Chicken Gyoza

Chicken is probably my favorite protein for gyozas. The filling is made with ground chicken, napa cabbage, ginger, scallions, and various seasonings. Sometimes I also use leftover turkey legs instead of chicken. Both are good and you can’t really tell the difference when they're grinded up.

Can't get enough of gyoza? Try my Vegetarian Dumplings next!

🇯🇵 About This Recipe

Growing up, my family made a lot of our own dumplings. They are way cheaper to make yourself than buying at a restaurant or grocery store. One time we went to a Japanese restaurant and ordered their chicken gyozas for an appetizer. They were really tasty, and my mom and I started making them at home.

This recipe is based on this Pork Gyoza recipe from Serious Eats. It basically subs out the pork with chicken, and I removed the garlic and added less white pepper. White pepper is delicious with pork but its a little overpowering with chicken.

🥟 How to get a good texture in the filling

I like my gyoza filling to be firm and slightly bouncy. That texture is achieved by thoroughly mixing the ingredients for a long time. Usually at least 5 minutes.

You can either use chopsticks, a spoon, or your hands for the mixing. Personally, I find hands to be the easiest because my fingers always get tired after only a few minutes of gripping the chopsticks or spoon.

The scientific reason why this works is that as you mix the filling, the proteins unwind and cross-link. This forms a matrix that strengthens the bond within the meat. This binds the ingredients together more tightly and gives the filling a bouncy texture.

🧂 Ingredients

• Gyoza Wrappers: Make sure you get the circle wrappers which are meant for gyoza. The square ones are meant for wontons. You can also use Chinese dumpling wrappers, which are the same thing.
• Ground Chicken: I grind my own chicken from chicken legs, thighs, or drumsticks. You can buy it pre-ground though.
• Napa Cabbage: This is a type of cabbage you see more in Asian food. I like using a food processor to chop it very finely but you can use a knife as well.
• Ginger: I recommend grating the ginger with a microplane so the flavor distributes more evenly in the filling.
• Scallions: This is the fancy word for green onions if you didn't know.
• Seasonings: Soy sauce, white pepper, sugar, toasted sesame oil, regular oil, and a little bit of cornstarch to soak up extra liquid.

🔪 Instructions

STEP 1: In a large bowl, combine ground chicken, napa cabbage, scallions, ginger, soy sauce, oil, white pepper, sugar, cornstarch, and toasted sesame oil. Use your hands, a spoon, or a pair of chopsticks to mix the meat for 5-7 minutes. This is essential for getting a nice and bouncy texture. The filling should look thick and pasty.

STEP 2: Place two to three teaspoons of filling in the center of a wrapper. You don't want to add too much or it will be hard to seal.

Use your finger to dampen the edges of the wrapper with a little bit of water. Going from one direction (left to right or right to left), slowly fold the gyoza, making sure to pinch the skin to seal it tightly. This video shows a simple technique for folding dumplings. Try to push out the air as you go.

STEP 3: Heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, place as many gyozas as possible in a single layer. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the bottoms are golden brown.

STEP 4: Add ¼ cup of water and immediately cover with a lid. Let it cook for about 3-4 minutes or until most of the water is evaporated. Remove the lid, and cook for another 1-2 minutes until the bottoms are golden brown and crispy.

Serve immediately with a side of dipping sauce. For the dipping sauce, you can just use soy sauce, but I have a simple recipe in the recipe card below.

🥡 Make Ahead & Freezing

Freezing: Gyozas freeze really well. When I make this recipe, I usually quadruple it and freeze hundreds of dumplings for many months. Basically, you just place them on a baking sheet dusted with flour and then freeze them for two hours or so until they're semi-solid, and then transfer them to plastic bags for long-term storage.

Cooking from frozen: The instructions are the same as non-frozen, but just add two extra minutes to the steaming time. You may need to increase the water to ⅓ cup.

📋 Recipe

🍽 More Recipes You'll Love