Super Bowl Sunday. Dad and Ryan watched the game together — Ryan drove up Saturday night because he couldn't miss the Super Bowl at the Abernathy house, which is a thing that Dad has apparently made into a thing by grilling wings and making his 'game day chili' which is the same as regular chili but with more jalapeños because 'football requires heat.'
Dad's wings are simple and perfect: chicken wings, salt, pepper, garlic powder, baked at high heat until crispy (not fried — Dad thinks frying wings is 'unnecessary complication'), then tossed in a mixture of hot sauce and melted butter. Frank's RedHot, because Dad is brand-loyal to Frank's the way some men are brand-loyal to truck manufacturers. The wings come out sticky and spicy and the kind of messy that requires a full roll of paper towels.
Ryan and Dad sat on the couch with wings and beer (Dad's first beer in months — he allows himself one on Super Bowl Sunday) and yelled at the television with the synchronized passion of two men who care deeply about a game that neither plays. Mom sat in the kitchen with me and read a magazine and occasionally said, 'Is anyone bleeding?' which is her standard sports-watching question.
I've been working on the recipe cards every week. This week: Mom's meatloaf. The one with the onion soup mix she denies. I made it in Mom's kitchen while she supervised from the table.
The meatloaf was... good. Not great. Not Mom's. The meat was a little dense (I overmixed — 'Gentle hands, Rachel, you're not kneading bread') and the glaze needed more time under the broiler. But it was recognizable. It was meatloaf. It was edible.
Mom ate a slice and said, 'Better than the dumplings.'
High praise.
Seven weeks until the wedding. Ryan and Dad are friends now — real friends, not just 'my daughter's fiancé' and 'sir.' They talk on the phone. They discuss the garden. Dad sends Ryan texts about tomato varieties. Ryan sends Dad articles about home defense systems. They've found their language.
The house is changing. The family is expanding. In seven weeks I'll be someone's wife and I'll live four hours away and the Super Bowl will happen and I won't be on this couch.
But the wings will still be good. Some things transcend geography.
Dad’s wings are the kind of recipe that doesn’t need improving — but they do need writing down, because someday the couch will be four hours away and the paper towels won’t be within reach and I’ll need to remember exactly how he does it. Baked, not fried, because Dad says frying is unnecessary complication — and honestly, he’s right. High heat does the work, Frank’s RedHot does the rest, and the whole thing comes together in under an hour with nothing fancy required. This is the recipe I wrote on a card that Sunday, while Ryan and Dad yelled at the television and Mom read her magazine and occasionally asked if anyone was bleeding.
Healthy Appetizers: Baked Buffalo Wings
Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 45 min | Total Time: 55 min | Servings: 4–6
Ingredients
- 3 lbs chicken wings, split at joints, tips removed
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp baking powder (helps crisp the skin)
- 1/2 cup Frank’s RedHot Original sauce
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- Ranch or blue cheese dressing, for serving (optional)
- Celery sticks, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven. Heat oven to 425°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil and place a wire rack on top. Coat the rack lightly with nonstick spray.
- Dry and season the wings. Pat the wings thoroughly dry with paper towels — this is the key to crispy skin. In a large bowl, toss the wings with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and baking powder until evenly coated.
- Arrange and bake. Spread the wings in a single layer on the wire rack, skin side up. Bake for 40–45 minutes, flipping once halfway through, until the skin is deep golden and crispy.
- Make the buffalo sauce. While the wings bake, whisk together the Frank’s RedHot and melted butter in a large bowl until combined. Taste and adjust — more hot sauce for heat, more butter for mild.
- Toss and serve. Transfer the hot wings directly into the bowl with the buffalo sauce and toss well to coat. Serve immediately with a full roll of paper towels and, if you’re feeling generous, ranch or blue cheese on the side.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 370 | Protein: 27g | Fat: 27g | Carbs: 2g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 860mg
About the cook who shared this
Rachel Abernathy
Week 97 of Rachel’s 30-year story
· San Diego, California
Rachel is a twenty-eight-year-old Marine wife and mom of two who has moved five times in six years and learned to cook a Thanksgiving dinner with half her cookware still in boxes. She married young, survived postpartum depression, and feeds her family of four on a junior Marine's salary with a freezer full of pre-made meals and a crockpot that has never let her down. She writes for the military spouses who are cooking dinner alone in base housing and wondering if they're enough. You are.
