by Vietnamese Fried Chicken
My mother used to cook a lot with chicken wings when I was younger. I’m not sure if it was just because they were cheap, or if she merely enjoyed cooking them. I certainly enjoyed eating them. She would sometimes make soups and broths using just chicken wings, but often she would marinate them in lemongrass, chilli and garlic before grilling them until they were bronzed and crispy. Just how I would like them.
Fried Chicken Wings
I absolutely adore chicken wings and am guilty of inflicting them on my husband far too often. I’m always on the lookout for new recipes and this recipe for Crispy Chicken Wings with Fish Sauce from Real Vietnamese Cooking is a favourite.
Fried Chicken Wings Recipe
The marinade is simply made of finely chopped garlic and fish sauce, and the chicken wings are given another hit of lip-smacking saltiness with a hot fish sauce syrup just before serving. Despite the few ingredients used in this recipe, these Vietnamese Fried Chicken Wings are packed with flavour.
How to Eat Vietnamese Fried Chicken
In Vietnam, dishes like these are often served as snack food, typically with an ice-cold beer or two. I like to serve chicken wings as part of a meal, often with some steamed Jasmine rice and a vegetable dish alongside. But with my kitchen garden springing into action recently with baby lettuce leaves, coriander and a newly acquired perilla plant, a fresh salad can make these fried chicken wings seem more virtuous.
The original recipe instructs you to coat the cooked chicken wings in all of the hot fish sauce syrup. However, depending on how big or small your wings are, the fish sauce syrup might be too salty, so I would instead recommend tossing the chicken wings through only some of the syrup, and to use the remaining syrup as a dipping sauce. Be prepared to lick your fingers.
Vietnamese Fried Chicken Wings
Ingredients
For the Chicken Wings
- 1 kg (2 lb) chicken wings
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 4 tablespoons fish sauce
- 250 g (2 cups) cornflour, (US: cornstarch)
- vegetable oil, for deep-frying
For the Warm Dipping Sauce
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 125 ml (½ cup) fish sauce
- 125 ml (½ cup) water
- 110 g (½ cup) sugar
- red chillies, finely sliced
Instructions
For the Chicken Wings
- Joint the chicken wings and place them into a large zip-lock freezer bag.
- Add the garlic and fish sauce and give everything a good mix.
- Place the bag in the fridge and leave to marinate for 1-2 hours.
- When you are ready to cook, pat the chicken wings dry with some kitchen paper.
- Coat each wing with some cornflour (cornstarch).
- Heat enough oil in a medium saucepan to deep-fry (about 5 cm or 2 inches depth). The oil should reach a temperature of about 175°C/350°F, or it is ready if small bubbles appear when a wooden chopstick is inserted into the oil.
- Fry the chicken wings in batches for about 5-8 minutes (depending on size) so that they are cooked through completely, and until they are golden and crispy.
- Drain the chicken wings on a wire rack over a baking tray.
- Drizzle some of the warm dipping sauce over the chicken wings, reserving the rest as a dipping sauce.
For the Warm Dipping Sauce
- Place the garlic, fish sauce, water and sugar in a small saucepan and stir over medium heat until the mixture becomes syrupy.
- Be careful not to over-cook the sauce, otherwise it will turn into a caramel.
- Add chillies to taste.
Kitchen Notes
- OVEN & STOVE TEMPERATURES
All recipes on this website have been tested on an induction stove and/or with a conventional oven (i.e. an oven without fan). All recipes on this website use temperatures for a conventional oven, unless otherwise mentioned. Convection ovens (i.e. fan-forced ovens) are typically 20°C/70°F hotter than conventional ovens, but please check your manufacturer’s handbook. - CONVERSIONS
To convert from cups to grams, and vice-versa, please see this handy Conversion Chart for Basic Ingredients.
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This recipe was first published on 4 June 2014. It has been updated with more comprehensive recipe notes.
I love fried chicken in any kind of cornstarch mixture. Just love the texture it gives. Those wings looks so crispy 🙂
Thanks, Farah! I agree – cornflour seems to give a certain crunch which normal flour doesn’t. These wings were definitely crispy!
Oh, Thanh, I love chicken wings!! As a child, I chose dinner on Wednesday, and were always fried chicken wings or pork ribs. Yummy!!
Mum’s fried chicken had garlic, salt and pepper, no more!! Now, I cooked in different ways, and lemongrass, chilli and garlic is as simple as delicious!!
I like the crunch that gives use a little cornstarch (my mother only learned that a few years ago :P).
I have all ingredients, so I have no excuse!!! Or only one little big excuse: I hate frying!
Have a nice day, Thanh!
That’s so lovely that you got to choose your own dinner as a child! That’s a great idea … I might do something similar for our little boy when he’s older 🙂
I’m also not a fan of frying so I use a small-medium saucepan, that way I’m not using too much oil. But I love fried food too much to avoid deep-frying altogether!
My hubby enjoys chicken wings, he devours them with such gusto that it’s just too cute to watch. I on the other hand tend to hide from chicken wings or anything that has a bone stuck to it so when I make this recipe I’ll be using chicken breast for myself and the wings for hubby 🙂
Lovely to see another simply recipe using storecupboard ingredients Thanh.
xx
I have to admit that I don’t feel comfortable eating chicken wings in public, so it’s definitely a messy affair in private! 😉 I think this recipe could also work well with pieces of chicken breast or thigh, although I do think there is something tasty about meat on the bone … hopefully I can convince you once day!
“Crispy chicken wings”, “chillies”, “fish sauce” plus your excellent photo, I can imagine lip-smacking goodness for dinner! Chicken wings are the tastiest part of the bird, so your mum just probably wants to give you the best tasting dishes she could make :). Lucky you!
Julie
Gourmet Getaways
My mother used to by BBQ rotisserie chickens to make sandwiches in the bakery, and I remember devouring the chicken wings before the foil packets were even fully ripped open! I absolutely agree – the wings are the tastiest part of the bird 🙂
My favorite chicken wings recipe consists of marinating the wings in garlic, brown sugar, mustard and Worcestershire sauce, with a touch of cayenne and paprika to give heat. I love sticky, spicy wings, they don’t seem to last long in our house! Your recipe looks fab, I’ll definitely have to give it a try.
Ooh your recipe sounds delicious! Love anything with Worcestershire sauce, too.
Thanh, your chicken wings are incredible! That crust! I can just imagine that satisfying shatter with eat bite. There are a few restaurants around town (Chinese, Taiwainese, Cambodian, Vietnamese) who do their own versions of super crispy, flavourful chicken wings. If its on a menu, I’m ordering it. Your photos here are gorgeous!
Good to know of another chicken wing fan 🙂 There used to be a restaurant in Zurich which specialised in chicken wings. In fact, you could order all-you-can-eat baskets of wings and fries which would be refilled to your heart’s content! It was a sad day when the restaurant closed to make way for a new development.
My husband would love these! I never make chicken wings, he loves them but I just never think of. Your photos are beautiful by the way! It is hard to make chicken wings look elegant, but you did! 🙂
Oh thank you! It was hard to photograph the chicken wings without scoffing them all! So you can imagine that the photo shoot was quite brief 😉
I love chicken wings too and though I don’t enjoy deep frying things, these definitely look like they are worth the trouble, yum!
Can’t wait to try this recipe! We just came back from Seoul where we had some nice fried chicken but yours looks even lovelier and fish sauce just makes everything taste better!
Ooh I love Korean chicken wings!! Haven’t had those in ages though … don’t think I’ve seen them on the menu anywhere in Zurich. I’m also not a big fan of deep-frying so I do it in small quantities so I’m not overwhelmed by all of the oil. Hope you will enjoy this recipe 🙂
I just discovered your blog through NotParisienne’s one and this crispy chicken full of crunchy herbs and fragrant sauce make my feel so hungry ^^ Have a good day, I’ll add your blog to my favorites list 😉
Thank you! I hope you will get a chance to try this recipe – it’s packed with flavour 🙂
I made these for lunch today. They were declared the best ever! The dipping sauce was a bit too salty so I added some lime juice to lighten it and it tasted great. I wouldn’t usually fry food, I find the smell distasteful, but these were fine and I have all the windows open now to dispel the odour! Thanks again for the inspiring recipes and thankfully my children’s palates are becoming quite multicultural the more I experiment.
Oh I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe! And that’s a great idea to add some lime juice to the dipping sauce – I will try that next time. I’ve made these chicken wings a few times now because you only need a few ingredients, and they always disappear so quickly. I’m also not a big fan of deep-frying food, but I find it manageable to do it in small quantities. I’m glad it was a hit with your kids! 🙂
My family loved this recipe! Next time, I will make a double batch – they were so good!
So yummy!!! I like this! Thank you for a great recipe!
Wow, these were so so tasty!! I’m salivating as I write this comment. My friends have asked me to make them again soon 🙂
Absolutely delicious recipe! I’m still salivating thinking about these chicken wings.
We make chicken wings differently in my family (I’m also Vietnamese) but these were very, very tasty. The wings were nice and crispy and the sauce was also delicious. Great recipe!
These chicken wings are delicious and addictive!