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Homemade Sesame Chicken Dumplings in Spicy Broth with Garlic Crisps…best for nights when you’re craving spicy, warming, Chinese dumplings, but want something healthier and made at home. Easy homemade dumplings with chicken, ginger, and sesame-crusted wrappers, served in a steaming, spicy, gingery broth. Finish each bowl of dumplings off with spicy chili garlic crisps and toasted sesame oil. These are a fun and healthy dinner to make any night of the week. So delicious…and extra saucy too. Sesame Chicken Dumplings in Spicy Broth with Garlic Crisps.
Happy Monday, happy almost December!! We’re back at it after a long holiday weekend, which means one of two things. One, we’re either feeling refreshed and ready for the week, or two, we’re still beat from cooking on Thanksgiving. And then Black Friday shopping…which went through the weekend because everything is “cyber” these days.
So which is it? I’m going to be honest, I’m not quite prepared for the week. It’s got me feeling a little bit anxious. But at least we have warming dumplings to make and Christmas movies to watch. So that makes everything better. So much better.
Crazy that it’s basically December, but also exciting too! Hoping this month brings everyone some much needed holiday cheer. I know it’s cheesy and all, but if there was ever a year to embrace the holidays, it’s 2020.
Soo with that, let’s start the week with the most delicious recipe. It’s not the usual, it’s not crazy traditional, but geez, it good. A cross between a good bowl of ramen noodles and crispy bottomed dumplings.
The Inspiration for these saucy sesame chicken dumplings.
A while back, in January actually, I made dumplings for the first time. I stuffed them with mushrooms and served them up with chili sauce. To this day, it’s still a recipe I make every so often because we all love them. They’re pretty quick and easy to throw together.
With the crazy busy and crazy cold month of December here, I wanted a cozy dinner that’s flavorful and healthy…or at least healthy(ish). I love my creamy pasta dishes, but it’s nice to switch things up from time to time.
So dumplings! This time I filled mine with a sesame chicken mix and baby bok choy and tossed them in steamy, spicy, gingery broth. Very cozy and warming, but healthy too!
The details.
Start with the dumpling wrappers. Since we don’t have any Asian markets near us, I like to use Wonton wrappers. These work amazingly well and I tend to keep them in my fridge or freezer to have on hand for quick homemade egg rolls or dumplings. Of course, if you have an Asian market near you, I would recommend picking up fresh dumpling wrappers to use for a truly authentic dumpling.
Once you have your wrapper situation all sorted, make the filling. It’s very simple but very good. Just some fresh ginger and garlic mixed with ground chicken and baby bok choy. I added a splash of soy sauce for saltiness, and a pinch of pepper for a little kick.
Assembling is easier than you’d think. I chose to make round dumplings because I find assembling easier and I’m able to make them prettier too. You can also fold the dough into half-moons (which I believe would then make these potstickers?). Either way, it’s an easy process. Just spoon the filling into the center of your dumpling wrapper, then lift the edges of the dough up and over the filling, pinching at the top to seal. Don’t stress about making these look perfect. Each little dumpling is unique and cute in its own way!
Finally, brush the bottom of each dumping with water and coat in sesame seeds. I don’t believe this is traditional, but those crispy sesame seeds on the bottom are delicious.
Before you start cooking the dumplings, make that spicy, gingery broth. The key to this is caramelizing the shallots. They add so much flavor and make the broth feel rich and indulgent.
Let the broth simmer while you cook the dumplings. I like to pan-fry them, then add water to steam and finish cooking them. It can be a little messy of a process, but it’s pretty easy. Once the water evaporates, I like to leave the dumplings on the pan another minute to allow the bottoms to get crispy again.
When pan-frying/steaming, it’s important to note that the pan will splatter when you add the water. So please be careful and stand back when doing so.
OK. And then the very last thing? Toss the Panko breadcrumbs and thinly sliced garlic into the skillet and let them get nice and crispy with some chili flakes.
To serve, I like to arrange the dumplings in low bowls, spoon the steaming broth over, then top with that crispy garlic plus fresh green onions for a nice pop of color and flavor at the end.
DELICIOUS.
Look, I know it’s not my simplest of the simple recipes, but the extra effort put into these dumplings is so worth it. Especially if you’ve been craving really good dumplings and steaming broth from your favorite Chinese spot in town. Homemade is always better, you know?
You can also make them in bulk over the weekend or whenever you have time. Then just freeze what’s leftover for the quickest, easiest lunch or dinner…any day of the week. Once the dumplings are frozen, simply pan-fry as directed, then steam for an additional four to five minutes.
I look at this recipe as the perfect December dinner. Our nights are so much longer these days, so sometimes I find it nice to be able to spend a little extra time in the kitchen making dinner. These are especially fun to make with others, so grab a few friends, your husband, kids, whoever. Then make a fun night out of this. And if you are going to make a night of it, add Christmas cookies, and a holiday movie into the mix too.
Looking for other Asian inspired weeknight dinners? Here are my favorites:
30 Minute Thai Peanut Chicken Ramen
30 Minute Caramelized Shallot Beef Ramen Noodles
Lastly, if you make these Sesame Chicken Dumplings in Spicy Broth with Garlic Crisps, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Sesame Chicken Dumplings in Spicy Broth with Garlic Crisps
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 1690 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken or pork
- 2 tablespoons fresh grated ginger
- 1 clove garlic, minced or grated
- 2 cups roughly chopped spinach or bok choy
- 2 tablespoons plus, 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce or tamari
- black pepper
- 24-26 round dumpling or wonton wrappers
- 1/4 cup plus, 1 tablespoon raw sesame seeds
- 3-4 medium shallots, thinly sliced
- 3 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 5 tablespoons sesame or olive oil
- 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced or smashed
- crushed red pepper flakes use to your taste
- green onions for serving
Instructions
- 1. In a medium bowl, combine the raw chicken, bok choy, 1 tablespoon ginger, garlic, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, and a pinch of black pepper. 2. To assemble, spoon 1 tablespoon of filling onto each wrapper. Brush water around the edges of the wrapper. Fold the edges of the wrapper up and around the filling and pinch in the center to seal. Repeat with the remaining wrappers. Place the sesame seeds in a shallow bowl. Brush the bottoms of the dumplings with water and then dredge them in the sesame seeds.3. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a medium pot. When the oil shimmers, add the shallots and cook until fragrant and caramelized, about 4 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon ginger and cook another minute. Add the broth, 1/4 cup soy sauce, and the rice vinegar. Season to taste with pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Keep warm.4. Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a large skillet set over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the dumplings and cook until the bottoms are golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. Carefully pour 1/4 cup of water into the skillet, it will splatter, so stand back. Immediately cover with a tight-fitting lid. Turn heat to medium-low and let the dumplings steam for 5-6 minutes. Remove the dumplings from the skillet to a plate. 5. In the same skillet, add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, the Panko, thinly sliced garlic, 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, and a large pinch of red pepper flakes. Cook until lightly toasted, 3 minutes. Watch closely. Spoon the crumbs out of the skillet onto a plate. 6. Arrange the dumplings in shallow bowls. Ladle the steaming broth over top. Top with garlic crisps, green onions, and chili oil. Enjoy!
Notes
To Freeze: follow the recipe through step 3. Flash-freeze the dumplings on a baking sheet for 30 minutes, then transfer to a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Once the dumplings are frozen, simply pan-fry as directed, then steam for an additional 4-5 minutes.
Chili Oil: I always keep a jar of this homemade chili oil on hand.
This post was originally published on November 30, 2020
FABULOUS RECIPE! I had homemade chicken broth kicking around so it made it EXTRA delicious. Wonderful for a chilly winter night.
Hey Reba,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad you enjoyed it! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
My boyfriend said this is probably the best meal I have ever made him! I used spinach and pork inside, but I bet boc choy would give it more flavor.
It was a little tedious to make, but next time I will double up and freeze because it was SO GOOD!!
Thanks for sharing!
Hey Natalie,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad you enjoyed it! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Was super super excited to make this recipe! It was absolutely delicious but could use some tweaks in my opinion. The broth tasted like it was missing something so I added some chili garlic paste & palm sugar. In addition- the meat mixture inside the dumplings wasn’t salty enough and lacked flavor. I’m not sure if it was the particular soy sauce I was using but would definitely recommend making sure you add enough!
Hey Rachel,
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe, thanks for giving it a try! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Made these tonight! My husband said they were restaurant quality! So yummy and fun to prepare!
Would love to post a pic but can’t figure out how to lol!
Thanks for the recipe ♥️
Kate
Hey Kate,
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe, thanks for giving it a try! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
I made these yesterday and they did not disappoint. I used wonton wrappers and used less filling for each as they were small. In total it made 52 dumplings. The broth was delicious with an unexpected tanginess. Thank you for a cozy delicious recipe.
Thank you Anne Marie! xTieghan
Could you use frozen (thawed and squeezed out) spinach instead of fresh?
Hey Rebecca,
Yes, that will work. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions. Happy Holidays! xTieghan
This was so delicious! My boyfriend and I both loved it, and I’m sad there aren’t more leftovers haha. It was just as good as takeout and so much healthier. I’ll definitely be making it again! My only note is that it was a lot more prep than I thought it would be. That’s not a huge issue for me because I love taking the time to cook dinner, but just something that others might want to know! I also made my own dumpling wrappers, so I think next time I will buy them instead to save some time.
I am really glad this recipe turned out so amazing for you, Johanna! Thank you so much for trying this one! xTieghan
Love this recipe ! You mentioned a mushroom dumpling, do you have a recipe for that one as well? My sister is veg and I would love to make a veg friendly one for dinner.
Hey Lexi,
Here you go: https://fett-weg.today/chinese-mushroom-dumplings/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other question. Happy Holidays! xTieghan
if we dont have broth can we use water?
Hey Kritika,
I would highly recommend using broth. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other question. Happy Holidays! xTieghan
been in kind of a cooking rut lately, so i made these last night to shake things up. best decision ever, these are soooo good! thanks tieghan!
I am really glad you made these and enjoyed them! Thank you Lauren! xTieghan
This is one of those recipes where I implore you to post a video. With 2-3 inch wrappers, there is NO way to purse them at the top, and NO way to fit 1 tbls of filling in. Those of you who are raving about this recipe, please submit your input. Ive been making dumplings and pot stickers for years and this simply DOES NOT WORK. I tried it because it seemed much less daunting than forming normal pinched potstickers, and now I’m stuck doing just that.
Hey Debra,
I am so sorry you are having issues with the recipe. If you head over to my instagram you can view a video of me making this entire recipe saved in highlights. I sure hope this helps you! Please let me know if you have any other questions. Happy Holidays! xTieghan
These were so amazing! Really simple ingredients, then longest part was filling the wonton wrappers but worth it. I used ground turkey because that’s all I had the the fridge and still came out well, I always add more ginger as well. Would def make again.
Thank you so much Mads!! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Made them today, loved it. I was skeptical about the ginger amount but I’m glad I trusted the recipe because it was just right!
Thank you so much Kaleigh! xTieghan
I made this last night and it was delicious! I folded the wontons like tortellini as it was easiest for me. So much flavour and the garlic crisp topping was amazing!!! I will definitely be making this again. Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
Thank you Melanie! I am really glad this recipe turned out so amazing for you! xTieghan
These were excellent and so tasty!! They took a bit of time to make (especially since I made the dough), but it was a great Sunday night activity. Only thing is I think I made my dough size too small and ended up with a ton of extra filling! I can’t freeze the filling because it was defrosted for this recipe.. any suggestions on what to do with the extra filling?? Maybe I’ll just make more and freeze!
Hey Stefanie,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try! I would make more dumplings and freeze those! xTieghan