Name: Vietnamese Chicken Wings
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 1 1/2 Pounds Chicken Wings; 2 Tablespoons Sweet Soy Sauce (Kecap Manis); 1 Tablespoon Sambal Oelek Chili Paste; 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce; Cilantro (chopped, for garnish)

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

Growing up near Buffalo, New York, I have definitely consumed a couple of boatloads of Buffalo wings. I’m a huge purist when it comes to these babies – They have to be served with blue cheese (not ranch), super spicy, and, please no – do not order them boneless!!! 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.

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! So good in fact, that Pok Pok now has a restaurant in Las Vegas. How cool is that?!

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 4 ingredients!

Overhead shot of Vietnamese Chicken Wings next to glass of beer and two plates.

How do you make Vietnamese Chicken Wings?

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

Sweet soy sauce (also known as kecap manis) 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 1 tablespoon of the chili paste for medium heat wings, but you could go down to 1 teaspoon for mild wings, or go up to even 2 tablespoons for extra spicy wings.

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.

Overhead close up of vietnamese chicken wings.

Soon, I’ll be testing this recipe in my air fryer. It’s been my preferred way to make my Buffalo Wings, and I think that the process would work excellent for these Vietnamese Chicken Wings as well. I’ll be sure to share my results with you!

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.

Looking for more Vietnamese recipes? Try this Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken.

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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