Vietnamese Fish Sauce Chicken Wings

It's hard to beat a batch of fish sauce chicken wings!

One of my favourite dishes in Vietnam was fish sauce chicken wings. Although I loved all the noodle soup dishes, it was good to have something a bit different from time to time.

These fish sauce chicken wings make a great starter. You could also use chicken thighs if you want to make it a healthier main meal.

Vietnamese Fish Sauce Chicken Wings — Spicy, savoury, sweet, sour and delicious. Give these chicken wings a try!

About this recipe...

It's great how something so simple can be so good. You can literally whip up these fish sauce chicken wings in minutes though a longer marination time will benefit the dish.

I learned the recipe at a hotel my wife and I were staying at in Hoi An. I wasn't actually shown the recipe but had a good view of the kitchen and was able to see a few dishes being made.

The first time we tried them, they weren't spicy at all. We soon realised they were being prepared with westerners in mind and are usually much spicier with lots of fresh chillies.

Cooking the garlic

The best fish sauce chicken wings we tried had loads of crispy fried garlic.

You need to be careful when frying the garlic as it will easily burn. Try frying your garlic first and then adding back into the sauce at the end just before serving.

Do you have to use chicken wings?

Not at all but that is the most popular meat for this recipe. I don't recommend breast meat but it will work.

Chicken things are awesome in this recipe but remember that the cooking time will vary. You need to cook chicken until it is 74°C/165°F.

Can you work ahead?

Yes and if fact if you do, the chicken will be even better.

You can marinate the wings for up to two days if you like. You can also deep fry the wings about an hour before serving. Just place them in a low oven so that they stay crispy.

If you want, you can also prepare the sauce ingredients and even fry it all together. Then you just need to heat the sauce in your wok and add the fried chicken wings to finish.

How long can you keep leftovers in the fridge?

These fish sauce chicken wings are best served hot from the wok. If you do have leftovers, you can store them in your fridge for about 3 days. Just be sure to cover them tightly.

Then just heat them back up in your wok with a little oil or place them in an oven or air fryer at about 200°C/400°F until heated through.

Can you freeze fish sauce chicken wings?

If you want to freeze these fish sauce chicken wings, I recommend following the recipe up to frying the chicken.

Fried chicken freezes quite well so it's good to have on hand. Allow the fried chicken to defrost and then carry on with the recipe to serve.

Step by step photos...

Ingredients for fish sauce chicken wings — Get all your ingredients together before starting. It's easier that way.

Marinating chicken wings — Mix all the marinade ingredients together and cover the chicken with the marinade. If marinating a long time, place in a bag and move the wings around in the bag from time to time.

Flour coated chicken wings — When ready to cook, dust the wings with the flour mixture. Shake off any excess flour.

Frying chicken wings — Heat about 5cm (2 inches) of oil in a wok and bring to 200c/400f. Fry the chicken in small batches until nicely browned.

Frying garlic — Pour out all but about two tbsp of the oil and fry the garlic over medium heat until lightly browned. Be careful not to burn it.

Frying chillies — Transfer the garlic to a plate with a slotted spoon and then fry the chillies.

Simmering sauce — Add the prepared liquid sauce ingredients and simmer for a couple of minutes to thicken.

Completing fish sauce chicken wings — Return the chicken to the wok with the fried garlic and stir it all up to coat.

fish sauce chicken wings — Dig in! Great with a squeeze or two of lime juice.

What do you serve with Vietnamese Fish Sauce Wings?

You don't need to serve anything with these chicken wings! They are delicious enough to stand on their own. Just make sure to double the recipe if you're hungry!

If you would like to make these fish sauce wings into a Vietnamese feast, here are a few recipes to consider:

Snacks and starters: There are a lot of them! You really can't go wrong with Beef Congee, Vietnamese Grilled Scallops, Ban Xeo - Crispy Vietnamese Pancakes and Pork and Lemongrass Skewers, Vietnamese Summer Rolls, Pork Lettuce wraps or if you're really hungry a tofu banh mi or pork banh mi.

Vietnamese Mains: There are a lot of main course recipes that might be new to you. Famous dishes like Shaking Beef, one of my personal favourites, Bo Kho - Spicy beef soup, Cha Ca - Fried fish with Dill, Vietnamese Tofu with Pork Stuffing, Bun Cha - Grilled Pork Patties in Sauce and Vietnamese Rotisserie Chicken are all worth a try very soon!

Pho: Pho is by far the most famous dish to come out of Vietnam and you really should try my Beef Pho which takes a while to make but it's worth all the effort! If time isn't on your side, try Chicken Pho or Duck Pho. Both are delicious.

Top Tip

Marinate Overnight: When it comes to these wings, the longer you marinate the better! It really does make a difference.

FAQ

Do you have to deep fry the chicken wings?

No. That is the traditional way of cooking them but you can also bake them in your oven for about 30 minutes set to 200°C/400°F or for about 20 minutes in an air fryer set to the same temperature. Even if the wings aren't cooked through, they will cook through when you add them to the hot wok.

What are Saigon Wings?

Saigon wings are the same thing as these Vietnamese chicken wings, just a different name. If you're looking for Saigon wings, you've found them!

How do you make these wings boneless?

Yes, boneless wings are all the rave at the moment. You can use this marinate to make boneless Vietnamese Wings. Boneless wings aren't actually chicken wings at all. They are juicy chicken breasts, sliced into wing shamed pieces. Personally I prefer the red meat from the wing but if you like boneless wings, that's how they are made.

A good Vietnamese starter or snack will help make any Vietnamese meal. In fact, sometimes they can be THE meal! Here are a few you should try soon:

Vietnamese Main Courses

You will find many more main course in the Vietnamese section of my site. Here are a few of my favourites...

Have you tried this fish sauce chicken wings recipe?

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Yield: 4

Vietnamese Fish Sauce Chicken Wings

The Vietnamese fish sauce chicken wings are addictive. I bet you can't stop at five! So tasty and easy to make too!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

900g (2 lbs) chicken wings
1 cup rice flour or corn flour (cornstarch)
Oil for deep frying
FOR THE CHICKEN WINGS MARINADE
2 tbsp Chinese cooking wine or dry sherry
2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
1 tsp ginger, minced
1 tsp Chinese chicken seasoning or MSG (optional)
FOR THE SAUCE
2 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 green bird’s eye chillies, finely chopped
1 red bird’s eye chilli, finely chopped
3 tbsp fish sauce
3 tbsp lime juice
3 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp coriander (cilantro), finely chopped

Instructions

Whisk the marinade ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Add the chicken wings and mix it all up to combine. Set aside while you prepare the rest of the dish or cover and place in the fridge to marinate for up to 24 hours. The longer the better.
Remove the chicken from the marinade and retain whatever marinade is leftover. Dust the chicken with the flour and shake off any excess flour.
Now heat about 5cm (2 inches) of oil in a wok and bring up to about 200c/400f. If you don't have an oil thermometer, stick a wooden chopstick or spatula in the oil. When bubbles form around the wood instantaneously, your oil is ready for frying.
Fry the chicken in small batches for about 10 minutes or until the chicken is crispy and golden brown. Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate and discard all but about a tablespoon of the oil from the wok. If the oil looks dirty from the flour, pour it all out, wipe your wok clean and start again with a tablespoon of fresh oil.
Fry the chopped garlic over medium heat until lightly browned and crispy. Be very careful not to burn it. Transfer the fried garlic with a slotted spoon to a plate and set aside.
Now add the chillies to the wok and fry for about a minute. Stir in the retained marinade, lime juice, fish sauce and sugar and bring to a simmer for a few minutes to thicken.
Return the fried chicken wings and garlic to the wok and stir it all up to coat the chicken. Serve immediately garnished with the chopped coriander (cilantro).