Crispy Vietnamese Air Fryer Chicken Wings
by These Vietnamese Air Fryer Chicken Wings are the best and crispiest wings ever! The wings are coated with a sweet chili and garlic sauce that’s similar to my Vietnamese dipping sauce but thicker and more intensely flavored. There’s no need to marinate and with 10 minutes of effort, Oh Yes PLEASE!
Looking for a bbq version or prefer using chicken drumsticks? See a sister version of my Vietnamese Grilled chicken drumsticks!
Air Fryer Chicken Wings with Keto Vietnamese Sweet Chili and Garlic Dipping Sauce
Crispy chicken wings are always my readers’ favorite because they are exactly what they claim to be – Super crispy without being deep-fried!
Even better, you don’t need to marinate the wings in advance – just sprinkle the chicken wings with my dry rub spice combo, air fry for about 20-24 minutes, then pour the sweet chili garlic sauce over…
Perfectly crispy, tangy, sweet, and salty. They are simply DELICIOUS!
While this recipe is in no way authentic Vietnamese chicken wings, it has become one of my favorite go-to dishes because of its simplicity and great flavor. This dish is perfect for everyday as well as game days and party gatherings!
Ingredients for the Vietnamese-Flavored Air Fried Chicken Wings
- Chicken wings
- Dry spice rub:
- Salt, pepper, and garlic powder
- Sweet chili and garlic dipping sauce:
- Fish sauce
- Garlic
- Lime
- Orange-peach jam, honey, keto honey (product link in recipe card), or maple syrup
- Toasted sesame oil
- Fresh herbs such as cilantro or scallions
Vietnamese Sweet Chili and Garlic Dipping Sauce
It couldn’t be more true that this air fried chicken wings recipe is all about the sauce! It’s a thicker and more intensely flavored version of my Vietnamese dipping sauce. You can make it paleo or keto. This sauce is great for any grilled meats, seafood, and veggies.
- Fresh red serrano chili pepper or Thai bird’s eye red chilies
- Garlic cloves
- Lime juice
- Orange peach jam, honey, keto honey (product link in recipe card), or maple syrup
- Red Boat fish sauce
- Toasted sesame oil
- Fresh herbs such as cilantro or scallions
How to make this dish
To make chicken wings in an air fryer with the sweet chili garlic sauce –
- Pat dry the wings
- Season the wings with the dry spice rub combo
- Air fryer for a total of 20-24 minutes at 400F. Flip the wings at halfway baking point.
- Make the dipping sauce and pour it over the wings right before serving.
See? Easy!
Common questions for air frying chicken wings
How long to cook chicken wings in air fryer
A total of 20 to 24 minutes to air fry 1.5 lbs of chicken wings. Flip the chicken wings at halfway baking point so they are air fried evenly.
How to reheat chicken wings in air fryer
Air fryer reheats food very quickly. Set your fryer to 380F and reheat the chicken wings for 6-8 minutes total. Flip the wings at halfway baking point. Different air fryer models have slightly different cook time. Aim on the lower temperature setting and shorter cook time. Increase more as needed.
Air fryer chicken wings dry rub
My dry rub seasoning for chicken wings in the air fryer is super easy! This is my go-to combo – coarse sea salt, ground black pepper, and garlic powder. You can also sprinkle a bit of chili powder if you like it spicier.
What goes well with Vietnamese-flavored chicken wings
- Chinese Broccoli Stir-Fry in Garlic Sauce
- Sauteed Snow Pea Leaves
- Asian Cucumber Salad
- Chinese Smashed Cucumber Salad
- Napa Cabbage Stir-Fry
- Chinese Garlic Green Beans
- Sauteed Asparagus with Chickpea Miso Butter
- Chinese Mustard Greens in Ginger Sauce
More healthy air fryer recipes
- Thai air fryer chicken wings
- Air fryer whole chicken
- Air fried salmon teriyaki
- Thai chicken satay
- Lemon chicken bites
- Taiwanese air fried chicken cutlets
- Honey sriracha chicken
- Baked or Air Fried Sesame Chicken
- 7 Air Fryer Eggs recipes
- More healthy air fryer recipes
Vietnamese Air Fryer Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb chicken wings
- 1 tsp coarse sea salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp garlic powder
For the sweet chili garlic sauce:
- 1 whole serrano red chili pepper, or 1-2 Thai chilies
- 0.1 oz clove garlic, finely minced, about 2 small cloves
- 2 tbsp lime or key lime juice
- 2-2.5 tbsp peach jam, keto honey, regular honey, or maple syrup
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 2 tsp chopped cilantro, or scallions, plus more for garnish
Instructions
- Pat dry the wings. Season them with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Use your hands to press the spices onto the wings so they adhere well.
- Place the wings in the fryer basket in a single layer and with some small gap in-between. Air fryer at 400F for 24 minutes total or until golden crispy. Flip the wings after 12 minutes so they are cooked on both sides.
- In the meantime, make the sauce in a bowl.
- Place the wings over a serving plate and pour the sauce over right before serving. Garnish with more chopped herbs.
Notes
- No air fryer? Preheat the oven to 450F (425F convection). Place the wings over a wire rack lined with parchment. Bake for 30-40 minutes total. Rotate the sheet pan at half baking point.
- The nutritional label is estimated with orange-peach jam.
Nutrition
Also check out my Whole30 Chinese Chicken Wings and Malaysian Chicken Wings!
Hi! My husband is allergic to fish sauce is there a good and comparable replacement? Would love to try this recipe. A big thank you in advance.
Hi Nadine, there are vegetarian (or vegan) fish sauce available nowadays. You can search them on Amazon. I also like a Korean soy from Sempio, called No-soy sauce. It’s a great all purpose seasoning as well. https://amzn.to/3K5rdyj
So so good. Can I make the chili sauce ahead and freeze it?
Thanks, Karen. It might get a bit icy if you freeze it. You can keep the sauce in the fridge for 1 week should be okay.
So good, easy, and wings stayed crispy with the sauce on them! 🙂 I used scallions as my herb in the sauce and it was delicious.
Can you grill the wings with this recipe??
Yes! I’m sure you can! similar cooking process – grill the wings until they are cooked through and combine with the sauce right before serving!
Modified this recipe for chicken drumsticks that I had on hand- Absolutely delicious! Fantastic flavour- will definitely make this again. Thank you Chihyu!
That’s awesome. Thank you!
Delicious recipe! Flavor packed and so easy! It’s definitely going into our regular rotation.
I also love using jam in savory recipes, so these wings are perfect!
I love a good chicken wing and these are perfect! Delicious crispy skin, tender meat and that spicy sauce! Yum!
I made the wings last weekend. Love it. I used chili paste since i didn’t have chilies. My turned out a little spicy and sweet. Love the recipe, very easy to make. My family loved it.
That’s awesome! Oh yeah…I can imagine chili paste will be saltier and spicier, too.
SO good. It was super easy and the perfect weeknight dinner. We added a side of vermicelli and sliced veggies— definitely going into rotation as a household favorite.
That’s awesome!
Delicious and finger-licking good – a real crowd pleaser!!!! Can’t wait to make it again.
So crispy and amazing! The Vietnamese sauce is truly amazing.
Will the wings be crispy if baked in the oven? Thank you for all the delicious and easy recipes!!
Yes. You’ll need to make the temperature higher and the bake time longer as it takes much longer time to heat up the stove and have air circulate. There’s a note in the recipe notes section.
I am thinking about buying an air fryer but am undecided because of all the different kinds that are out there. It’s only me and I think I would use one a lot. Can you give me some recommendations? Thanks Linda
Hi Linda! So I like to read user reviews carefully before making a decision because there are so many! I had a Gourmia one which we loved but it died a year later. Now I have a cosori air fryer. I like that the basket is larger but there’s always some condensation water leak out from the basket and land on my kitchen counter. I always have to wipe it. 🙁 I’m thinking to try Philip air fryer next!