Todd & Diane’s Sticky Asian Chicken Wings (Fish Sauce Wings)

This Asian chicken wings recipe is a reader favorite. These sticky fish sauce chicken wings are delicious and can also be made with soy sauce instead of fish sauce. But the fish sauce makes it taste better! 

You might need some extra hand wipes for this post. Or you just might want to skip this recipe all together because the thought of fish sauce makes you scrunch your nose and cringe. If you love chicken wings, but you’re not a fan of fish sauce, please wait. Don’t turn away just yet. Give us a chance to make our case, hopefully to get yourself to the kitchen to make a batch!

A few years ago our friendLara Ferroni met up with us for lunch while we were in Portland. She suggested one of her favorites, Pok Pok. When there we ordered the Vietnamese fish sauce chicken wings and our minds were blown at how much more delicious Asian chicken wings can taste. The intense flavors of the fish sauce really came through, balanced with the sweet and garlic layers. We’ve always been hugs fans of fish sauce and devouring this platter of Vietnamese fish sauce wings in 2 minutes flat was quite shameful. It’s one of those dishes that we can’t eat with finesse.

Video of Sticky Asian Chicken Wings Recipe with Fish Sauce

Since then, we created our own version to add to our chicken wing obsession. Over the years, we’ve created many chicken wing recipes with fish sauce, but none that was intense enough with fish sauce flavor. And this new recipe is inspired from those amazing fish sauce chicken wings from Pok Pok.

Fish Sauce Chicken Wings are So Good.

What makes our fish sauce chicken wings so different is that they’re really sticky, the type that leaves you licking your fingers and asking for extra napkins. But what makes them special to our taste is that we’ve added just a little less fish sauce so that it’s not so salty and have added some layers of fresh lime juice, vinegar and honey for sticky sweetness. And we didn’t add garlic. Why no garlic? because there’s so much flavor in this, we don’t need it. Well, not exactly.  There is the chili garlic sauce we added for a touch of kick and the garlic in one shot. All the flavors of everything come through beautifully in this Asian Chicken Wings Recipe.

These is the perfect Asian chicken wings recipe that has just enough fish sauce flavor, but not to where it’s over bearing. With the honey, fresh lime juice and vinegar, the sauce isn’t all about the fish sauce. Just enough to have a salty, umami, need to eat another 3 or 4 wings kick. With a beer.

All you taste is an amazing explosion of chicken wing flavor. Your mouths will sing! And bellies, happy! Oh, one more thing, don’t forget the beer to wash it all down with.

Give these a try!

-diane and todd

Here’s our collection of favorite Chicken Wing Recipes Here

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5 from 1 vote

Sticky Asian Fish Sauce Chicken Wings

Chicken wings can be prepared in different ways to achieve their crispness: fried or baked, with flour or not. Visit this write up on different ways to prepare chicken wings. This recipe shows a baked technique, but you can certainly fry them in oil or air fry them for a crispier wing.

Total Time1 hr

Servings: 6 servings

Ingredients

Chicken wing ingredients

• 2 pounds chicken wings (910g) , rinsed and patted dry
• kosher salt , to taste
• fresh cracked black pepper , to taste

Sticky fish sauce ingredients

• 1/4 cup ketchup (60ml)
• 1/4 cup honey (60ml)
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce (30ml)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce (22ml)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (15ml)
• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar (5ml)
• optional , chopped cilantro to garnish

Instructions 

• Cook the Wings: Preheat oven to 425° F. Line a baking sheet pan with parchment paper.
• On prepared baking sheet pan, spread chicken wings out in one even layer (we don't coat our wings with oil before baking, but you can if you want. We find that the oil just makes the wings greasier. The wings release enough fat already). Season chicken wings with salt and pepper.
• Bake for about 45-50 minutes until golden brown, flipping the wings halfway through baking, after the first 25 minutes or so.
• Make the Sauce: While the wings cook, make the sauce. Combine all of the sauce ingredients (ketchup, honey, fish sauce, chili garlic sauce, lime juice, and rice vinegar).
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sauce and the cooked wings and toss to coat. Cook for about 1 minute or until the sauce thickens and becomes sticky.
• Serve hot garnished with chopped cilantro if desired.

Notes

Crispy Wing Alternate Cooking Methods

Traditional Fry in Oil (uses about 1/2-3/4 cup of cornstarch to coat wings).

Toss the wings in cornstarch to coat, shaking off excess cornstarch. 

Heat about 2-inches of oil in a large pot to 375°F. Fry in batches for about 8 minutes per batch, or until golden and cooked through. Make sure to turn the wings a couple times while cooking so they cook evenly. Season with salt & pepper.

Air Fryer Chicken Wings (here’s our favorite Air Fryer)

Season wings with salt & pepper. 

Air Fry at 400°F for 25-30 minutes, flipping 2-3 times while cooking.

Toss with a little sauce, and then air fry for another 4 minutes. Different models and sizes of air fryers cook quicker than others. So adjust times accordingly. 

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!