Chinese Chicken and Chive Pan-Fried Dumplings Recipe
These small dumplings with chicken and chives are a Chinese snack perfect for gatherings with friends. First they’re pan-fried until golden, then a bit of water is added and they’re covered, so the bottom stays crispy while the top becomes soft. In China, such dumplings are often eaten on holidays because they symbolize abundance – at your place they can simply symbolize an empty pan after just a few minutes.
These dumplings combine a crispy bottom with a soft, juicy top and aromatic chicken–ginger filling, using an easy pan-frying and steaming method you can recreate at home without a bamboo steamer.
Chef's tips
Don’t overfill the wrappers – too much filling makes them hard to seal and more likely to burst. Make sure the edges are well moistened and pressed together. If you’re new to pleating, simply press the edges flat; they will still taste great. Adjust the amount of water depending on your pan size so it almost evaporates by the end of cooking.
How to serve
Serve as a shared appetizer with small bowls of dipping sauce, chili oil and sliced spring onions. They also work well alongside a simple Asian-style salad or miso soup for a light meal.
Ingredients
- ground chicken can be from breast or thighs - 300 g
- spring onion greens or regular chives - 30 g
- fresh ginger about 2 teaspoons, finely grated - 10 g
- garlic finely chopped - 2 cloves
- soy sauce - 2 tablespoons
- sesame oil you can omit it or replace with rapeseed oil - 1 teaspoon
- ground white pepper you can use black pepper - 0.25 teaspoons
- sugar - 0.5 teaspoons
- ready-made round gyoza/jiaozi dumpling wrappers if unavailable, use thinly rolled pierogi dough - 30 pieces
- oil - 3 tablespoons
- water for pan-steaming - 120 ml
- rice vinegar for the dipping sauce; can be replaced with apple cider vinegar - 2 tablespoons
- extra soy sauce for dipping - 2 tablespoons
Preparation
- Wash the spring onion greens and chop finely. Peel the ginger and grate it on a fine grater. Peel the garlic and chop finely.
- Put the ground chicken into a bowl, add the spring onion greens, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar and pepper. Knead with your hand or mix with a spoon for 2–3 minutes, until the mixture becomes slightly sticky.
- Cover the filling and place in the fridge for 10 minutes to let the flavours meld.
- Place a few dumpling wrappers on the work surface. Put about 1 teaspoon of filling in the centre of each wrapper.
- Lightly moisten the edges of the wrapper with water using your finger. Fold the wrapper in half into a half-moon shape and seal the edges well, pressing with your fingers so there are no gaps. You can make small pleats, but it’s not necessary.
- Place the finished dumplings on a plate lightly dusted with flour or starch so they don’t stick.
- Heat 1–1.5 tablespoons of oil in a large lidded frying pan over medium heat. Arrange the dumplings flat side down, making sure they don’t touch.
- Fry for 2–3 minutes, until the bottoms of the dumplings are golden and crispy.
- Pour about 60 ml of water into the pan (it should come 3–4 mm up the sides), quickly cover with a lid and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook for 5–6 minutes, until the water has almost completely evaporated and the wrappers are semi-translucent and soft.
- Remove the lid and fry for another 1–2 minutes so the bottoms become crispy again. Repeat with the remaining dumplings, adding oil and water each time.
- In a small bowl, mix the rice vinegar with soy sauce – this is a simple dipping sauce.
- Serve the dumplings immediately, hot, with the dipping sauce.
Storage
Usmażone pierożki przechowuj w lodówce do 2 dni i podgrzewaj na suchej patelni pod przykryciem z odrobiną wody. Surowe, ulepione pierożki możesz zamrozić na tacy, a potem przesypać do woreczka i smażyć bez rozmrażania, wydłużając czas o 2–3 minuty.
