Chicken Dumplings Recipe

4.53 from 201 votes

Chicken Dumplings Recipe

These Chinese chicken dumplings are healthy, juicy, and absolutely delicious! This homemade dumpling recipe is packed with ground chicken and veggies, boiled and then pan-fried to crispy perfection, and served with a simple dipping sauce.

Prep Time20

Cook Time20

Total Time40

Course: Dumplings

Cuisine: Chinese Recipes

Keyword: Chicken Dumplings

Servings: people

Author: Bee Yinn Low

Ingredients

1 pack dumpling wrappers round-shaped or homemade dumpling wrappers
water for boiling
oil for pan-frying
Chinese black vinegar or Japanese ponzu, for dipping
chili oil optional

Homemade Dumpling Wrappers:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup water plus 1 teaspoon water
extra all-purpose flour for dusting and rolling

Filling:

8 oz (230g) ground chicken thighs
4 oz (230g) Napa cabbage finely sliced
1 teaspoon ginger grated
1 tablespoon scallion chopped
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
3 dashes ground white pepper
1 pinch salt

Instructions

If you are making homemade dumpling wrappers, combine the all-purpose flour and water, and knead until the dough isn’t sticky and the surface becomes smooth. Cover it with a damp cloth and rest for 30 minutes.
Roll out the dough on a floured surface into a long cylinder. Cut the cylinders in half, and then cut each cylinder into 12 small pieces. Dust the rolling pin and roll each piece of the dough into a dumpling wrapper about 4 inches (10cm) in diameter. Set aside for the filling. You may use store-bought dumpling wrappers and skip this step.
Prepare the filling by combining all the ingredients together. Use a spoon to mix well.
To assemble the dumplings, place a piece of the wrapper on your palm and spoon 1 teaspoon of the filling onto the center of the wrapper. Do not overfill.
Dip your index finger into a small bowl of water and moisten the outer edges of the wrapper. Fold the dumpling to form a half-moon shape. Press and seal tightly in the middle. Arrange the wrapped dumplings on a plate lined with parchment paper to avoid the dumplings from sticking to the bottom of the plate. Repeat the previous step until the filling is used up.
Heat up a pot of water and bring it to a boil. Drop the dumplings gently into the water and boil for a few minutes until the dumplings float to the top. Use a strainer to scoop them out and transfer to a plate. Repeat until all dumplings are boiled.
Heat up a skillet with some oil. Arrange about 8 dumplings on the skillet and pan-fry the dumplings until the bottom turns light brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Turn it over and pan-fry the other sides of the dumplings. Add more oil and repeat the same process above until all dumplings become golden brown and crispy. Serve the dumplings warm with the dipping sauce.

Video

Notes

When I make dumpling wrappers from scratch, I always pay attention to the water temperature, aiming for around 110°F (43°C) when mixing it with the flour. Since I’m boiling these chicken dumplings, this step helps keep the wrappers soft and chewy, without them shrinking or breaking easily.
If I’m in a rush or just not feeling up to making my own wrappers, I go for store-bought ones. I look for wrappers made specifically for boiling and pan-frying, since they’re thicker than those meant for steaming.
For a moist and juicy filling, I always use boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of chicken breast. Thighs are fattier, more flavorful, and won’t dry out as easily when cooked. If I’m up for it, I’ll chop the chicken by hand, but store-bought ground chicken works just fine too.
To keep the filling from getting too watery, I finely chop the cabbage and squeeze out as much liquid as I can before mixing it with the chicken. This step is key to getting that perfect dumpling texture.
I love making a big batch—sometimes four times this recipe—and freezing the extras for later. They freeze beautifully and taste just as good when cooked. If I’m boiling them straight from the freezer, I just add a couple more minutes to the cooking time.

Nutrition