Vietnamese fish sauce wings
Crispy wings tossed in a sticky, garlicky caramel of fish sauce and sugar, salty-sweet in a way that’s hard to stop eating.
- 45 min total
- 15 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 2
- About $3.58 a serving
- 530 calories
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Most of the time here is hands-off, so you can sit down while it cooks.
Ingredients
For 2 servings.
- 1½ lb chicken wings, flats and drumettes
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- ½ lime
- 2 tbsp cilantro, leaves (optional)
- 2 tbsp fresh mint, leaves (optional)
From your pantry
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp water
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
Each serving has about 530 calories, 35 g protein, 24 g carbs and 32 g fat, and costs about $3.58 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No limes? Lemons work.
- No cilantro? Fresh parsley works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the air fryer to 400°F for 5 minutes.
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
Timer: 5 min
the wings very dry and them with the cornstarch and salt until evenly coated.
Pat dry. Patting dry means pressing paper towels onto food to soak up the moisture on its surface. Wet food steams instead of browning, so this is how you get a good sear and crisp skin.
How you’ll know: The surface feels tacky, not wet, and the last paper towel comes away barely damp.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Food safety: Wash your hands, the board and the knife with hot soapy water after touching raw meat, and don’t rinse raw chicken in the sink.
Lay them in the basket in one layer and cook 12 minutes.
Timer: 12 min
Flip every wing and cook 8 to 10 minutes more, until and the thickest drumette reads 165°F.
Crispy. Crispy means the outside is dry, firm and crunchy. It comes from high heat, a little oil and room in the pan, because crowded food steams and goes soft.
How you’ll know: It sounds crunchy when you tap or bite it, and it doesn’t flop when you lift it.
Timer: 9 min
Food safety: Chicken and turkey are done at 165°F in the thickest part. A thermometer is the only sure check. Without one, cut into the thickest piece: it should be white all the way through, with no pink.
Heat the oil in a large over low. Add the garlic and cook 1 to 2 minutes, , until pale .
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Low heatTimer: 1 min 30 sec
Add the fish sauce, sugar, water and pepper flakes and over medium 1 to 2 minutes, until the bubbles turn big and syrupy.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Medium heatTimer: 1 min 30 sec
Dolly’s tip: It smells strong while it bubbles. That funk turns into deep, savory flavor on the wings.Tip the wings into the pan and until glossy. Squeeze the lime over and scatter the cilantro and mint on top.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Low heat
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
