Chinese Steamed Dumplings with Chicken and Cabbage Recipe
These delicate Chinese steamed dumplings with chicken and cabbage are a lighter cousin of fried dumplings. In China they’re often eaten at family gatherings and holidays, because it’s easy to get everyone involved in folding them. For a Polish palate, they’re something between pierogi and pelmeni – only juicier and fragrant with ginger.
Jiaozi are one of the most homey dishes in northern China, often made together for New Year and family gatherings. The steamed version is lighter than fried potstickers but keeps the same well-seasoned filling.
These dumplings combine familiar flavors of chicken and cabbage with aromatic ginger and soy sauce, giving you a dish that feels both comforting and exotic. Steaming keeps them light and juicy, and the delicate wrappers make them perfect for sharing at gatherings.
Why this version works
- Ready-made gyoza or wonton wrappers shorten the work time and give you thin, even dough without any practice.
- Thoroughly squeezing the cabbage prevents the filling from getting watery and the dumplings from bursting while cooking.
- Kneading the filling with a bit of water gives it a springy, slightly “sticky” texture that holds in the juices.
- Cooking over strong steam without lifting the lid gives you a soft, elastic wrapper without it turning mushy.
Chef's tips
Don’t overfill the dumplings – too much filling makes them hard to seal and more likely to burst. Work with a few wrappers at a time and keep the rest covered so they don’t dry out. If you’re new to pleating, stick to simple half-moons; they taste just as good. For extra juiciness, you can mix in a spoonful of cold water or chicken stock into the filling while kneading it.
How to serve
Serve the dumplings in a warm bowl or bamboo steamer, with small dipping bowls for each person. Add thinly sliced spring onions and a few cucumber sticks or a simple Asian-style salad on the side. They’re great as a party snack, a light lunch, or part of a larger Asian-inspired spread with fried rice or stir-fried vegetables.
Watch out for
- Do not overfill the dumplings – too much filling makes it hard to seal them tightly and encourages splitting.
- The water in the pot must be vigorously steaming before you add the dumplings, otherwise the wrappers will get soggy instead of cooking through.
- Do not uncover the steamer during cooking – a drop in steam temperature lengthens the cooking time and softens the dough too much.
- Do not pack the dumplings too tightly; if they stick together after cooking, they tear easily when you try to separate them.
Substitutions
- You can replace napa cabbage with finely chopped white cabbage, increasing the salting and squeezing time.
- You can swap the chicken for ground pork or turkey with a similar fat content.
- You can replace rice vinegar in the dipping sauce with mild apple cider vinegar diluted with a little water.
- You can replace gyoza wrappers with thinly rolled pierogi dough cut into rounds.
Ingredients
- ground chicken can be from breast or thighs - 300 g
- cabbage finely chopped - 150 g
- chives chopped - 3 tablespoons
- fresh ginger finely grated - 1 tablespoon
- garlic pressed through a garlic press - 2 cloves
- soy sauce - 2 tablespoons
- sesame oil you can omit it or replace with rapeseed oil - 1 teaspoon
- sugar - 0.5 teaspoons
- salt to taste, carefully because soy sauce is salty
- pepper - 0.25 teaspoons
- ready-made round gyoza / wonton wrappers you can replace them with thinly rolled pierogi dough - 30 pieces
- water for sealing the edges
- rice vinegar for the dipping sauce, you can replace with apple cider vinegar - 2 tablespoons
- oil for the dipping sauce - 1 tablespoon
- chili flakes optional, if you like spicier flavors - 0.25 teaspoons
Preparation
- Very finely chop the Chinese cabbage, transfer it to a bowl, sprinkle lightly with salt and mix. Set aside for 5–10 minutes, until it clearly softens, releases its juice and becomes glossy and moist to the touch.
- Squeeze the cabbage very firmly in your hands over the sink or a sieve until it is noticeably drier and only a few drops of juice come out when pressed. The leaves should be soft but not dripping – this is the key to a filling that won’t water down the wrappers.
- Put the ground chicken, squeezed cabbage, finely chopped chives, grated ginger and pressed garlic into a large bowl. Add the soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, a pinch of salt and pepper, then knead for 2–3 minutes, until the mixture is uniform and slightly sticky.
- If the filling is dry or crumbly, add 1–2 tablespoons of cold water and keep mixing until, when you form a small ball, it holds its shape and gently “springs back” under your finger. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for about 10 minutes so the filling firms up slightly.
- Set up your workstation: a small bowl of water, the dumpling wrappers and a tray lightly dusted with flour or brushed with oil. Place about 1 level teaspoon of filling in the center of each wrapper, leaving a free border about 1 cm wide.
- With your finger, moisten a thin line all around the edge of the wrapper – it should be damp but not dripping. Fold the circle in half, first pressing the center firmly, then the edges, sealing them well; you can make 2–3 small pleats on one side. The finished dumpling should be plump but without cracks.
- Arrange the dumplings on the tray so they do not touch and cover with a damp cloth so the dough doesn’t dry out. Well-hydrated wrappers are smooth and elastic; if the edges start to look dull and cracked, lightly moisten them.
- Fill a steamer pot with water to about 1/3 of its height and bring to a boil over high heat, until you see a strong, steady stream of steam rising from the pot. Line the steamer insert with perforated baking paper or brush it lightly with oil so the dumplings don’t stick.
- Place the dumplings in a single layer, leaving 1–2 cm between them, cover with a lid and steam over high heat for 8–10 minutes from the moment the steam is once again vigorously escaping from under the lid. The wrapper should be semi-translucent, soft and springy, and the filling set but juicy.
- In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and, optionally, a pinch of chili flakes. Gently remove the cooked dumplings with a slotted spoon and serve immediately, hot, with the dipping sauce.
Storage
No storage information available for this dish.
These dumplings are a great way to bring people together in the kitchen – folding them is almost as fun as eating them. Once you get the hang of the technique, you can play with different fillings and sauces, and the recipe quickly becomes a reliable go-to for casual gatherings.
