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These simple Vietnamese chicken wings consists of some fish sauce, sugar and loads of crispy garlic and is inspired by Pok Pok in Portland.
You can never go wrong with some good old fashioned chicken wings like teriyaki chicken wings or honey lemon pepper wings, but why not mix it up.
Fun fact - Americans at 1.33 billion chicken wings on Super Bowl Sunday this past year. Yes you heard that right... 1.33 billions!!! With that in mind, I've wanted to share this specific recipe for quite a while.
Simply put, these Vietnamese chicken wings are the best wings I've ever had. It actually goes back to when I first moved out to Portland.
My mom actually helped me move out there and we were looking for a great place to eat. She had actually heard of a place called Pok Pok that was known for its Thai food.
Not knowing much about wait times in Portland, we decided to head over there around 6 on a random weeknight. The wait was over 2 hours long! Luckily we were told that they owned the bar across the street called Whiskey Soda Lounge, specifically for people to wait to get into Pok Pok.
Once there we realized we could just order some appetizers that were on Pok Pok's menu as well. So we decided to forgo going to Pok Pok and order a few different apps.
Little did we know we were about to have the best wings ever! I found out afterward, that the wings were actually a part of what made Pok Pok famous. Whenever someone visited I took them to Pok Pok, specifically to have wings.
A couple of years later I found out Pok Pok had a cookbook and had their wing recipe in there! I ended up buying one for my dad and he bought one for me.
After making multiple times, I've changed one thing with this recipe. I bake them instead of frying them. You can obviously fry them, but I discovered this baked method with baking powder where the skin gets super crispy. So if you're looking for a great wing recipe, these Vietnamese chicken wings should be on the short list for trying.
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Recipe Ingredients
- Chicken wings - use a combination of flats and drumettes.
- Garlic - gives texture and flavor to the Pok Pok wings.
- Kosher salt - adds flavor to the garlic.
- Vegetable oil - used to fry the garlic and get it crispy.
- Fish sauce - gives the wings an earthly, umami flavor.
- Powdered sugar - offsets the fish sauce with a slight sweetness.
- Baking powder - makes the chicken crispy.
How to Make Baked Chicken Wings
- Finely chop the garlic, sprinkle with salt, then chop the two together for 15 seconds. Scrape mixture into small bowl and add ¼ cup warm water. Let sit for a few minutes. Set a fine-mesh strainer over another bowl and pour garlic into strainer. Smooth garlic with spoon over same bowl to extract as much liquid as you can. Reserve the garlic.
- Add fish sauce and sugar to the bowl with garlic liquid water and stir until sugar is fully dissolved.
- In a large mixing bowl, toss the chicken wings with about ¼ cup of the fish sauce mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight, tossing every hour.
- While chicken is marinating, pour oil into a small pan to reach a depth of about 1 inch. Set over high heat until it shimmers. As soon as it reaches high heat, decrease to medium-low heat and stir a couple of times. Add garlic and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Strain the garlic on a paper-lined plate and keep in airtight container at room temperature.
- Preheat oven to 250°F. When wings are done marinating, transfer to a colander in the sink, shaking them occasionally. Let them drain at least 15 minutes. Pat dry with paper towel and then toss with 1 tablespoon of baking powder, making sure every wing is coated. Line a baking sheet with foil, then place a cooling rack on the foil. Spray the rack with oil spray. Place wings on rack in a single layer with skin side up.
- Bake for 30 minutes at 250°F. Increase the oven temperature to 425°F and bake for an additional 50 minutes to 1 hour, rotating the tray halfway through. (If skin starts to brown too much, then flip them over)
- To finish wings, heat large skillet or wok over high heat. Add ⅓ cup of water to remaining fish sauce mixture from earlier and stir.
- Then add ½ cup of mixture to skillet and cook until mixture has reduced by half, about 45 seconds. Add half of the chicken and cook, tossing frequently until the chicken is coated and liquid has become sticky. Add fried garlic and toss. Transfer the chicken wings to serving plate.
How Does Baking Powder Make Chicken Crispy?
Baking powder is alkaline. It raises the skin’s pH, which helps break down the proteins more efficiently and making for a browner, crispier skin for these Vietnamese chicken wings.
Can I Fry the Wings?
Yes you can. In a large pot, heat 2 inches of oil to 350°F. Toss the wings in ½ cup of cornstarch. Fry the wings in batches until golden and cooked through, about 10 minutes.
You know the chicken is cooked when it reaches 165°F with an instant-read thermometer or if you cut into the chicken and the juices run clear and there is no pink. Honestly, I always just cut the chicken to see when it is done. If it isn’t just cook slightly longer.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- Use baking powder that is less than a year old since it has been opened. You can test it by stirring half a teaspoon of baking powder into a cup of hot water. It will immediately start to fizz and release carbon dioxide gas if it’s still fresh enough to use.
- Cut the chicken wings at the joint using either kitchen shears or a sharp knife. See step-by-step instructions.
- Bake chicken on a cooling rack which allows the air to circulate and cook all parts of the chicken wings.
- Wait until the sauce has thickened before adding chicken wings to toss and coat so they are sticky.
Similar Recipes
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Vietnamese Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken wings, cut into flats and drumettes
- 8 garlic cloves (about 2 whole garlic)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup warm water
- ½ cup fish sauce
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- vegetable oil for frying
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
Instructions
- Finely chop the garlic, sprinkle with salt, then chop the two together for 15 seconds. Scrape mixture into small bowl and add ¼ cup warm water. Let sit for a few minutes.
- Set a fine-mesh strainer over another bowl and pour garlic into strainer. Smooth garlic with spoon over same bowl to extract as much liquid as you can. Reserve the garlic. Add fish sauce and sugar to the bowl with garlic liquid water and stir until sugar is fully dissolved.
- In a large mixing bowl, toss the chicken wings with about ¼ cup of the fish sauce mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight, tossing every hour.
- While chicken is marinating, pour oil into a small pan to reach a depth of about 1 inch. Set over high heat until it shimmers. As soon as it reaches high heat, decrease to medium-low heat and stir a couple of times. Add garlic and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Strain the garlic on a paper-lined plate and keep in airtight container at room temperature.
- Preheat oven to 250°F. When wings are done marinating, transfer to a colander in the sink, shaking them occasionally. Let them drain at least 15 minutes. Pat dry with paper towel and then toss with 1 tablespoon of baking powder, making sure every wing is coated.
- Line a baking sheet with foil, then place a cooling rack on the foil. Spray the rack with oil spray. Place wings on rack in a single layer with skin side up. Bake for 30 minutes at 250°F. Increase the oven temperature to 425°F and bake for an additional 50 minutes to 1 hour, rotating the tray halfway through. (If skin starts to brown too much, then flip them over)
- To finish wings, heat large skillet or wok over high heat. Add ⅓ cup of water to remaining fish sauce mixture from earlier and stir. Then add ½ cup of mixture to skillet and cook until mixture has reduced by half, about 45 seconds. Add half of the chicken and cook, tossing frequently until the chicken is coated and liquid has become sticky. Add fried garlic and toss. Transfer wings to serving plate.
Notes
- Use baking powder that is less than a year old since it has been opened. You can test it by stirring half a teaspoon of baking powder into a cup of hot water. It will immediately start to fizz and release carbon dioxide gas if it’s still fresh enough to use.
- Cut the chicken wings at the joint using either kitchen shears or a sharp knife. See step-by-step instructions.
- Bake chicken on a cooling rack which allows the air to circulate and cook all parts of the chicken wings.
- Wait until the sauce has thickened before adding chicken wings to toss and coat so they are sticky.
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