Vietnamese Fish Sauce Chicken Wings (Cánh Gà Chiên Nước Mắm)

Vietnamese Fish Sauce Chicken Wings (Cánh Gà Chiên Nước Mắm) are a must-have at any party! Perfectly crispy, golden wings are coated in a sweet and savory fish sauce glaze that's absolutely irresistible. The end result: an addicting appetizer that's finger lickin' good!

Jump to:

• 🍗 The Best Sticky Asian Chicken Wings
• 🧂 Ingredients
• 🔪 How To Make Vietnamese Fish Sauce Chicken Wings
• 💭 Top Tips
• 🥡 Storing & Freezing
• 📖 Recipe FAQs
• 🍽 Looking For More Chicken?
• 📋 Recipe
• 👩🏻‍🍳 Products I Used
• 💬 Reviews

🍗 The Best Sticky Asian Chicken Wings

If you're from the Pacific Northwest, you might know Vietnamese Fish Sauce Chicken Wings from Pok Pok. This Thai restaurant is known for its fish sauce wings that was inspired by Vietnamese street food. You can find the original recipe online, but I will humbly say that I prefer this version because it's simpler but just as flavorful!

We skip the marinade in this Asian chicken wing recipe but don't fret! Instead, we do a quick and easy dry brine to infuse flavor into the wings while drying out the exterior. This helps achieve a crackly, extra crispy coating when deep fried. And yes, a caramelized fish sauce glaze might make you say huh? But it's basically a concentrated version of Vietnamese fish dipping sauce that I like to call liquid gold. It's salty, full of umami, sweet, sour.. everything you want, really. It clings onto the crispy chicken wing to create a sticky and delicious sauce. Drooling yet?

Why You'll Love It

• Flavorful: This fish sauce chicken wing is bursting with flavor, inside and out. A quick dry rub seasons the meat while the sauce takes it to the next level.
• Party food: Fried chicken wings are a must-have appetizer. These are great for parties, potlucks, the Superbowl, and even Tết!
• Quick: Some chicken wing recipes call for an overnight marinade. This one, however, only takes 1 hour from start to finish!

🧂 Ingredients

• Chicken wings: If not already split, cut them at the joints so you have a flat, drumette, and tip. Save the tips for stock (no waste!). You can also purchase them pre-split as party wings.
• Flour and corn starch: I use a 50/50 blend of all-purpose flour and corn starch for the coating. Corn starch helps dry out the skin for an extra crispy, puffy exterior that allows the sauce to cling on better. It also prevents gluten formation in the flour for a more crackly surface.
• Butter: A classic in any fried chicken sauce. I prefer unsalted butter since the fish sauce is already salty.
• Shallot and garlic: Flavors the glaze while also adding a little texture.
• Fish sauce: A popular Southeast Asian condiment made from salted and fermented anchovies. It's salty, funky, and umami-rich. My favorite brand is Red Boat because of the clean ingredients and it's more concentrated, so a little goes a long way. Fish sauce is one of my favorite ingredients - I also use it for Vietnamese Egg Omelet, Crab Rangoons, and Rabokki.
• Sugar: Because fish sauce is a strong ingredient, it's almost always tempered with sugar. I use white sugar, but brown sugar would work fine too.
• Frying oil: Make sure to use a neutral-flavored oil with a high smoke point for frying. Avocado, peanut, or canola oil would work.
• Lime: A must have! It brightens the whole dish and balances the fish sauce.
• Optional garnishes: green onion, cilantro, or red chili peppers. I recommend at least one of these for freshness.

Substitutions & Variations

• If you don't have corn starch, you can replace it with additional all-purpose, potato, or rice flour.
• Any sweetener would work in this recipe: coconut sugar, honey, or maple syrup even.
• Baking powder is a popular add-in for a crispy fried chicken these days. I don't find it necessary in this recipe, but feel free to add a little bit to the flour and corn starch for an even lighter, puffier coating.
• To make this dairy-free, replace the butter with a neutral oil like avocado oil.

🔪 How To Make Vietnamese Fish Sauce Chicken Wings

⬇️ Please scroll down to the recipe card to see full ingredient amounts and instructions.

STEP ONE: First, add dredge ingredients to a large bowl: flour, corn starch, salt, and pepper. Whisk to combine.

STEP TWO: Pat chicken wings dry and add to same bowl. Toss until each one is evenly coated, then let sit for 30 minutes. It should look more yellow and wet. But don't worry, the dredge is absorbing excess liquid and will dry out during the fry.

STEP THREE: While the chicken is marinading, melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and shallots, cooking for 30 seconds to 1 minute until fragrant, stirring constantly.

STEP FOUR: Add the fish sauce, sugar, and water. Let simmer, increasing heat to medium-high if needed. There should be constant small bubbles.

STEP FIVE: Let sauce reduce for about 5 minutes, until liquid has reduced to half. Set aside and as it cools, it'll thicken to a syrup-like consistency.

STEP SIX: In a large heavy bottom pot or deep fryer, heat oil to 350-360ºF. Add a small batch of chicken wings and let fry until deeply golden and internal temperature is 175-180ºF, about 6-8 minutes. Fry in multiple batches to prevent overcrowding and let the oil temperature reach 350ºF in between each batch.

STEP SEVEN: Line a baking sheet with paper towels or a silicone mat. Place a wire rack inside and transfer cooked wings as they finish cooking on top in a single layer.

STEP EIGHT: Add fish sauce glaze to a large bowl, followed by the wings. Toss to coat, then finish with lime juice. Option to garnish with green onion, cilantro, and/or chili.

What To Serve With Cánh Gà Chiên Nước Mắm

• For a variety of chicken wing flavors, serve these alongside Air Fryer Honey Garlic Chicken Wings.
• More party food must-haves are Potato Croquettes, Honey Chipotle Shrimp Tacos, and Ube Cheesecake Bars.
• Looking for more Vietnamese food? My favorites include Vietnamese Flat Rice Noodles with Beef (Hu Tieu Ap Chao), Vietnamese Chayote Squash with Beef (Su Su Xao Thit Bo), and Vietnamese Sticky Rice with Peanuts (Xoi Dau Phong).

💭 Top Tips

• Don't skip the dredge! Tossing the wings in flour and corn starch will dry out the skin, protect the meat, and help with browning. The end result is a crispy coating with plenty of nooks and crannies for the sauce to catch.
• Use a candy/frying thermometer so you can monitor the temperature of the oil. During the fry, try to maintain the oil temperature around 325-350ºF.
• Don't overcrowd when frying. This will result in more steam which can hinder the browning and crisping aspect.
• Use a meat thermometer for best results. There's a large size variation in the wings and within each part of a wing. Chicken is safe to eat at 165ºF but I prefer cooking dark meat to 180ºF because there's more connective tissue that needs time to break down.
• When cooling the chicken wings, don't stack them. The steam will cause the outside to soften. Whenever I'm frying, I'll line a baking sheet with paper towels and place a cooling rack inside. This prevents the food from sitting in its own oil and gives you more room to cool items in a single layer.
• Glaze the wings while they're hot. This allows them to absorb the sauce better.
• For big parties or events, double fry for an even more impressive crunch. Fry the wings at 350ºF until 90% done (around 170ºF internal temperature) and let dry on the cooling rack until you're done with the first round. Then fry again for 2 more minutes until deeply golden.

🥡 Storing & Freezing

Storing: If you have leftover cooked and glazed Vietnamese Fish Sauce Chicken Wings, store them in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. If possible, I recommend storing the fried wings and fish sauce separately to retain as much crunch as possible.

Freezing: Store fried chicken wings in a zip-top bag with as much air removed as possible. It'll keep in the freezer for 4 months. Then reheat and make the fish sauce glaze fresh.

Reheating: Reheat chicken wings in the oven, toaster oven, or air fryer. I recommend reheating at a lower temperature around 300-325ºF for 6-8 minutes or until crispy again. If they're already glazed, check frequently since the sugar can burn easily.

Make Ahead: You can dredge and fry the chicken wings in advance. Fry them at 300ºF until internal temperature is 170ºF, then let cool and store in the fridge or freezer. Then day of, fry again at 375ºF for 2-3 minutes until deeply golden brown (longer if frozen) and then toss in freshly made fish sauce.
For parties and events, keep the wings warm in the oven at 200ºF. Don't glaze until ready to serve.

📖 Recipe FAQs

🍽 Looking For More Chicken?

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📋 Recipe

👩🏻‍🍳 Products I Used

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