Chicken Pot Stickers/Dumplings

I may be a little slow, but I always make good on a promise.

Last week I made a big batch of chicken pot stickers. I post the recipe and process here so you may share in their tasty goodness. Enjoy.

Behold the cast of characters. Please note that I later decided to add a carrot and some soy sauce.


There really is sesame oil in that bottle. I'm just a little low. Note to self: get more sesame oil.

That big thing on the right is a napa cabbage. I have used bok choy before. Both work well.


The napa cabbage is very dense. You get a lot of cabbage for your head. For this recipe you will need 4 cups of shredded cabbage.



I actually used a food processor to shred this. You just have to be careful not to pact too much in at a time. It shredded it quite nicely.

Then take the oil of your choice, I used coconut oil, and pour about a tablespoon into a skillet. Add the cabbage and cook it for about 9 minutes.



You made need to add a little water every few minutes to keep it from sticking.

After cooking, spoon the cabbage into a large bowl and allow to cool completely. Add a bunch of minced green onions, 2 tablespoons of minced, peeled ginger root, 1 t salt, 1 t sesame oil, 1 peeled and shredded carrot, and 2 cloves of garlic, crushed.



Mix all the veggies together. When they are combined, add the ground chicken. It's not pretty, but it will be good.



Here comes the fun part. Making the little bundles.

I used most of 2 packages of pot sticker wrappers. This recipe makes 60 dumplings. (FYI, if you are feeling really ambitious you can make your own wrappers. I was not feeling ambitious.)

The wrappers do dry out, so I recommend using a damp cloth under them while you make them and only take out as many as you will be using. Keep the rest in the package until you are ready to fill them.



Get yourself a little cup of water handy. You will need it to seal the edges.

Place about a dab of your mixture on the wrapper in the middle. I used an iced teaspoon. You will have to play with it. Too much and it will ooze out the sides. Too little and, well, what's the point? It should look about like this.


Dip your finger in the water and rub in all the way around the edge of the wrappers. Fold it over and press the edges.


Now, if you like your dumplings crispy, you could stop here. My son would be happy if I deep fried everything. I don't. So let's make some pretty edges. I crimp them sort of like I do a pie crust.


Cute, isn't it?

Now, at this point, I would make a couple and cook them up. Taste them. See if they need anything. I thought mine needed a little salt, so I added a tablespoon of soy sauce. Once it's to your liking, it's time to get busy and make some to freeze.

I usually make them three or four at a time: lay out the dough, drop the goo, seal them up. I place them on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Don't let them touch much. Leave them in the freezer just until frozen. Then you can take them out and put them in a freezer bag. Then you can take them out as you are ready to use them. Since they were frozen individually, you can take out 2 or 10 at a time.


When you are ready to cook them, heat a couple of teaspoons of oil in a skillet with a medium heat. Place the pot stickers in the skillet. You will want to keep the skillet covered. Cook for about 3 minutes until the bottoms are lightly browned. Squooch the lid over a bit and pour in about 1/2 cup of water. Cook for another 3 minutes.

And here is your finished product. They don't call them pot stickers for nothing!


Serve them with a little dumpling sauce and enjoy!

Here is a more readable version of the recipe I use:


Chicken Pot Stickers/Dumplings

1 T vegetable oil
4 cups finely chopped napa cabbage
1 bunch green onions, minced
1 carrot, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons minced, peeled ginger root
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspon sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound ground chicken
60 wonton/pot sticker wrappers

Heat 1 T oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add cabbage. Cook for 9 minutes, stirring frequently. While cabbage cooks, you may need to add water 1 T at a time to keep cabbage from sticking. Spoon cabbage into a large bowl and allow to cool completely.

Add next six ingredients to cooled cabbage, green onions through garlic, and mix thoroughly. Add chicken and stir well.

Working with a small number of wrappers on a damp cloth, fill each wrapper with about a teaspoon of mixture. Moisten the edges of the wrapper and fold over. Crimp the tops and press down on the counter to give them a flat bottom.

If freezing: place bundles on cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Freeze. remove from cookie sheet and place in a freezer bag until ready to use.

When ready to cook: Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a skillet. Place desired number of dumplings in skillet. Cover. Cook for 3 minutes. Move the lid over just enough to pour in about 1/2 cup of water and cook for 3 minutes more.


Have fun. Let me know if you give it a try.