Fish Sauce Chicken Wings (Cánh Gà Chiên Nước Mắm)

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

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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This post was originally published on 21/07/20 and updated with new photos in April 2022.

Join the family!