are easier to make and may be a little kinder to your waistline. The actual recipe for the Anchor Bar's Buffalo Chicken Wings is a closely guarded secret by the family, but you will find that the following recipe tastes a lot like theirs. Enjoy.

This column has been a collaborative effort between Auburn natives chef Max Hitchcock and his mother, Susan Silverman. They can be reached at Birdscapes@adelphia.net

Best wings

For more on chicken wings, Lake Life will take a closer look at

Abigails's in Seneca Falls next Wednesday. Abigail's was named

as the best place for wings during the Buffalo Wing Festival held Sept. 2 and 3 in Buffalo. These wings are covered in a sauce with blue cheese and celery already mixed in.

Baked Chicken Wings

1/2 cup of margarine (melted)

1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard

3 cups of flake cereal (multi-grain is best)

16-18 chicken wings*

1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese

4 teaspoons parsley (finely chopped)

* break them into two pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a pie plate (glass is preferred), combine the melted margarine and the mustard. Then, in a medium-sized bowl, combine the cereal (crumble them up first), Parmesan cheese and the parsley. Once you've mixed everything together, simply spoon it onto waxed paper and spread it out. You'll then dip the chicken wings in the margarine mixture and then into the cereal mixture to coat each wing completely.

Finally, place on the chicken wings baking pan and drizzle with the remaining margarine mix. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until they've turned a lovely golden color.

Serve warm or cold.

Buffalo-Style Chicken Wings

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Blue Cheese Dressing (recipe follows)

24 (about 4 pounds) chicken wings

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 cups vegetable oil

4 teaspoons butter

2 to 5 tablespoons hot pepper sauce or to taste

1 tablespoon white vinegar

Celery sticks

Make the Blue Cheese Dressing first and

refrigerate at least 1 hour before using.

Blue Cheese Dressing:

Makes 2 1/2 cups

1 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons finely chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley leaves

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Red (cayenne) pepper to taste

In a large bowl, combine mayonnaise, onion, garlic, parsley, sour cream, lemon juice, vinegar, blue cheese, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper.

For wings:

Cut off the tip of each chicken wing and discard. Cut the wing in half (cutting at the joint) to make two pieces.

Wash and dry the chicken wings (they need to be very

dry to be fried crisp). Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

In a deep fryer or large pot, add vegetable oil and heat to 400 degrees or until the oil starts to pop and sizzle. (Note: The oil should be able to cover the wings and still maintain the same temperature.) If using an electric fryer, set the temperature to 425 degrees.

Add half of the chicken wings and cook 10 to 15 minutes

or until golden and crisp, stirring occasionally. When

done, remove from the hot oil and drain on paper towels (do not pile the wings in a bowl, because the fat will cool and congeal before it runs off). Repeat with remaining chicken wings.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Add hot sauce and vinegar; stir well and remove from heat immediately. Add drained and cooled chicken wings and mix together. Using tongs, take chicken wings out of sauce and let the excess sauce drain off. Place the wings on a hot grill or in a 350 degree oven for 2 to 3 minutes to bake in the sauce. Serve with blue cheese dressing and celery sticks.

Easy Baked Chicken Wings

3 pounds chicken wings

1 cup soy sauce

1 cup butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

Cut and discard the wing tips. Then, cut the chicken wings apart. Next, mix the ingredients and simply pour over the wings. Marinating them overnight is optimal, but if you don't have time to do that, just give the marinade at least one hour in the refrigerator.

Before baking, remove the wings from the marinade and bake 1 hour at 350 degrees.