This Is The Right Way To Eat Chicken Wings

There are two types of people in the world: the ones who eat chicken wings with their hands; and the ones who use a knife and fork. In the same way there are two eating styles for the king of appetizers, there are also two types of wings — the drum, which looks like a small chicken leg, and the flat (via Thrillist). Most wing lovers will concede that the flats are the tastier of the two wing styles, because they have more crispy skin and sauce. But they are much harder and messier to eat than their drum counterparts, which you can easily nibble and dip with one hand (via Mel Magazine). Fork and knife wing eaters can't even enter the conversation. Despite being tidier than their finger-licking friends, there's absolutely no way to get all the flavors and enough meat off the bones (via WingMaster).

What if the finger eaters and the knife and fork eaters are both wrong? What if there is a hybrid of the two wing-eating styles that's actually the "right way?" Luckily, there is. You can eat the wing without getting messy and still get all the flavors without sucking on the bones like a Neanderthal? With a quick twist of the wrist, you can debone those delicious little flats like a professional chef and leave the mess on the plate, not on your face and fingers (via Reader's Digest).

When it comes to taking the bones out of a crispy fried or smoked wing, you want to focus your attention on the more delicious flats. Sometimes called the wingette, flats have two small bones that sit parallel to each other and run down the length of the wing (via The Kitchn). Once you remove those two bones, you're basically left with a perfect nugget of chicken wing that you can choose to eat with your fingers or with utensils — and you won't miss out on any of the meat or skin (via FoodBeast). 

First, find the wider end of the flat. This end has a piece of cartilage attached to the bones. Tear off the cartilage and discard it (via Reader's Digest). The bones should be loose now. At this point, all you have to do is hold the opposite end of the wing firmly (the side that didn't have the cartilage piece) and wiggle the bones until you can pull them out cleanly (via FoodBeast). The smaller bone is harder to get a grip on, but it should pull out a bit easier than the larger bone. And now you've got a completely edible boneless wing (via Reader's Digest)! As with anything, practice makes perfect so don't get discouraged if your first few don't go as smoothly as you'd like. You can practice at home before dazzling your friends with your new de-boning skills.