This year marks the 50th anniversary of the creation of Buffalo wings. (Getty Images)

Happy half-century, hot chicken wings!

Turning 50 this year, hot wings are the bread and butter of sports bars and football viewing parties, so the Super Bowl puts these morsels in particularly high demand.

According to the National Chicken Council's 2014 Wing Report, 1.25 billion wings will be devoured during Super Bowl XLVIII - yes, that's billion with a "b." That's equal to the record amount set in 2012. Get ready for the ultimate in chicken consumption with this recipe and these stats from the Wing Report.

Who invented them:

• First fried up as a late-night snack for friends, Buffalo wings were born in 1964 at Anchor Bar in, naturally, Buffalo, N.Y. The snack was so popular that the restaurant put them on the menu the very next day.

Who eats them:

• 81% of U.S. adults eat chicken wings
• 78% of women eat chicken wings
• 84% of men eat chicken wings

How to sauce them:

• Buffalo sauce: 65% choose this sauce as their favorite
• Barbecue sauce: 49%
• Breaded: 35%
• Teriyaki: 33%
• Sweet and sour: 29%
• Plain: 28%

How to serve them:

• Ranch dressing: 51% prefer this dip
• Barbecue sauce: 35%
• Blue cheese: 32%
• Hot sauce: 31%
• Celery: 29%
• Carrots: 17%
• Nothing: 10%

How to eat them:

• Traditional: Bite the meat off the bones.
• Meat Umbrella: This one-handed technique involves pushing the meat off the bone.
• Bone Separator: Remove one bone at the socket, so all the meat is left on one bone and easier to pick off.
• Bone Splitter: Hold the wing at the joint and chew the meat off the bones in one bite, while splitting them apart.

For a more detailed look at the best eating technique, check out this video from Cooking Channel's "You're Eating It Wrong" series.