Quick & Easy Vietnamese Garlic Butter Chicken Wings

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Crispy chicken wings coated in a sweet, tangy, garlic butter sauce packed with umami flavor! These quick and easy Vietnamese Garlic Butter Chicken Wings are better-than-takeout satisfying your tastebuds! Great for the family to enjoy!

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Ingredients & Substitutes
Expert Tips
Instructions
Storage
Pairing Suggestions
FAQ
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These Vietnamese Garlic Butter Chicken Wings are made of marinated wings coated in starch and deep fried then tossed in a sweet, tangy, savory garlic butter sauce with aromatics!

The lime juice, butter and fish sauce take these wings to the next level and work in perfect harmony! You may find a version of these chicken wings served at Vietnamese restaurants.

These wings serve well as a main dish, appetizer, side dish or snack for game day! The best part about my chicken wing recipe is it comes together with simple ingredients.

My recipe was inspired by the popular restaurant called "Phnom Penh" in Vancouver, B.C. They're known for their ultra-scrumptious Vietnamese-style chicken wings!

I also share how to air fry the chicken wings below in the FAQ and Recipe Card Notes section below.

Ingredients & Substitutes

Chicken Wings: separated into drumettes and wings or feel free to use only wings or drummettes.
Potato starch: make sure it's not potato flour as this is completely different. Or substitute with cornstarch. Avoid using tapioca starch as it'll cause the wings to stick to each other.
Neutral oil: like avocado oil, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil or canola oil with a high smoke point. Avoid olive oil that has a low smoke point.
Red chili: any large red chili will work for garnishing.
Green onion: for garnishing

Chicken Wing Marinade

Regular soy sauce: or substitute with low sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce. If you’re gluten-free, substitute with tamari sauce, coconut aminos or a gluten-free soy sauce.
Fish sauce: a common ingredient used in Southeast Asian cooking made of fish oils and salt that lends a very deep umami flavor! If you're gluten-free: substitute with a gluten-free fish sauce found online.
Fresh Lime Juice: this helps tenderize the wings and gives it that tangy flavor! As a last resort, substitute with lemon juice.
White granulated sugar: or substitute with cane sugar but make sure to dissolve it well.

Garlic Butter Sauce

Unsalted butter
White sugar: or substitute with cane sugar and make sure it's been well dissolved.
Fresh garlic
Fresh lime juice

Expert Tips

Use fresh chicken wings and perform a smell test to check for freshness. Whenever I cook with dark meat, I always smell the chicken in the packaging before purchasing to check if it's fresh. If it has an odor, put it back and get one with less odor.
To separate the wings from the drums, slice it where the joint is - the joint looks white and slightly translucent.
Only marinate the wings for only 20 minutes and no longer. Lime juice is powerful at breaking down meat, so you don’t want to overdo this.
Use potato starch! This ensures the crispiest wings. Cornstarch can be substituted but it may not be as crispy.
Coat wings evenly ensuring no bald spots for a crispy texture.
Use a heavy bottomed pan, like a dutch oven, to maintain oil temperature.
Make sure the oil is hot enough and the temperature is at 350 degrees F. A cooking thermometer can be helpful here and you can find the one I use linked below.
Deep fry in small batches to avoid overcrowding the oil which will reduce the oil temperature leading to uncooked or soggy wings.
Transfer fried wings to a wire rack or paper towel lined plate to drain off excess oil, which leads to soggy wings. Once drained, transfer them to a large bowl and keep them warm.
Coat the wings in the garlic butter sauce while wings are warm! This ensures the garlic sauce seeps into the coating.

Instructions

Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make Vietnamese Garlic Butter Chicken Wings:

In a small bowl, combine marinade ingredients until the sugar has dissolved completely and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, add separated drumettes and wings and add marinade. Marinate wings for 20 minutes at most, no more than that.
In small bowl, combine ingredients for garlic butter sauce as listed and set aside.
Generously coat the marinated wings in potato starch. Press the starch into the wing, shaking off any excess.
Heat vegetable oil in a large heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat (around 350 degrees F with a digital instant read thermometer). Fry the coated wings in small batches to prevent reducing the oil temperature.
Deep fry wings on both sides for a total of 6-7 minutes until golden brown. Chicken wings are safe to consume at an internal temperature of 165 F with a digital instant read thermometer.
Transfer fried wings to a wire rack or paper-towel lined plate to drain off excess oil. Once excess oil is removed, transfer them to a large bowl and keep them warm.
While wings are still warm, pour garlic butter sauce over wings and add green onions and red chili. Toss wings in sauce and aromatics. Serve hot and enjoy!

Storage

Leftovers will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat: microwave for 2-3 minutes until hot or reheat in a pan on medium heat.
Freezer friendly? These Vietnamese wings can be frozen after cooling down in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months or until freezer burn. To reheat, deep fry them from frozen or microwave until hot through out.

Pairing Suggestions

Vietnamese garlic wings serve well with:

starters like egg rolls or fresh spring rolls
with a refreshing salad
rice dishes like white rice, brown rice or cauliflower rice, Thai Spicy Basil Fried Rice, Thai Railway Fried Rice
cooked vegetables like bok choy, spicy garlic bok choy, choy sum, gai lan, garlic green beans or stir fried snow pea leaves
protein dishes like Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken
noodle dishes like Thai Drunken Noodles, Pad See Ew, Chicken Pad Thai or Shrimp Pad Thai, Thai Glass Noodle Stir-Fry, Pad Woon Sen

FAQ

Can I make Vietnamese garlic butter wings in advance?

This can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To enjoy, reheat it in the microwave or air fryer until hot through out.

Can I use other cuts of chicken?

Yes, you can substitute with boneless chicken strips cut in the same size as wings and fry them until you reach an internal temperature of 165 F with a digital instant read thermometer. Be cautious not to over fry them or they may dry out.

Can I air fry the coated wings?

Yes, after marinating and coating them in starch you can air fry these by following these instructions:
1) Lightly spray the air fryer basket with neutral oil.
2) Place coated wings in a single layer so there is enough room around each wing. You may need to air fry in small batches depending on the size of your air fryer.
3) Lightly spray neutral oil over the wings.
4) Air fry at 400 degrees F for a total of 16 minutes, flipping over halfway. The internal temperature of cooked wings is 165 F with a meat thermometer or until juices run clear.
5) Then transfer the air fried wings into a large bowl and toss with the garlic butter sauce and aromatics.

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