You've Been Eating Chicken Wings Wrong All Along

Every once in a while, a life lesson comes along that you really wish you'd known sooner. We're not talking about learning to unclog a sink or change a tire. This skill is way more valuable in your pursuit of happiness: the right way to eat chicken wings. You might say there's no wrong way to eat chicken wings but the next time you're elbow-deep in a pile of discarded wing bones, take a look at how much tasty chicken skin and meat you've left behind. 

Uneaten skin and meat still lingering on the bones when you're done are telltale signs you've been eating chicken wings wrong all along. It's likely you've been holding your wings between your two hands and nibbling your way over, around, and in between the bones like an amateur. In order to achieve true chicken wing satisfaction, you need to get rid of the bones.

Chicken wings come in three parts – the drumette, the flat/wingette, and the tip (via The Kitchn). The drumette is the meaty portion that connects to the body of the chicken and it has one main bone in the center. The tips have basically no meat and, for that reason, often aren't included in a package of wings anymore. The flat is the part we'll be focusing on. It's the middle section of the wing consisting of two thin, parallel bones that are the bane of your wing-eating existence. Remove them and you're free to enjoy every bit of crispy chicken skin and every last morsel of tender dark meat. 

When you're ready to dig into your wings, Reader's Digest says all you have to do is pinch off the cartilage at the wide end of the flat, squeeze the other end, twist, and pull the two bones out one at a time. The smaller bone can be tricky to get a hold of but once you do, it pulls out easily. What you're left with is a completely edible, boneless wing, without sacrificing any of the delicious meat or skin. Why didn't they teach us this in school?

Now that you know how to get the most out your chicken wings by successfully deboning the flats, it's time to brush up on your skills. Not all chicken wings are created equal, and if you opt to get yours at Buffalo Wild Wings, be glad you're not contributing to their rise in sales of "boneless wings", which are really just cut-up chicken breasts and not wings at all. Jimmy O. Yang described "boneless wings" to Bon Appetit as "false advertising" and "bite-sized insults to [his] palette and intelligence!" 

You, with your newly-honed deboning skills can high-five yourself for being able to enjoy the real thing. Lastly, if you opt to make buffalo wings at home, avoid common mistakes like over-saucing the wings, or choosing to bake instead of fry them – frying is always better. And, don't forget the blue cheese dipping sauce on the side because dunking a perfectly deboned chicken wing into a creamy sauce and devouring the whole thing with wild abandon is what it's all about.