Baked Chicken Wings -- The Celebration Batch That Started a Book

A publisher emailed me. Not a big publisher — a small, independent press that specializes in food writing and military family content. They found me through the column, read the blog, and want to talk about... a book. A BOOK. 'Your 'Cooking Through Deployment' series has significant appeal,' the email said. 'We'd like to explore the possibility of a book-length collection — recipes and essays about military family cooking, aimed at military spouses and the broader audience that has discovered your work during the pandemic.' I read the email four times. I put the phone down. I picked it up. I read it again. I screamed into a pillow because Caleb was napping and screaming into the air would have woken him. A book. Someone wants to publish my book. The book I daydreamed about. The book Dad said to write — 'For all the Donnas.' I called Ryan at the base. He's not supposed to take personal calls during duty hours but he answered because my text said 'CALL ME IMMEDIATELY NOT AN EMERGENCY BUT ACTUALLY AN EMERGENCY.' 'A publisher wants to make a book,' I said. 'A book?' 'A BOOK, Ryan. A BOOK about Mom's recipes and deployment cooking and military wife food. A BOOK.' 'That's...' He paused. 'Rachel. That's incredible.' I called Mom. She answered on the first ring. 'Mom. A publisher emailed me. About a book.' Silence. The longest Donna Abernathy silence I've ever heard. 'A book,' she repeated. 'About the cooking.' 'About your cooking. About the binder. About all of it.' 'My cooking is in a book?' 'It will be. If I say yes.' 'Rachel.' Her voice broke. 'Rachel, you say YES.' I'm saying yes. I'm meeting with them next week (Zoom, because pandemic). I'm going to write a book. About food. About families. About the military wife kitchen. About Donna Abernathy's recipe binder that traveled through five bases and became the foundation of everything I cook. For all the Donnas. I made Mom's fried chicken tonight. The celebration dinner. The cast iron. The seasoned flour. The golden, perfect chicken. I'm writing a book. I'm actually writing a book. Professor Kim. Dana. Carla. Jen. Soo-Jin. Sandra. Mom. Dad. Ryan. Every person who ever said 'keep writing' — I kept writing. The book starts now.

There was really only one thing to make tonight — chicken, golden and perfect, the way Mom always made it when something worth celebrating happened. I went with baked wings because I had them in the fridge and because, honestly, after screaming into a pillow and crying on the phone with my mother, I didn’t have the patience to babysit a cast iron skillet. These come out of the oven crackling and beautiful, and they tasted like every good thing at once: Ryan’s voice when he said “that’s incredible,” Mom’s voice when it broke, and the word book echoing in my head on a loop. Make these when life hands you something you’ve been waiting for. You’ll want something to do with your hands.

Baked Chicken Wings

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 45 minutes | Total Time: 55 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 lbs chicken wings, split at the joint, tips removed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder (the secret to crispiness)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven. Heat your oven to 425°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil and set a wire rack on top. Spray the rack lightly with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Dry the wings. Pat the chicken wings thoroughly dry with paper towels. Moisture is the enemy of crispy — don’t skip this step.
3. Season. In a large bowl, toss the wings with olive oil until coated. In a small bowl, combine the garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, cayenne (if using), and baking powder. Sprinkle the spice mixture over the wings and toss until evenly coated.
4. Arrange on the rack. Spread the wings in a single layer on the prepared wire rack, making sure they are not touching. This allows hot air to circulate and crisp all sides.
5. Bake. Bake for 25 minutes, then flip each wing with tongs. Continue baking for another 18—20 minutes, until the skin is deep golden and crackling.
6. Rest and serve. Let the wings rest for 5 minutes before serving. Serve as-is or toss lightly in your favorite sauce — though they’re honestly perfect without anything at all.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 380 | Protein: 28g | Fat: 27g | Carbs: 2g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 420mg