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.
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.
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.
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, sprinkle lightly with salt, set aside for 5 minutes, then squeeze it firmly in your hands over the sink to get rid of excess water.
- Put the ground chicken, squeezed cabbage, chives, grated ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, a pinch of salt and pepper into a bowl.
- Mix the filling with your hand or a spoon for 2–3 minutes, until it becomes slightly sticky and uniform. If it seems too dry, add 1–2 tablespoons of water.
- Cover the filling and place it in the fridge for 10 minutes so the flavors can meld.
- Prepare a dumpling station: a small bowl of water, the filling, wrappers and a plate lightly dusted with flour.
- Place about 1 teaspoon of filling in the center of each wrapper. Moisten the edges of the wrapper with water using your finger.
- Fold the wrapper in half, sealing the edges carefully. You can make simple half-moons or delicate pleats; the important thing is that there are no holes.
- Arrange the dumplings on a plate so they don’t touch each other, cover with a damp cloth so they don’t dry out.
- Fill a steamer pot (metal, bamboo or a regular pot with a steaming insert) with water to 1/3 of its height and bring to a boil.
- Line the steamer basket or insert with baking paper with a few holes, or lightly brush with oil so the dumplings don’t stick.
- Arrange the dumplings in a single layer, leaving some space between them. Steam for 8–10 minutes from the moment the water starts vigorously steaming again. The filling should be completely set inside.
- Meanwhile, prepare the dipping sauce: mix 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon oil and optionally a pinch of chili flakes.
- Serve the dumplings immediately after steaming, hot, with a small bowl of dipping sauce.
Storage
Ugotowane pierożki przechowuj w lodówce do 2 dni, podgrzewaj ponownie na parze 5–7 minut. Surowe, ulepione pierożki możesz zamrozić na tacy, a potem przesypać do woreczka i gotować na parze bez rozmrażania, dodając 2–3 minuty do czasu.
