Vietnamese Fish Sauce Fried Chicken Wings (Gà Chiên Nước Mắm)

Crispy fried chicken wing with a fine outer crust, tossed in a sweet fish sauce glaze. For those who are absolutely terrified of the smell of fish sauce, this is the perfect recipe to baby step your way into the magical world of Vietnamese and Southeast Asian cuisine.

📝 Ingredients

• 3 lbs chicken wings
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder (or replace with additional 1/2 teaspoon salt)
• Vegetable or neutral oil for deep frying
• 3/4 cup corn starch
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons lime or lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons fried garlic

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Clean chicken (optional): I like to thoroughly clean the chicken by rubbing it with a bit of coarse salt to remove any strong poultry smell and pull out any lingering feathers, then rinse and pat dry with paper towels.
2. 2Marinate chicken with garlic powder, salt, ground black pepper, and chicken bouillon powder for at least 30 minutes but the longer, the better. Coat marinated chicken wings with corn starch. Tap off excess.
3. 3Fry chicken: Heat vegetable oil in a large tall skillet to 350°F. If you don’t have a thermometer, drop a bit of cornstarch into the oil. If it starts to sizzle without burning quickly, oil is ready. Deep fry chicken wings in batches, about 8 minutes per batch or until golden brown. Transfer chicken to a wire rack to drain off excess oil.
4. 4Make glaze: In a small saucepan or microwave-safe bowl, add fish sauce, sugar and lime/lemon juice and heat on high until sugar is fully dissolved (about 30 seconds).
5. 5Toss together: Toss chicken and sauce (a little at a time to your liking) in a large mixing bowl. Transfer chicken to a serving platter, top with fried garlic and serve immediately for the best crunchy results.