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Garlic-Lemon Grass Chicken Wings

Garlic-Lemon Grass Chicken Wings

The best chicken wings in the world have a bright, Vietnamese glaze—close to nước chấm and nothing like spicy goop. OR These zingy chicken wings are everything buffalo is not: crispy-crusted, fresh-flavored, coated in sweet-tart glaze.

By Courtney HillApril 17, 2023

  • Makes
    4 servings
  • Cook Time
    45 minutes
  • Rating

These crisp, salty-sweet chicken wings were inspired by the ones we tasted at Coupi Street Kitchen, a Vietnamese-inspired café in the Left Bank of Paris. A dusting of potato starch gives them a thin, crackly exterior, which stays crisp even after the wings have been sauced. High-impact ingredients, including fragrant lemon grass, punchy alliums and zingy chilies, bring big, bold flavor, while fish sauce, lime juice and sugar contribute sweet, tart and salty notes. After the wings are fried, the sauce is made separately, reduced in a skillet to a sticky glaze for coating the chicken. The recipe works with drumettes, flats (also called wingettes) or a combination. If you purchase whole wings, you will need to cut between the joints to separate the parts. Since the wing tips are not used in this recipe (if desired, they can be saved for making chicken broth), you may wish to opt for 2¼ pounds of wings, or even a little more.

Tip

Don’t let the sauce simmer for more than a couple minutes, otherwise it may become too thick to evenly glaze the wings. Reduce just until the mixture is syrupy with large bubbles forming across its surface; this will yield enough to evenly coat the wings while ensuring they stay crispy.

Ingredients
  • ¼

    cup white sugar

  • ¼

    cup fish sauce

  • ¼

    cup lime juice, plus lime wedges to serve

  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper

  • ⅓

    cup potato starch

  • ½

    teaspoon ground turmeric

  • 2

    quarts plus 1 tablespoon peanut or canola oil, divided

  • 2-2 ¼

    pounds chicken drumettes, flats (wingettes) or a combination, patted dry (see headnote)

  • 6

    medium garlic cloves, minced

  • 2

    stalks fresh lemon grass, trimmed to the bottom 6 inches, dry outer layers discarded, minced

  • 2

    medium shallots, minced

  • 2

    Fresno or serrano chilies, stemmed and sliced into thin rings

  • ¼

    cup lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

Step 1

In a small bowl, stir together the sugar, fish sauce, lime juice and ¼ teaspoon pepper until the sugar dissolves; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the potato starch, turmeric and 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper; set aside. Set a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet.

Step 2

Add 2 quarts oil to a large Dutch oven; it should reach a depth of about 1½ inches. Heat over medium-high to 350°F. Meanwhile, add the chicken wings to the potato starch mixture and toss to coat, pressing so the starch adheres.

Step 3

When the oil has reached 350°F, carefully add one or two wings at a time, shaking off excess starch, until about half are in the pot. Cook, stirring and turning occasionally, until golden brown and crisp, 10 to 13 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the wings as they are done to the prepared rack. Cook the remaining wings in the same way; set aside.

Step 4

In a 12-inch skillet over medium-high, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil until shimmering. Add the garlic, lemon grass, shallots and chilies; cook, stirring often, until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the fish sauce mixture, bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, until lightly syrupy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the wings and cook, tossing to coat, until glazed and the skillet is dry, 1 to 2 minutes. Off heat, toss in the cilantro, then taste and season with salt and pepper.

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