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Vietnamese Chicken Wings - Canh Ga Chien Nuoc Mam

Vietnamese Chicken Wings | Canh Ga Chien Nuoc Mam

By: Cindy Lam Lorimer
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours
Servings: 6
Canh Ga Chien Nuoc Mam is a Vietnamese dish featuring fried chicken wings glazed in a sweet and savory fish sauce.

Ingredients

Marinade:

  • 5 lbs chicken drummettes, or chicken wings, or combination of both
  • ¼ cup fish sauce
  • 1 Tbsp onion powder
  • 1 Tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • 2 Tbsp vodka, optional

Fried garlic:

  • 2 heads of garlic, cloves peeled and chopped
  • ¼ cup avocado oil, or any neutral oil

Fish sauce glaze:

  • ¼ cup fish sauce
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup coconut water
  • 2 Tbsp white vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp lime juice

Garnish:

  • fried garlic
  • 5 jalapenos, sliced ¼ inch thick (optional)
  • ⅓ cup cilantro, chopped
  • sesame seeds, optional

Instructions

  • Pat drumsticks dry with a paper towel.
  • Add all marinade ingredients together and mix well.
  • Set aside to give it time to marinate while you’re preparing the rest of the ingredients.
  • In a pot with cooking oil, bring the oil to 350 degrees, make sure to never fill the oil more than halfway as oil will overflow from the pot once you start frying.
  • Add chopped garlic and fry until it just turns brown and remove immediately and place on a paper towel lined plate.
  • Bring the oil back to 350 degrees and then fry the chicken wings in several batches (I do mine in 3 batches) as you do not want to overcrowd them.  Fry them until they are just turning brown, around 5 minutes. 
  • Remove from oil and place them on a paper towel lined plate or cooling rack.   
  • Place them in the freezer for 10 minutes or until the chicken wings are fully cold but not frozen. Another option is to fry the day before, and do the 2nd fry the day after.  
  • In a saucepan, on medium heat, add all the ingredients together for the fish sauce glaze.
  • Bring to a boil and let it reduce for 5 minutes.  
  • Once chicken is nice and chilled, remove from freezer.   
  • Bring the pot of oil to 380 degrees, then refry the chicken for around 5 minutes in several batches to avoid overcrowding them. This allows for the chicken wings to get extra crispy.   
  • Another option is to use an air fryer at 380 degrees for 15 minutes, shaking halfway through. 
  • You will need to do this in 3 batches.
  •  I find that refrying them in oil has better results than the air fryer.  
  • Transfer chicken to serving bowl.
  • Pour fish sauce glaze when ready to eat. Do not add glaze before ready to serve as the chicken will get soggy sitting in the sauce.  
  • Garnish with fried garlic, jalapenos, cilantro and sesame seeds, toss and serve immediately!  

Notes

This dish is best when eaten fresh.  

Nutrition

Serving: 1portion | Calories: 648kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 19g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 157mg | Sodium: 169mg | Potassium: 474mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 490IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 68mg | Iron: 2mg

Equipment

  • Air fryer