Fish Sauce Chicken Wings are wings of your dreams! They stay incredibly crispy for HOURS after being fried. Each one is coated with golden garlic bits and a sticky sweet and savory sauce that will rock every party.
Take these to the next level with our Vietnamese Stuffed Chicken Wings!
A finger lickin’ good wing
When the Internet swarms you with images of people enjoying their Fish Sauce Chicken Wings (also lovingly known to us Vietnamese as ‘Cánh Gà Chiên Nước Mắm’), you know it’s time to bring some to your own table!
This is one of those dishes that fits perfectly with a Summer barbecue – searing meat on the grill, fresh salad to go, your family’s best fried rice and a plate of crispy fried chicken wings.
You can actually SEE what sets our recipe apart from all the others. The deeply golden garlic bits hugging each wing and glorious fish sauce caramel turns a humble piece of chicken into a showstopper.
But what you can’t see is what makes our Fish Sauce Chicken Wings truly memorable. The coating seals the juices in so perfectly that every bite is unbelievably succulent and full of classic Vietnamese flavors.
Of all the fried chicken I’ve had, this is my favorite. My husband and friends agree too; they’ve often requested for Cánh Gà Chiên Nước Mắm to be made for parties!
Why this recipe works
- Marinating the meat means the marinade penetrates through so you have flavor inside and out.
- Using a corn starch and baking powder mix for our Cánh Gà Chiên Nước Mắm results in a risen and super crunchy batter. Plus, it’s gluten-free as well!
- Double frying the wings helps the crisp last hours long.
What you’ll need
For the Marinade
About the garlic seasoning
We chose to use garlic powder instead of fresh garlic so that it would be easier to coat in starch. With chopped garlic, bits might fall off as it cooks.
But if garlic powder isn’t available then fresh garlic is definitely a great aromatic to add.
For the Sauce
About the seasoning
This Cánh Gà Chiên Nước Mắm recipe uses brown sugar for the deeper color and toffee-like sweetness but white sugar will still work well.
For the batter
About the starch
We used corn starch for the coating, but if that’s not readily available then you can substitute it for potato starch or tapioca starch.
How to make this recipe
Marinate the chicken in the garlic powder, chicken bouillon powder, pepper, salt and fish sauce for 20 minutes minimum. Alternatively, make it ahead of time to marinate overnight.
Using a low heat, add the chopped garlic to 2 tbsp cooking oil and let it fry until golden.
Tip: It may be tempting to turn the heat up for a quicker brown, but this could run the risk of burning the garlic. It’s best to keep the temperature low and steady.
Use a zip lock bag to shake and coat the marinated wings in the starch mixture.
Pour the chicken into a colander to shake off any excess.
Add oil into a deep pan or wok and fry the wings on a medium heat for 5 minutes on each side or until lightly golden brown and cooked.
Set aside to drip dry in a sieve over a bowl.
Bring the heat back up to high and fry the wings for a second time for 2 minutes or until they develop a deeper golden color. Transfer onto a sieve to drip dry or on a plate lined with paper towels.
Use a mortor and pestle to mash the garlic and chili, then set aside as you work on the sauce.
Pour 4 tbsp oil in a saucepan and brown the red shallots. Add in the sugar, fish sauce, garlic, chili and water to caramelize for 15 minutes or until it reaches a thick consistency, then stir the lime juice and spring onions in.
Mix the fried wings back into the sauce and toss until all are coated.
Serve immediately as is!
FAQs
There are many substitutes for corn starch, but the one that is often used for the most similar result is potato starch. If that’s not available then arrowroot flour, tapioca flour or rice flour will also work.
Just keep in mind that using the latter options might produce a slightly different batter, so experiment as you cook and adjust accordingly.
Yes, you can! Fish Sauce Chicken Wings need to be given time to cool down and then just put them in a freeze-safe sealed bag or container. They will last for up to 4 months. To cook, simply refry and make the sauce to coat.
If you’ve made the Cánh Gà Chiên Nước Mắm and need to store leftovers, keep them in a sealed airtight container and they will keep for up to 3 days. Just keep in mind that the batter will soften and no longer be crispy.
Tips for the best results
- Double or triple fry the wings. To keep the batter crisp for longer, cook the wings until 80% golden and let it drip dry in a colander. Bring the heat up to fry again until completely golden. You can repeat this for a triple fry.
- Coat the wings when they’re still hot. The sauce will seep into the coating much better with a warmer temperature.
- Marinate the chicken for longer. Ideally overnight, but the longer you marinate, the better because then every drop of sauce and bit of seasoning penetrates deeper into the chicken.
Get the whole family together with more delicious appetizers!
- Seafood Rolls – Springy and succulent on the inside, these restaurant-style crowd pleasers will have everyone wanting more.
- Ham Sui Gok (Fried Glutinous Rice Dumplings 咸水角) – Crispy and chewy on the outside with a delicious pork mince filling. These are the perfect way to start any meal.
- Bò Bía (Rice Paper Rolls with Chinese Sausage and Eggs) – Combine stir fried vegetables with paper thin omelette and sliced Chinese sausage for this satisfying rice paper roll.
- Bì Cuốn (Shredded Pork Rice Paper Roll) – Light, fresh and super simple, you’ll love how much texture is in these rolls.
- Chao Tom (Sugar Cane Shrimp) – Gather everyone home with these springy and wonderfully fragrant shrimp paste sticks.
- Gỏi Cuốn (Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls) – A Vietnamese classic that cannot be overlooked. Find all the tips and tricks for the perfect summer roll!
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Fish Sauce Chicken Wings (Cánh Gà Chiên Nước Mắm)
Equipment
- Mortar and pestle
- Zip lock bag
- Colander
- Sieve or dish lined with paper towels (for the excess oil)
Ingredients
For The Marinade
- 1 kg / 2.2 lb chicken wings
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp chicken bouillon powder
- 1/4 tsp salt (or to taste)
For The Sauce
- 10 cloves garlic (2 left whole, the rest finely chopped)
- 1 sprig spring onion (chopped)
- 4 chili (optional)
- 3 red shallot (finely chopped)
- 4 tbsp brown sugar
- 3 tbsp fish sauce
- 6 tbsp oil (2 tbsp for frying the chopped garlic, 4 for browning the red shallots)
- 3 tbsp lime juice
- 4 tbsp water
For The Batter
- 1/2 US cup corn starch
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- cooking oil (for frying)
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken in the garlic powder, chicken bouillon powder, pepper, salt and fish sauce for 20 minutes minimum. Alternatively, make it ahead of time to marinate overnight.
- Using a low heat, add the chopped garlic to 2 tbsp cooking oil and let it fry until golden.Tip: It may be tempting to turn the heat up for a quicker brown, but this could run the risk of burning the garlic. It's best to keep the temperature low and steady.
- Use a zip lock bag to shake and coat the marinated wings in the starch mixture.
- Pour the chicken into a colander to shake off any excess.
- Add oil into a deep pan or wok and fry the wings on a medium heat for 5 minutes on each side or until lightly golden brown and cooked. Set aside to drip dry in a sieve over a bowl.
- Bring the heat back up to high and fry the wings for a second time for 2 minutes or until they develop a deeper golden color. Transfer onto a sieve to drip dry or on a plate lined with paper towels.
- Use a mortor and pestle to mash the garlic and chili, then set aside as you work on the sauce.
- Pour 4 tbsp oil in a saucepan and brown the red shallots. Add in the sugar, fish sauce, garlic, chili and water to caramelize for 15 minutes or until it reaches a thick consistency, then stir the lime juice and spring onions in.
- Mix the fried wings back into the sauce and toss until all are coated.
- Stir in the fried chopped garlic until well combined.
- Serve immediately as is!
Notes
- Double or triple fry the wings. To keep the batter crisp for longer, cook the wings until 80% golden and let it drip dry in a colander. Bring the heat up to fry again until completely golden. You can repeat this for a triple fry.
- Coat the wings when they're still hot. The sauce will seep into the coating much better with a warmer temperature.
- Marinate the chicken for longer. Ideally overnight, but the longer you marinate, the better because then every drop of sauce and bit of seasoning penetrates deeper into the chicken.
- This Cánh Gà Chiên Nước Mắm recipe uses brown sugar for the deeper color and toffee-like sweetness but white sugar will still work well.
- We used corn starch for the coating, but if that's not readily available then you can substitute it for potato starch or tapioca starch.
- We chose to use garlic powder instead of fresh garlic so that it would be easier to coat in starch. But if garlic powder isn't available then fresh garlic is definitely a great aromatic to add.
Nutrition
This post was originally published on 21/07/20 and updated with new photos in April 2022.
This is sooo good! I love fried chicken anyway (who doesn’t?) but these flavors take it over the top!
Fried chicken is too good to pass! I do also love these added flavors! ;D
I love fish sauce, so I know I’ll love these wings! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!
Fish sauce is the bomb! Thanks, Jessica!
Wow the flavors in these chicken wings totally make this whole recipe- so delicious! Thank you!
You’re welcome, Kathryn!
We love chicken wings and experiment with their recipes often. Love that your recipe will end up with crispy wings. I cannot wait to give it a try!
Double frying is the best fried chicken secret ;D I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
These are so good! Even the wings as is are delicious, and with that sauce, they are heavenly. Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe, Jeannette.
Thanks, Anita! You’re so very welcome!
Thanks for the recipe . Water and lime juice are listed in the sauce ingredients but I don’t see it in the procedure. Is it added with the fish sauce?
Thanks for the spot! Yes, you can add those when you caramelize the fish sauce. I’ve fixed that part of the recipe!
Can an air fryer be used instead of frying directly in oil?
Thanks! Cooking newbie
Hi Juanita! You certainly can use the air fryer for this recipe 😀
This is a phenomenal recipe! I didn’t have any chilis at home so I used 2 tbsp of Sweet Chili Sauce and it was great. I used my airfryer. My executive chef husband said they were the best wings ever, so now we’re going to have them every Sunday night!
THANK YOU SO MUCH!
I love how you used what you had on hand! I’m so glad you and you husband loved them! Great to get the seal of approval from an executive chef 😀
Hi! I want to make this tonight and see spring onion in the recipe list but I don’t see it in the directions. Maybe I’m blind and missing it. Or it’s for a topping? Thanks
Hi, Rene! I’ve updated the recipe to include the spring onions. Thanks for the spot! You can mix it in at the end with the lime juice 🙂
Can you make these without the batter and either bake or air fry them instead?
Hi, Tori! You sure can but just mix in less of the sauce until it reaches your preferred taste. It won’t be the same texture as the battered ones, but the taste will still be there.
Thank you Jeannette, I prepped this too early. Can I keep the chicken marinated for 2days in the fridge?
Hi, Tori! Certainly! Just let it come to room temperature before you fry it so it’s not so tough.
My wings cane out very sour. I accidentally added the lime juice at the beginning of making the sauce-wonder if that made that difference.
Hi! I’m sorry to hear that it came out sour. Generally when lime juice is added at the beginning (and cooked with heat), the sourness will lessen. So I suspect it may not have been that. Perhaps next time you can try adding it just a bit at a time and tasting the sauce as you cook it. Different limes will have different levels of sourness. I hope that helps!
Has anyone tried this recipe using an air fryer and was it successful?