National Chicken Wing Day: Deals and Freebies Await!

A Celebration of Chicken Wings

National Chicken Wing Day is celebrated today, July 29. While the day may have originated in Buffalo, New York, chicken chains across Reno and nationwide are offering special deals to mark the occasion. Chicken wings have become a beloved American food, with U.S. residents ordering more than 1.2 billion servings in the 12 months ending June 2025, according to research firm Circana CREST tracking data. This represents a slight decrease of 1.5% from the previous year.

The history of chicken wings remains a topic of debate, but the dish gained popularity in the 1960s and saw a surge in the 1980s as whole chicken cooking declined and consumers began favoring chicken breasts for main dishes. Over time, chicken wings have evolved beyond traditional buffalo sauce to include a wide range of flavors such as bourbon, lemon pepper, mango, and teriyaki. The introduction of boneless wings in 2003 by Buffalo Wild Wings further expanded the options available to diners.

Rising Prices and Special Deals

Prices for an order of chicken wings have increased slightly in restaurants over the past two years, with a 2.4% rise compared to a year ago, according to digital restaurant payment platform Toast, which is used in more than 140,000 restaurants. To help customers save, many wing-centric restaurants are offering special deals on National Chicken Wing Day.

How Did National Chicken Wing Day Start?

In 1977, then-mayor of Buffalo, New York Stan Makowski, proclaimed July 29 as National Chicken Wing Day to celebrate the fact that “thousands of pounds of chicken wings are consumed by Buffalonians in restaurants and taverns throughout the city each week.”

Restaurant Deals

Buffalo Wild Wings is giving customers six free wings (boneless or traditional) with an order of $10 or more. You can get the deal when dining in or ordering online or through the Buffalo Wild Wings App using promo code FREEWINGS. Options include the Honey Garlic sauce, which has become part of the permanent menu.

Popeyes offers three ways to extend your National Chicken Wing Day festivities. Through Sunday, August 3, when you order in stores, any purchase of a 6-piece Bone-In Wings comes with a free 6-piece order. Members of the Popeyes Rewards loyalty program get a free 6-piece order of Spicy Bone-In Wings with any wings order online or through the Popeyes app. Additionally, there's a buy one, get one free deal on 6-piece orders of bone-in or boneless wings when ordering from delivery services DoorDash or Uber Eats.

Wingstop is offering five free wings with a qualifying chicken purchase such as an order of classic or boneless wings, tenders, or a chicken sandwich. The deal is available by ordering for carryout or delivery on the Wingstop website or in the Wingstop app (use code FREEWINGS). Wingstop also recently added the Paige Bueckers Flavor Lineup, featuring her WNBA All-Star favorites: six OG Hot classic wings, six Hickory Smoked BBQ boneless wings, two Garlic Parmesan crispy tenders, large order of seasoned fries, and two ranch dips (available for a limited time).

Applebee's has an online deal for National Chicken Wing Day on July 29. When you buy one to-go order of Boneless Wings or Classic Bone-In Wings, you get another free. Orders must be placed through the Applebee's website or mobile app. This offer is limited to one redemption per transaction, and third-party delivery apps do not qualify.

Mountain Mike's Pizza offers a special deal where buying any pizza on July 29 gets you six wings for $4.99 or 12 wings for $8.99. Use codes 6WING4 or 12WING8.