These Vietnamese Fish Sauce Chicken Wings (Canh Ga Chien Nuoc Mam) are cooked in the air fryer in just 30 minutes. They are crispy and coated with a tasty savory-sweet sauce.
I haven’t had my air fryer for a very long time, but so far it’s been great using it to make crispy chicken wings. I don’t have to worry about splashing oil or cooking odors when air frying the wings.
Fish Sauce Chicken Wings is more popular in the South of Vietnam than in the North. The Vietnamese name of this dish is “canh ga chien nuoc mam“. It is a quick and easy appetizer for family meals as well as parties. You can also serve it with rice as a main dish.
The video below will show you how easy it is to make Vietnamese Fish Sauce Chicken Wings in the air fryer.
Ingredients
This dish requires just three main ingredients: chicken wings, fish sauce (I like Red Boat), and honey. You can make the sauce taste and smell even better by adding some minced garlic and freshly cracked black pepper.
You will need to separate the chicken wings into drumettes and flats. Discard the wing tips if you want. I sometimes keep the tips attached to the flats since they will turn out really crunchy.
Air fryer wings recipes often have the wings placed in the air fryer right away. My friend told me that in her restaurant, before cooking fish sauce chicken wings, they would brine the wings in lightly salted water for several hours, together with some aromatics such as garlic and lemongrass. The results are crispy wings with no poultry smell or aftertaste. You can try doing this step to see if it makes any difference.
How to Cook Fish Sauce Chicken Wings in the Air Fryer
As you have seen in the video, it’s really easy to cook this dish. We will need to air fry the wings twice.
First, we will air fry them at a low temperature to render out the fat. Then, we will increase the temperature to crisp up the wings.
While the wings are in the air fryer, you can whisk up the sauce in just a minute. Once the chicken wings are crispy, toss with the sauce and serve right away.
One thing to note here. The sauce is made by simmering fish sauce with honey, and the smell from doing so can spread all over the kitchen. So you may want to open your kitchen windows and make sure all bedroom doors are closed :).
Can fish sauce wings be prepared ahead? Sure. Just cook them at the lower temperature and set aside. Then when you need to serve them, put them back in the air fryer and crisp up at the highest temperature.
I think it’s best to place the wings in a single layer. Overlapping them may affect results or cooking time. My air fryer is the Philips XXL (this is the 110V US version, mine is the 220V version with higher wattage), and I can fit about 1.5 lbs of wings in the basket without overlapping.
Please note that cooking time may also vary depending on air fryer brands (mine has a 2200-watt heating system), and how many wings you cook as well as how large they are. Feel free to experiment and adjust cooking time as needed.
Another great appetizer for parties is this Baked Shrimp Toast.
I’d love to hear what you think about the dish, so please feel free to leave a comment. New recipes are added every week so let’s connect on Facebook, Youtube, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates. You can find my collection of Vietnamese recipes here.
Air Fryer Fish Sauce Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs chicken wings, cut into drumettes and flats, pat dry
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 tablespoon water
- 1 1/2 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 1/3 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer if recommended in the manual.
- Toss the chicken drumettes and flats with salt. Then place them in the air fryer basket without overlapping. Cook at 320F (160C) for about 20-24 minutes. My 220V air fryer has a 2200 watt heating system and I just need to cook for 20 minutes. If yours is less powerful, I recommend increasing the temperature to 340-350F (170-180C).
- When time is up, open the basket and shake if needed. Then increase the temperature to 400F (200C) and cook for about 6-7 minutes or until the wings are crispy.
- While crisping up the wings in the air fryer, place a small pan over medium heat. Combine water, fish sauce and honey and heat until the mixture starts to bubble. Add garlic and black pepper, stir and simmer the sauce for a few more seconds until fragrant and thickened.
- Place chicken wings in a mixing bowl, drizzle the sauce and toss to coat the wings evenly. Serve immediately.
[…] (1) Making the sauce: the sauce is made by simmering a mixture of honey and fish sauce with a pinch of five-spice powder and black pepper briefly. This glaze is quite similar to the one I used for fish sauce chicken wings. […]