Chicken Cilantro Dumplings

Hubby convinced me that we should make some chicken cilantro dumplings for the Super Bowl. So we did. And we made a family affair out of it and had a lot of fun. The funny part is that we didn’t even end up watching very much of the Super Bowl… But the dumplings were very tasty nonetheless.

Chicken Cilantro Dumplings 

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground organic chicken (I bought organic chicken breasts and ground them myself in my food processor.)
• 1 medium-sized onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 green onion stalks, sliced
• Cilantro (I used one bunch; use less or none if you are not very fond of cilantro), finely chopped
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 inch round slice of ginger, grated
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1/2 tablespoon gochujang (Korean red pepper paste)
• Approximately 5 ounces tofu
• About 50-60 dumpling/potsticker skins (we got thick and thin ones; we much preferred the thinner ones)

Directions:

• [Note: I chopped all the vegetables in my food processor and then ground the chicken breasts in it as well. It was quick and easy.]
• Combine and mix all ingredients, except the dumpling skins,  in a bowl for the filling. Don’t overwork the filling.
• Spoon a small amount of filling into the middle of the dumpling skins. Don’t use too much, or it will be hard to close the dumplings.
• Wet one half of the outside of the skins with water and fold the skins in half.
• Firmly press down on the seams and fold them over 2 to 3 times.
• Makes approximately 50 - 60 dumplings.

The dumplings can be pan-fried or cooked in a soup.

• To panfry: Spray a hot frying pan with oil. Lower the heat to medium high. Add the dumplings and cook on one side for about 3 minutes. Then add a few tablespoons of water to the pan and put a lid on the pan. Let the dumplings cook/steam for about 2-3 minutes. Then take the lid off and continue to cook until both sides are browned.

• To cook in soup: Add the dumplings to some gently boiling broth. Make sure the broth doesn’t boil too hard, or the dumplings may open up. Cook for about 5 – 7 minutes.

Note: It’s practically impossible for me to figure out exactly how much filling I need for a certain number of skins, and I rather make a bit more. If you have leftovers (like I always do), you can form little “chicken balls” and cook them in some broth. By adding some vegetables (great to “clean out the fridge!”), they make a very tasty vegetable/chicken ball soup. Alternatively, you can make little “hamburgers,” which I love to add on top of salads. Tip: Make sure the chicken mixture is very cold before forming the “balls/hamburgers,” or they fall easily apart. Finally, I always freeze some uncooked dumplings for later use. When I want to use them, I add them to some broth and cook them a minute longer than fresh ones.

Questions: Did you watch the Super Bowl? Since the 49ers came so close but didn’t make it after all, hubby was still a bit heartbroken, and it was easy to convince him to spend the beautiful afternoon outside instead!  If you watched the Super Bowl, what did you eat while watching? If you didn’t watch the Super Bowl, what was the favorite thing you ate over the weekend? What’s on your menu this week? 

Be well,
Andrea