By Super Bowl week, and I don't care who's playing as long as there's food. I'm a Saints fan, obviously — born in Louisiana, raised on the black and gold, survived the pre-Brees era when being a Saints fan was an act of faith bordering on masochism. But when the Saints aren't in it, the Super Bowl is just an excuse to cook, and I will take any excuse to cook, including ones that involve a sport I didn't pay attention to for three months.
I did a spread. Wings — fried, tossed in a Cajun hot sauce that I make from cayenne, vinegar, butter, and garlic. Boudin balls, because boudin balls belong at every gathering. A pot of chili, because Super Bowl chili is a law of nature. And a queso dip that is not Cajun in any way but that Danielle requested and Danielle gets what Danielle requests because I am a smart man.
The game was good. I'm told. I was in the kitchen for most of it, which is where I want to be during any event that involves more than four people in my living room. I can hear the game. I can hear the cheering. And I can be in my element — the stove, the counter, the rhythm of cooking for a crowd — which is where I'm happiest. Some people are front-of-house. I'm back-of-house. Always have been. Joey was the same way. At any family gathering, you'd find Joey in the kitchen, near the stove, stirring something, half-listening to the party and half-lost in whatever was on the burner. I understood it as a kid. I live it as a man.
Tee-Claude brought his family over. His kids and my kids have formed what I can only describe as a small militia — nine children between our two families, ranging in age from four to eleven, and when they're all in the same house, the noise level exceeds what the Geneva Convention considers acceptable. Rémy and Tee-Claude's youngest, Lila, are the same age and have developed a friendship based entirely on the shared goal of maximum chaos. They spent the Super Bowl drawing on each other with markers. Washable, Danielle verified. After the incident.
Joey's death anniversary is this week. February 3rd. Three years. I didn't do anything special — didn't go to the grave, didn't make a speech, didn't fall apart. I made his gumbo. The one with tomatoes. The one Marie-Claire says is Creole, not Cajun. The one that caused arguments at family gatherings for forty years. I made it his way, exactly his way, and I ate a bowl at the kitchen counter standing up, the way he used to, and I said, "C'est bon, Papa," out loud, to nobody, in a kitchen that smelled like him. Three years. The grief isn't less. It's just different. It's learned to live in my house without knocking everything over. Most days.
The Cajun hot sauce wings were the first thing gone — nine kids and Tee-Claude will do that to a platter — and I’ve been refining my game day wing game ever since. These honey chipotle garlic wings aren’t the exact ones I made for the Super Bowl, but they scratch that same itch: sticky, spicy, sweet, the kind of thing you can toss together between plays while you’re happily ignoring the living room from behind the stove. If you’re back-of-house like me, these are your wings.
Baked Chicken Wings with Honey Chipotle Garlic Sauce
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 45 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour | Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 3 pounds chicken wings, tips removed, drumettes and flats separated
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- Sliced green onions, for garnish
- Sesame seeds, for garnish
Instructions
- Prep the wings. Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and set a wire rack on top. Pat the wings completely dry with paper towels.
- Season. In a large bowl, toss the wings with baking powder, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika until evenly coated. Arrange in a single layer on the wire rack.
- Bake until crispy. Bake for 20 minutes, then flip the wings and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes until the skin is golden and crispy.
- Make the sauce. While the wings bake, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Stir in the honey, minced chipotle peppers, soy sauce, and apple cider vinegar. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly.
- Toss and serve. Transfer the baked wings to a large bowl and pour the honey chipotle garlic sauce over them. Toss until every wing is coated. Pile onto a platter and garnish with sliced green onions and sesame seeds. Serve immediately.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 380 | Protein: 28g | Fat: 22g | Carbs: 14g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 680mg