Vietnamese Chicken Wings
Not interested in the step-by-step? Skip to the recipe.
About 4 years ago I shared a recipe for Sweet & Spicy Sticky Wings.
That recipe was my twist on Chef Andy Ricker’s wings that he serves at his restaurant Pok Pok in Portland.
Over the years I’ve made many changes and I think I finally found the recipe that tastes the way I want it to.
And it’s way easier and we all know how much I love easy.
The biggest change is I no longer marinate the wings prior to cooking them.
I simply cook the chicken wings exactly the way I always do: on a Big Green Egg, raised direct.
That means I use fire bricks to raise the grate (raised), and nothing is between the fire and the wings (direct).
I cook them at 325F for about 45 minutes to 1 hour with the thick skin side up, and then I flip them and cook for another 15 minutes or so with the thick skin side down.
But it’s really the sauce we are here to talk about.
So how you cook the wings is completely up to you: grill them, smoke them, fry them, bake them, or broil them.
Once you toss them in this Vietnamese wing sauce your friends and family will go crazy over them.
The sauce is made up of fish sauce, chili garlic sauce, water, sugar, garlic, ginger, and cilantro:
Before we go any further, let’s talk about fish sauce for a minute. Many people are convinced they hate fish sauce before they ever open up a bottle of it. Yes, when you open that bottle the potent smell will make your face scrunch, but the flavor it adds to a meal is lovely. So please trust me and at least try it.
Mince the garlic and ginger and add it to the water and let the flavors marry for a few minutes.
Add equal parts fish sauce and sugar to a sauce pan over medium heat.
Stir until the sugar is dissolved and then add the garlic, ginger, and water.
When that starts to boil add the garlic chili sauce.
Continue to boil until the sauce is reduced to a syrupy consistency.
This will take about 10-15 minutes.
Toss the chicken wings in the sauce and add chopped cilantro:
These Vietnamese Chicken Wings are salty, sticky and have a punch of Asian flavor that is sure to please any crowd.
- 3 pounds chicken wings, cooked
- ½ cup fish sauce
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup water
- 2-4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon ginger, minced or grated
- 2-3 tablespoons chili garlic sauce (I use Huy Fong)
- Chopped cilantro, to taste
- If you are cooking on a Big Green Egg, set your cooker up for raised direct at 325F.
- Cook for about 45 minutes to 1 hour with the thick skin side up.
- Flip and cook for another 15 minutes or so with the thick skin side down.
- While the wings cook, make the sauce.
- Put the minced garlic and ginger into the water and let the flavors marry for a few minutes.
- Add the fish sauce and sugar to a sauce pan over medium heat.
- Stir until the sugar is dissolved.
- Add the garlic, ginger, and water.
- When that starts to boil add the garlic chili sauce.
- Continue to boil until the sauce is reduced to a syrupy consistency, about 10-15 minutes.
- Toss the chicken wings in the sauce and add chopped cilantro.