Vietnamese Chicken Wings Recipe

Vietnamese Chicken Wings are baked in the oven until crisp & coated in a sweet-spicy combination of soy sauce, brown sugar and sambal oelek chili paste.

Growing up near Buffalo, New York, I have definitely consumed a couple of boatloads of wings.

I’m a huge purist when it comes to Buffalo Wings. They have to be served with blue cheese (not ranch), super spicy, and, please no – do not order them boneless!!!

But, now that I’ve moved to the Pacific NW, I’ve had a really hard time finding authentic Buffalo wings.

However, I have a new obsession – Vietnamese Chicken Wings. And let me preface this post/recipe by saying that these are in no way authentic Vietnamese wings. It’s simply my take on some delicious, Vietnamese-inspired wings. And I think they’re simply delicious!

My first experience with Vietnamese Chicken Wings was at the restaurant Pok Pok – a Portland mainstay by chef and owner Andy Ricker. Served in a sweet, sticky sauce brimming with fish sauce, garlic, and fresh mint and cilantro. They’re simply delicious!

Another one of our favorite restaurants, The Schooner in Netarts, Oregon serves a variety called General Tso’s wings – and I’ve got to say, they’ve got the uber famous Pok Pok beat. If you’re ever in the area, definitely check out this place. Located right on the bay, with a fabulous view, farm fresh produce, great cocktails and a laid back beach atmosphere – The Schooner is one of our favorite restaurants, even topping any of the great eating spots in Portland.

But, I wanted to create a recipe for these Vietnamese Chicken Wings that I could create at home. And I had a couple criteria for my recipe – I wanted the ingredients to be simple and I wanted to bake my wings rather than frying them.

I’ve talked of my FOF (fear of frying) before. And, even though I’m making steps towards overcoming that fear, I’m baking these wings rather than frying. I was a bet skeptical as to whether they’d turn out crispy enough, but in fact, they turned out just as crispy as they would have if you’d fried them.

And the best part of this recipe? It only takes 5-ingredients! 

How do you make Vietnamese Chicken Wings?

To make the sauce for these chicken wings, you only need four ingredients – soy sauce, brown sugar, sambal oelek chili paste and worcestershire sauce.

The combination of soy sauce and brown sugar is what gives these wings their incredible sweet & sticky glaze. The worcestershire sauce adds some extra flavor and salt, and the sambal oelek chili paste is what gives these wings their heat. I use 2 tablespoons of the chili paste for medium heat wings, but you could go down to 1/2 tablespoon for mild wings, or go up to even 3 tablespoons for extra spicy wings.

Note: For even more flavor, try swapping in some kecap manis (sweet soy sauce) for the regular soy sauce.

Since the glaze becomes so concentrated and sticky as it bakes, I’d recommend lining your pan with a Silpat, aluminum foil, or parchment paper to make the cleanup process a bit easier.

How long to bake chicken wings:

• Chicken wings take 30-40 minutes to cook and become crispy in the oven.

How to reheat chicken wings in the oven:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 15-20 minutes, until heated through and crispy.

Psst. You can also make amazing wings in the air fryer! Try these air fryer Chinese Chicken Wings or air fryer Buffalo Wings.

If you loved these Vietnamese Chicken Wings I would appreciate it so much if you would give this recipe a star review! Also, be sure to snap a picture of your finished dish and share it with me onInstagram using the hashtag #platingsandpairings and tagging me @platingsandpairings.

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Wine pairings for Vietnamese Chicken Wings:

• Dry Riesling, dry gewürztraminer, dry rosé, viognier and champagne are all good matches for Vietnamese dishes. These wines have a crisp brightness that goes well with the hot, chili flavors in this dish.

More vietnamese inspired recipes:

• Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken
• Vietnamese Noodle Salad (Bun Bo Xao)
• Instant Pot Pho

This recipe was originally published in 2019. It was updated in 2021 to add new photographs and simplify the ingredients. Enjoy!