By Caleb bought the land. The closing was in November and he called me from the parking lot of the title company the same way I'd called him from mine: quietly, not quite sure what to do with the feeling. I said: congratulations. He said: I own land. I said: yeah you do. He said: River will grow up on this land. I said: yeah he will.
We drove out together that weekend and walked his parcel and then mine and then the fence line between them—which was an old wire run that had been there for decades and would need replacement eventually but for now marked where one thing ended and another began. The two properties shared about three hundred yards of boundary. Standing on that fence line looking at both pieces of ground felt like something I wanted to mark somehow, and didn't know how.
I made dinner at the barn: whole chicken roasted in the fire oven, potatoes from the garden, the last of the season's green beans. Simple. Exactly right. We ate at the prep table in the barn with River asleep in a carrier on Caleb's chest and the fire going low and steady.
He said: Danny would have liked this. I said: Danny would have been out here in the middle of the night building something with that fence wire. Caleb laughed and said that's true. I said: we'll do it right. We'll take care of it. He said: yeah. Then we ate in the comfortable quiet that only happens between people who've been through a lot together and don't need to account for it constantly.
That night at the barn wasn’t about anything elaborate — it was about being present, sharing food, and honoring something that didn’t have words yet. When I want to recreate that feeling at home, I come back to chicken that’s honest and satisfying: crispy on the outside, tender all the way through, nothing hiding behind a complicated sauce. These air fryer wings are the kind of thing you make when the moment calls for something real. River was asleep on Caleb’s chest and the fire was low, and food like this is what belongs in a room like that.
Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Wings
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken wings, split at joints, tips removed
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Dry the wings. Pat chicken wings thoroughly dry with paper towels. Removing surface moisture is the key to a truly crispy result.
- Season. In a large bowl, toss wings with olive oil. In a small bowl, combine baking powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle the spice mixture over the wings and toss until evenly coated.
- Preheat the air fryer. Preheat your air fryer to 380°F (193°C) for 3 minutes.
- Arrange in basket. Place wings in a single layer in the air fryer basket, skin side up. Work in batches if needed — do not crowd the basket or the wings will steam instead of crisp.
- Cook first round. Air fry at 380°F for 15 minutes, flipping wings halfway through.
- Finish at high heat. Increase temperature to 400°F (204°C) and cook an additional 8–10 minutes until wings are deep golden brown and skin is shatteringly crisp.
- Rest and serve. Transfer wings to a plate and let rest 2–3 minutes. Garnish with fresh parsley if desired and serve immediately.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 320 | Protein: 26g | Fat: 22g | Carbs: 2g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 410mg