In an introductory geology course on vertebrate fossils, a new object-based classroom exercise was designed to enhance students' appreciation for evidence of evolution as a "tinkering" process, specifically in modern organisms with which everyone is familiar. During the dissection of a popular college late-night snack (barbeque-style chicken wings), students separated soft from hard skeletal tissue, undertook comparative anatomy of bird and human forelimbs, and discovered what is hidden in plain sight: the alula, a remnant claw that links birds to their evolutionary predecessors--the dinosaurs. A follow-up, anonymous questionnaire revealed that most students at the start of the dissection were not familiar with vertebrate anatomy or the skeletal structure of a bird wing. Upon completion of the dissection, most felt the exercise had helped improve their understanding of dinosaur--bird evolution, form and function, exaptations as tangible evidence of descent with modification, and analogous vs. homologous evolutionary features. The relatively small number of self-reported student learning outcomes precludes knowing how well the exercise can be adapted to large-enrollment courses. In such courses, however, the extra time involved in implementing the dissection exercise may pay off later during the term by serving as a foundation for discussions about other examples of evolution in the past and present.