Get the game-changing secrets to the ultimate chicken wings to ever hit your kitchen! Fry them up stovetop or in the air fryer. Either way, these sweet, sticky, and salty Vietnamese Fish Sauce Chicken Wings, or Canh Ga Chien Nuoc Mam, are so satisfyingly crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, & so finger-licking good, your fam is going to wish you made more.
These craggily fish sauce wings are inspired by the popular pok pok wings from Portland’s Pok Pok restaurant that sadly closed after Covid. I remember these wings being deliciously crispy & hit the trifecta of flavors – sweet, salty, and tangy. They’re the unexpected wings for Easy Entertaining and huge hit at parties and Game Day!
Easily serve up a whole spread with a chicken platter of juicy Soy Sauce Chicken Wings, Sweet Chili Chicken Wings, & Korean Fried Chicken. If you don’t feel like getting messy, try my bite-size Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken or crispy Chicken Karaage!
🥘 Ingredients
The Sauce
Canh Ga Chien Nuoc Mam, or Vietnamese chicken wings with fish sauce, is perfectly balanced in flavor with sweet, salty, & tangy Nuoc Cham coating crispy juicy chicken wings. Each play a vital role and pack a punch of flavor!
- Fish Sauce: The star ingredient for this Canh Ga Chien Nuoc Mam sauce is fish sauce because it adds insane umami with its saltiness. It may be pungent for first-time users, but don’t worry! Once it simmers in the pot with sugar, it mellows out and blends beautifully with the other flavors. My fave brand is Squid fish sauce because it’s what my mom always used growing up & only has 3 ingredients, no mysterious ingredients here!
- Brown Sugar: I’m using brown sugar for this Vietnamese chicken wing recipe, which results in a subtle toffee-life sweetness. Who can say no to that??
- Thai Chilies: Completely optional, but highly recommended if you like a nice kick to your wings.
Seasonings
- Baking Powder: This is one of the key ingredients that makes your chicken incredibly crunchy! A little goes a long way to dry out the chicken skin even more to crisp up.
- Onion Powder & Garlic Powder: Both add subtle earthy garlicky flavors to the wings that are an absolute must.
- Potato Starch or Cornstarch: To take your wings to the next level, toss them in potato starch which is notorious for making chicken wings super crispy. You can easily find it at your local Asian market (I get mine from my local Ranch 99). If you’re craving these nuoc cham wings asappp & have trouble finding it, you can also swap it for cornstarch!
For full ingredient list & measurements, see recipe card below.
🔪 How to Make Fried Chicken with Fish Sauce
This Asian wings recipe is really flexible! You can whip it up in the air fryer for a healthier option with minimal mess, or go classic and fry them up for extra crunchy wings! Below is a comparison of how crunchy the wings turn out between the two methods!
The stovetop method (top row) results in crunchier wings but is more hands-on than the air-fry method. You also end up with a lot of excess oil after frying, but you can easily strain and reuse the frying oil, so nothing goes to waste!
On the other hand, the air fryer method (bottom row) gives you more flexibility can you can set because it’s a set & forget kinda thing. Annnd you use a lot less oil. The tradeoff is your Vietnamese wings will be slightly less crunchy.
Honestly, both methods are delicious though! Let me know which one wins your heart!
Alright, enough talk—let’s get frying those wings!
1. Make the Fish Sauce Chicken Marinade & Dredge
Whisk together the fish sauce marinade preferably in a ziplock bag, toss in the chicken wings & push out the air of the bag so all of the wings are soaking in the marinade – boom! No need to rotate wings for even marinating. Marinate chicken wings for at least 20 minutes or overnight in the fridge for even more flavorful wings.
Whisk together dry dredge in a Ziplock bag. Shake off excess marinade then drop wings in & make sure to reserve the leftover marinade! Seal the bag & shake until the wings are well coated. Usually, the bag will turn see-through since the dredge is fully sticking to the wings. Allow them to sit for at least 10 minutes. This helps the dredge stick better instead of flaking off while cooking!
2A. Air Fryer Method
Preheat air fryer to 360° F & add wings in a single layer to a lightly oiled rack. Work in batches if needed to prevent overcrowding! Spray or brush lightly chicken with oil. Cook for 12-15 minutes flipping halfway through.
Increase heat to 390° F & cook for about 5 more minutes or until crispy & cooked through. Remove & set aside.
2B. Stovetop Method
Heat a medium-sized pot on medium heat with enough oil to deep fry. Once it’s hot, add wings in batches so they don’t overcrowd. Cook for 5-7 minutes, or until golden & crispy, then remove and drain on a wire rack and repeat for the rest of the chicken. Let wings rest for 10-15 minutes and allow the oil to come up to temperature again.
Double Fry Wings. Increase the temperature to medium-high heat and add chicken wings back in for a double fry. Work in batches again to avoid overcrowding and cook for 2-3 minutes or until crispy and cooked through with an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees F. If you don’t have a thermometer, make a small cut on the thickest part of the chicken & slice to the bone. The juices should run clear.
3. Make Garlic Crisps & Sauce
Make garlic crisps by heating a saucepan on medium-low heat with a little oil. Add half of the garlic and stir constantly. Keep a close eye on it so it doesn’t burn! Cook for about a minute, or until lightly golden and fragrant. Drain & set aside. They’ll continue to brown from the residual heat.
Make the Sauce in the same saucepot. Heat on medium then add the drained garlic oil back in. Saute the rest of the garlic until soft and fragrant, then add leftover marinade and water. Simmer for at least 10 minutes, or until it’s turned into a thick sticky glaze. If it turns too thick or salty, you can add a splash of water.
4. Combine Wings & Sauce
Combine Wings & Sauce. In a large bowl, combine the wings and sauce. At first, it may not seem like there’s enough, but keep mixing until the wings are well coated in the chicken wing glaze. Sprinkle on the garlic crisps and chopped cilantro if you’re feeling fancy. Enjoy!
👩🏽🍳 Tips for Extra Crispy Vietnamese Chicken Wings
- Rest Times are Key: The first rest time is gives the chicken wings and dredge time to really stick together. If you dredge & cook right away, you’ll have more dredge falling off and having to clean up, rather than creating a crispy exterior. The second rest is before double frying, which is key because if you fry the wings right away, you’ll end up with dry wings. Let the wings hang out for 10-15 minutes to redistribute their juices before frying up again – it’s worth the wait!
- Why Avoiding Overcrowding Is Crucial to Max Crispiness: In the air fryer, cook these wings in a single layer with a little space around each wing. If overcrowded, the wings will create steam instead of fry and turn out soggy rather than crispy. While frying in oil, your wings also need space while cooking, otherwise, the oil temperature will drop, the wings will take longer to cook, and they won’t turn out very crispy either.
- How to Keep Crisp with a Sauce: It’s no surprise that moisture is an enemy to creating a crisp crust. In a large bowl, toss your wings in the sauce, then remove the wings so they aren’t soaking in liquid. The flour mixture creates a beautiful crust that soaks in flavor without becoming immediately soggy!
🍗 What to Serve with Fish Sauce Chicken Wings
If you’re hungry for more juicy chicken deliciousness, my Thai Sweet Chili Chicken Wings are sweet, sticky, and always irresistible for game day! For an easy hands-off cooking option, try my Sticky Soy Sauce Wings which are oven-baked to perfection. And don’t forget your vegetarian homies—my crispy Air Fryer Tofu bites are like little golden nuggets of happiness! My husband always begs for Korean Fried Chicken, but I can’t say no to Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken.
Here are more easy sides to indulge with your crispy delicious chicken!
Let’s get cooking!
Get into my secret stash of Goody-Packed Newsletters with meals planned for you & time-saving tips! Want step-by-step videos of how to make my recipes too? I gotchu over at my youtube channel. Aight, enough chatting, more eating!
Vietnamese Fish Sauce Chicken Wings
Ingredients
MARINADE:
- 4 tablespoons fish sauce
- 4 tablespoons brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil
- 2 pounds chicken wings pat dry
FLOUR MIXTURE:
- 1/2 cup potato starch or cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
INGREDIENTS:
- 8 garlic cloves minced & divided in half (4 cloves for sauce; 4 for garlic crisps)
- 3 tablespoons water
GARNISHES (OPTIONAL):
- Garlic crisps
- Cilantro roughly chopped
- green onions thinly sliced
- Thai red chilies thinly sliced
Instructions
- In a Ziplock or airtight container, mix together the fish sauce, brown sugar, white vinegar, & oil until sugar has dissolved. Add chicken wings, massage marinade into wings, & marinate for at least 20 minutes or up to overnight.
- In a Ziplock bag, combine cornstarch, garlic powder, onion powder, and baking powder until well combined. Add chicken wings, shaking off excess marinade & reserving marinade. Shake bag until wings are well coated, then allow wings to sit for about 5 minutes to better stick to the wings.
- In the meantime, preheat air fryer to 360° F then lightly brush air fryer rack with oil to prevent sticking. Lay chicken wings in a single layer, working in batches if needed. Spray or brush wings with neutral oil, then cook for 12-15 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- In the meantime, heat a small saucepan on medium-low with about 2 tablespoons of oil. Add half of the garlic & fry for about 2 minutes or until lightly golden, stirring frequently. Keep an eye on the garlic & don’t step away because it can quickly burn. Once they’re lightly golden, keep in mind the garlic will continue to turn slightly darker in color after removing from the residual heat & you don’t want it to burn or turn bitter. Drain garlic & set aside.
- Add oil back to the pan & heat on medium heat. Add remaining garlic & saute for a few seconds until fragrant, then pour in marinade and water. Bring to a simmer & cook for about 10 minutes or it’s turned into a thick sticky glaze. Keep in mind the thicker the sauce, the more concentrated the flavor. If the sauce becomes too thick or salty, you can add a splash of water, then simmer to your desired consistency. Turn off heat & cover to keep warm.
- Increase air fryer heat to 390° F & spay a little more oil if you notice any dry spots. Cook for about 5 more minutes, or until golden & cooked through (juices run clear or internal temperature of at least 165 degrees F).
- Toss together chicken wings & sauce until well coated. It may not look like enough sauce at first, but continue to mix & there should be enough for a thin glaze on the wings. Sprinkle on fried garlic & chopped cilantro, if desired, then serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
- Potato starch can be found at Asian markets, however, if you have trouble finding it, you can substitute it with cornstarch.
Nutrition
Exact calculations may vary. For the most accurate nutritional information, use your preferred nutrition calculator, actual ingredients, and quantities used for the recipe. Please consult with your physician or registered dietitian if more precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
