These Vietnamese fish sauce chicken wings are umami flavor bombs smothered in a salty sweet glaze and pieces of fried garlic.
For Tet celebration we cook both traditional dishes like thịt kho (braised pork and eggs in coconut caramel sauce), canh khổ qua (bitter melon soup), gỏi ngó sen (Vietnamese lotus stem salad with prawns), and cháo gà (Vietnamese chicken congee) and mix in fun finger foods perfect for gathering. One of my favorite finger foods is Vietnamese fish sauce chicken wings or cánh gà chiên nước mắm. Inspired by Vu's uncle Tam's recipe from Long Provincial Restaurant in Seattle, we have been making this recipe for over a decade. Marinated with fish sauce and garlic, then deep fried and smothered in a caramelized sauce, they are finger licking good. Sadly his restaurant was closed last year due to Covid-19. Like many restaurants in the country, it couldn't weather this unprecedented storm.
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken wings: you will need about 2.5-3 pounds of wings. To get the best flavor, let them marinate overnight in the fridge and up to 48 hours.
- Fish sauce: some of my favorite brands are Three Crabs, Flying Lion Premium Fish Sauce, and Red Boat Fish Sauce.
- Rice flour: for this recipe, make sure you get rice flour and not glutinous flour. It’s an inexpensive regular shelf item at the Asian grocery stores.
- Oil: vegetable, canola, corn, and peanut oils are good for frying. Oils with a low point such as extra virgin olive oil and unrefined oils can burn before reaching the frying temperature.
Tips for Frying Chicken Wings
- Remove the wings from the fridge 30 minutes before frying and let them come to room temperature.
- Drain the wings over a strainer for 10 minutes.
- The best temperature to fry these fish sauce wings run between 325 and 350 degrees F.
- Make sure you don’t overcrowd the pan when frying. I only have 3 wings in the pan at a time with a thermometer attached to the side of the pan to keep the temperature consistent.
- Larger wings need to be fried at a lower temperature for a little longer than smaller ones. Lowering the temperature ensures they cook through without the outside browning first. Each needs about 4-5 minutes on each side depending on how big they are.
- To check if the meat is cooked, pierce it with a knife and look for clear juices.
- Remove them with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel before transferring them to a serving plate.
- To keep the wings crispy and warm while you’re finishing up the batch, keep them in the oven at 275 degrees F.
For us, these fish sauce chicken wings are more than a treat. They bring back fond memories of Seattle from my first year pharmacy residency. Every weekend that I didn't have to work, we made the 4 hour trek from Spokane to Seattle to spend time with family and to indulge in Vietnamese food. By the time we got to Seattle, it would be 10 or 11 pm, and we were famished. Instead of grabbing something from a fast food restaurant during our drive, we saved our appetite for the mouthwatering Vietnamese food at uncle Tam’s restaurants.
We loved our dinners with uncle Tam, devouring plate after plate of deliciousness, endless cocktails, and sharing our passion for food and pharmacy until the wee hours of the morning. In case you’re wondering about the pharmacy part, uncle Tam worked as a pharmacist but his passion for food led him to become an incredibly talented businessman and restaurateur of both Long Provincial and Tamarind Tree. These Vietnamese fish sauce chicken wings are our way of paying homage to uncle Tam. We'll always have these delicious umami bombs to remember Long Provincial.
For more Vietnamese recipe inspiration, you might like these recipes: Vietnamese grilled beef wrapped in betel leaves, Vietnamese green rice flakes crusted prawns, or Vietnamese lemongrass beer steamed clams.
Vietnamese Fish Sauce Wings
Ingredients
- 2.5-3 pounds chicken wings
- ½ cup warm water
- ½ cup fish sauce
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup roughly chopped garlic, about 8 large cloves
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- ½ cup rice flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- vegetable oil for frying
- 1 lime, cut into wedges for serving
- ¼ cup cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- For the marinate, combine water, fish sauce, and sugar in a large bowl and whisk until sugar is completely dissolved. Add chopped garlic and pepper.
- Add the wings and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight (at least 8 hours for the most flavor). Turn them every 4 hours to make sure the wings are marinated evenly.
- Before you're ready to fry, bring the wings to room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Drain the wings by leaving them in a colander for 10 minutes.
- In a large pot over medium heat, fill the pot to about 3 inches of oil and bring it to 325-350 degrees F (if you don’t have a thermometer, leave it on medium heat).
- Toss the wings, a few at a time, in flour mixture then shake off excess flour.
- Fry the floured wings for about 8-10 minutes, 4 minutes on each side (8 minutes for smaller wings and 10 minutes for larger wings) until golden brown.
- Transfer them to a tray lined with paper towel to drain off excess oil.
- Drain the garlic pieces from the marinate and deep fry them until golden brown. Reserve for later.
- In a saucepan, simmer the marinate over medium-high heat until it becomes syrupy and dark golden in color, about 12-15 minutes.
- Toss the wings in the reduced sauce.
- Place the wings on a serving dish, sprinkle fried garlic on top, then add lime wedges and garnish with cilantro.
Notes
- Make sure you don’t overcrowd the pan when frying. I only have 3 wings in the pan at a time with a thermometer attached to the side of the pan to keep the temperature consistent.
- Larger wings need to be fried at a lower temperature for a little longer than smaller ones. Lowering the temperature ensures they cook through without the outside browning first. Each needs about 4-5 minutes on each side depending on how big they are.
- To check if the meat is cooked, pierce it with a knife and look for clear juices.
- If you don’t want your wings too sticky, use a brush and glaze them as much or as little as you like.
Cathleen
I don't even like wings and I am loving the look of these 🙂
vytran
hi Cathleen! I'm not a wings person either but these are my favorite!
Binh
Finger licking good! I made one batch then used the same marinade for the second. It worked out great. Thanks for the recipe!
Tran
Made these for SB party. They were so good!
Minh
So good! One batch wasn't enough. I'll have to double it next time.
Emily
Easy to make and fun to eat!
Rick
Really good flavor and easy to make!
Nate
So good! Wish I had doubled the recipe!
Lisa
My husband couldn't get enough of these wings. We made them two weekends in a row.
Leo
Fantastic!
Alex
Delicious and so addicting!
Steph
So good! Perfect crisp and flavor.
Cathy
Wow! These are restaurant quality!
Josh
So good! Definitely doubling the recipe next time!
Kathryn
I made this for our party over the weekend. I doubled the batch and regretted not making more.
Pats
These were so delicious and crispy! I brought them to NYE parties and whey were a hit! Thanks for the recipe!
Vy Tran
You're welcome! So happy to hear everyone enjoyed them!
Le
I doubled the recipe for a gathering. Wish I had quadrupled.
Ella
Amazing flavors! Going to make it again for a gathering this weekend. Thanks for the recipe!
Yana
Wow one of the best wings I've tasted. Thanks for the recipe! Extra garlic next time though =)
Wan
These wings were terrific! Wishing I had made more.
Jackie
This recipe is amazing!
Vy Tran
So happy to hear that =) Thank you Jackie!
Linh
I've made this a couple times. Always doubled the recipe because they're the first to go at our gatherings.
Tim
Made this for a party this weekend and it was a hit!