This Chicken Gyoza recipe features juicy and flavorful ground chicken mixed with vegetables and Japanese seasonings. They're pan-fried until golden brown and crispy, then served with a simple soy dipping sauce.
You can use my homemade gyoza wrappers or store-bought gyoza wrappers to wrap the gyoza wrappers. If you're in the mood for a different type of filling, check out my fried pork dumplings recipe made with minced pork and napa cabbage!
Okay, I'll admit it: making gyozas from scratch can take a lot of time. You need to make your own filling and then individually wrap each dumpling one by one. I mean, who's got time for that, am I right? Well, to tell you the truth, many people, including myself.
Despite the time commitment, making your own gyoza is incredibly satisfying and leaves you with a great sense of accomplishment. It allows you to control the ingredients and customize the flavors to your liking. And they taste great too!
Chicken gyozas also freeze really well, making for a perfect make-ahead meal or meal prep. When I make this recipe, I usually quadruple it and store them in the freezer, then eat gyozas for the next week (with no complaints).
And cooking them from frozen is incredibly simple - no defrosting is required! Just pop the frozen gyozas in a pan with a little oil and water, and you're good to go. More on this technique is below.
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🥟 What is Chicken Gyoza?
Chicken gyoza is a type of gyoza filled with ground or minced chicken. Normally, gyoza is filled with pork, so using chicken is an interesting twist! Although it's not very common in restaurants, it's quite common among Japanese home cooks.
The chicken filling is prepared in much the same way as any other dumpling filling. The chicken meat is usually ground or minced, which allows the seasonings to permeate every part of the meat and makes wrapping the filling easier.
My chicken gyoza recipe combines ground chicken with napa cabbage, ginger, scallions, and various seasonings for the perfect, delicious, and juicy bite.
🧂 Ingredients
For the fresh ingredients:
- Ground chicken - Use full-fat chicken for the best flavor and texture. If you can't find ground chicken, you can grind your own by grinding chicken legs in a meat grinder. I prefer to leave the skins on for more flavor.
- Napa cabbage - a type of Chinese cabbage with a crisper texture and more water content than regular cabbage.
- Scallions - we use both the green and white parts for this recipe.
- Ginger - For the best flavor, use fresh ginger. Finely mince or grate it using a Microplane to distribute its flavor evenly throughout the filling.
- Gyoza wrappers - you can use store-bought or homemade gyoza wrappers. Store-bought will definitely save you time, but making everything from scratch is a huge bragging right.
For the seasonings:
- Soy sauce - adds saltiness and umami to the filling.
- Toasted sesame oil - adds a nutty fragrance to the filling.
- White pepper - use freshly cracked white peppercorns for the best flavor. Ground white pepper tends to lose a lot of its spiciness over time.
- Cornstarch - helps firm up the dumpling filling, making it easier to handle when wrapping. It also absorbs some of the excess liquid, so the filling isn't too watery.
- Sugar - a little bit of sugar helps balance the salty and savory flavors of the filling.
- Salt - to enhance all the flavors of the filling.
- Oil - gives the filling a more succulent flavor and silkier texture.
🔪 Instructions
Step 1. Prepare filling
In a large bowl, combine ground pork, napa cabbage, scallions, ginger, soy sauce, oil, white pepper, sugar, cornstarch, and toasted sesame oil. Stir until well combined.
Step 2. Wrap gyozas
Place two to three teaspoons of filling in the center of a gyoza wrapper. Wet the edges with water, then seal the chicken gyoza, removing as much air as possible. This video shows a simple technique for folding dumplings.
Transfer to a baking sheet dusted with flour and repeat with the remaining filling.
At this point, you can fry them or freeze them for later. For instructions on freezing, see the storage section below.
Step 3. Fry gyozas
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. When the pan is hot, place as many chicken gyozas as possible in a single layer. Cook until the bottoms are golden brown (about 2-3 minutes).
Then, add ¼ cup of water, cover with a lid, and steam the gyoza for about 3-4 minutes or until most of the water is evaporated.
Cook uncovered for another 1-2 minutes until the bottoms are golden brown and crispy. Transfer to a plate and serve with dipping sauce.
For a quick dipping sauce, combine 1 tablespoon Chinese black vinegar, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and 1 teaspoon Sichuan chili oil. Or, try it with my Peanut Butter Dumpling Sauce!
🌡 Food safety
Ensure you cook the dumplings to an internal temperature of 165°F to kill off potentially harmful bacteria like Salmonella.
💭 Top Tips
- Use a food processor to chop the napa cabbage, scallions, and ginger - it's so much faster than doing it by hand.
- Use freshly cracked white pepper for the best flavor. Pre-ground white pepper loses much of its spiciness after a few months from opening.
- Wet the edges of the wrapper with water before folding it to help seal the gyoza.
- Don't overfill the dumplings; otherwise, they'll be hard to seal properly and may pop open while cooking.
- Use a thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken gyoza. The filling should reach at least 165°F.
👨🏻🍳 Variations
- Turkey - Turkey is an excellent substitute for chicken in this recipe since they taste identical when they're ground up. I always have unused turkey legs during Thanksgiving because I hate their toughness. In the past, I used to save them for stock, but ever since I started making chicken gyoza, I've substituted the turkey legs for chicken, and the result is a delicious filling!
- Steamed - Steam the dumplings on a parchment-lined steamer basket for 7-10 minutes on high heat until cooked through. Ensure the filling reaches a temperature of at least 165°F.
- Cilantro - Add 1 cup of chopped cilantro leaves to the filling for a wonderful freshness and aroma.
- Chives - Add 1 cup of minced Chinese chives to the filling. You'll also need to add a pinch of salt and sugar to season the additional veggies.
🥡 Storage & Leftovers
Storing: Store leftover chicken gyozas in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Reheating: Reheat leftovers by microwaving for 1-2 minutes or panfrying on medium-low heat for 4-6 minutes until warmed through. If you have an air-fryer, you can pop them in at 350℉ for 2-3 minutes until crispy.
Freezing: Gyozas freeze incredibly well. To freeze, place wrapped chicken gyozas on a baking sheet dusted with flour and freeze for 2 hours until semi-solid. Then, transfer to a ziplock bag for long-term freezing for up to 3 months. If you have a vacuum sealer, you can vacuum seal the semi-solid dumplings and store them for up to one year.
📖 Recipe FAQs
I highly recommend cooking chicken gyoza in a nonstick pan to avoid any sticking. If you don't have a nonstick pan, ensure your oil is hot, and don't agitate the gyoza for the first few minutes. Once they build a crust, they should release easier.
The best way to ensure the filling is cooked is by using an instant-read thermometer. The filling should reach at least 165°F.
Please note that color is not a reliable indicator of when chicken is cooked properly. Raw chicken begins to develop its white opacity at around 125°F, well below the safe minimum temperature of 165°F. So even though the chicken may look cooked, harmful bacteria could still be alive. See this page for an informative article on chicken doneness.
Typically gyoza sauce is made of soy sauce, vinegar, and chili oil, but you can add many additional ingredients like garlic, scallions, chili oil crisps, and Sichuan peppercorns to add extra flavor.
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📋 Recipe
Chicken Gyoza
Ingredients
- 80 gyoza wrappers (see my homemade gyoza wrappers recipe)
Fresh ingredients
- 500 g ground chicken
- 250 g napa cabbage (chopped finely)
- 2 tablespoon scallion (sliced finely)
- 2 teaspoon ginger (minced)
Seasonings
- 2 tablespoon neutral oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon ground white pepper
Instructions
- Prepare filling: In a large bowl, combine ground pork, napa cabbage, scallions, ginger, soy sauce, oil, white pepper, sugar, cornstarch, and toasted sesame oil. Stir until well combined.
- Wrap gyozas: Place two to three teaspoons of filling in the center of a gyoza wrapper. Wet the edges with water, then seal the gyoza. Transfer to a baking sheet dusted with flour and repeat with the remaining filling.
- Fry gyozas: Heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. When the pan is hot, place as many gyozas as you can in a single layer in the pan. Cook until the bottoms are golden brown (about 2-3 minutes).Then, add ¼ cup of water, cover with a lid, and steam the gyoza for about 3-4 minutes or until most of the water is evaporated. Cook uncovered for another 1-2 minutes until the bottoms are golden brown and crispy. Transfer to a plate and serve with dipping sauce. For a quick dipping sauce, combine 1 tablespoon Chinese black vinegar, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and 1 teaspoon chili oil.
Notes
- Use a food processor to chop the napa cabbage, scallions, and ginger - it's so much faster than doing it by hand.
- Use freshly cracked white pepper for the best flavor. Pre-ground white pepper loses much of its spiciness after a few months from opening.
- Wet the edges of the wrapper with water before folding it to help seal the gyoza.
- Don't overfill the dumplings; otherwise, they'll be hard to seal properly, and they may pop open while cooking.
- Use a thermometer to check the internal temperature of the gyoza. The filling should reach at least 165°F to kill off potentially harmful bacteria like salmonella.
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