Chicken Dumplings
Classic pan-fried Chinese chicken dumplings (ji rou jiao zi / 鸡肉饺子) with a homemade bread-flour wrapper, a juicy chicken-and-spinach filling seasoned with five-spice and basil, and an aromatic soy-and-black-vinegar dipping sauce. Makes 50 dumplings.
Ingredients
| 400 g | bread flour | |
| 200 g | water | |
| 1/2 tsp | 2.5 ml | salt |
| 400 g | ground chicken | |
| 150 g | spinach | |
| 1.5 Tbsp | 23 ml | soy sauce |
| 1.5 Tbsp | 23 ml | oyster sauce |
| 1/4 tsp | 1.3 ml | salt (for filling) |
| 1 Tbsp | 15 ml | sesame oil |
| 1 tsp | 5 ml | chicken bouillon powder, optional |
| 1 tsp | 5 ml | five-spice powder |
| 1/3 cup | 80 ml | diced basil |
| 1/4 cup | 60 ml | chicken stock |
| 6 g | garlic, grated (about 2 cloves) | |
| 1 tsp | 5 ml | grated ginger |
| 2 Tbsp | 30 ml | diced scallions |
| 1 Tbsp | 15 ml | chili flakes |
| 3 Tbsp | 45 ml | oil (for dipping sauce) |
| 3 Tbsp | 45 ml | soy sauce (for dipping sauce) |
| 1 Tbsp | 15 ml | Chinese black vinegar |
Instructions
Make the wrapper dough: 1) Add the salt to the water and stir to dissolve. Pour the solution into the flour in batches while mixing, adjusting the water ratio by feel. 2) Gather into a rough dough, then knead until smooth; if it feels tight, cover and rest 15 minutes and knead again, repeating until smooth and elastic. Chef's secret: resting lets the gluten expand and absorb water, making the dough more flexible; with a KitchenAid, use the hook on medium 10 minutes without resting. 3) Shape into a short log, cover with a damp towel or plastic film, and rest 30 minutes.
Make the filling: 1) In a big bowl add the ground chicken, soy sauce, oyster sauce, salt, sesame oil, five-spice powder, chicken bouillon powder, and julienned basil, and mix until well combined. 2) Add the chicken stock in batches and stir in one direction about 5 minutes; set aside. Chef's secret: the stirring gelatinizes the protein so the filling absorbs the liquid for a juicy, tender result. 3) Blanch the spinach in boiling water 15 seconds, cool under running water, squeeze dry, and dice finely. 4) Add the spinach to the filling, mix thoroughly, and chill in the fridge.
Divide and wrap: 1) Roll the rested dough into a long even log about 32-35 inches. 2) Divide into 50 pieces (12g each) – no scale needed, go by feel. 3) Sprinkle flour to keep pieces from sticking and cover with plastic wrap. 4) Place a piece cut-side vertical, flatten into a small round pancake, then hold a rolling pin with one hand and roll the edge back and forth while the other hand rotates the dough, making a round wrapper with a thick middle and thinner edge (so the pinched edge isn't double-thick and doughy). 5) To fold a classic half-moon: put filling in the middle, pinch a corner for the first pleat, then stretch, fold, and pinch to make more pleats to the end. 6) Sprinkle the tray with flour before setting dumplings aside; continue with the rest. Meal-prep tip: freeze up to 3 months and pan-fry from frozen (takes a bit longer).
Pan-fry and serve: 1) Add a general amount of oil to a frying pan and swirl to coat. Add the dumplings one by one (no need to preheat) and pan-fry over medium-low without a lid 2-3 minutes until the bottoms are golden brown. 2) Pour in 1/4 cup water, cover, and let the steam cook the dumplings 6-8 more minutes until the water is gone. Chef's secret: the added water won't ruin the crust – once fully evaporated the bottom crisps up again. 3) Meanwhile make the dipping sauce: put grated garlic, ginger, diced scallions, and chili flakes in a bowl; heat 3 Tbsps oil until smoking hot and pour over the aromatics to activate the fragrance, then add the soy sauce and Chinese black vinegar and mix well. 4) Serve the dumplings with the dipping sauce.