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Pan fried dumplings or Potstickers are crispy wonton wrappers filled with seasoned ground chicken. Gyozas are golden brown around the edges and filled with a savory mixture.
Potstickers.
Or Gyoza. Or Pan fried dumplings.
So many names for a one delicious little nugget of goodness.
Crispy on the outside and filled garlic and ginger ground chicken filling. Place potstickers in a skillet and pan-fry to get a golden exterior. Then cover and steam potstickers for a couple of minutes with water to help them cook all the way through.
There are so many variations on this recipe, some people add salted and dried Napa cabbage, others use ground beef or ground pork. But one thing remains true, the delicately scented filling is delicious dipped in a soy sauce based dipping sauce.
It’s just a bit spicy, and a little tangy and it’s so delicious.
Bonus points: potstickers are freezer-friendly. Great for adding to homemade soup, broth bowls with mushrooms, other dishes, and pan fried dumplings make the perfect companion to a good TV bingeing sesh.
Extra bonus points: no bamboo steamer basket required.
I made about 6 batches, each one better than the one before. I finally hit it perfectly yesterday. I could eat them every day!
Ingredients for Potstickers
- Ground Chicken: My personal favorite is ground chicken breasts for this recipe but you can use ground beef, ground turkey, ground pork or even ground chicken thighs.
- Green Onion: or scallions are minced up and used in the filling
- Ginger: give Chinese potstickers the best flavor
- Garlic: grated garlic helps flavor the filling
- Soy Sauce: adds umami to the filling. We’ll also use some in the dipping sauce
- Sesame Oil: I use toasted sesame oil to give the filling a delicious unique flavor.
- Seasonings: you’ll need kosher salt, sugar, and some cornstarch. Sometimes I’ll also add a sprinkling of white pepper
- Dumpling Wrappers: or also called gyoza wrappers are made with wheat flour and water. You’ll need to thaw them a couple of hours ahead of wrapping the potstickers as they are typically sold frozen in grocery stores.
- Oil: you’ll need just a drizzle when making pan fried dumplings
- Dipping sauce: In the past I’ve made my dumpling sauce with soy sauce, sambal, chilli oil and toasted sesame oil. But in recent years, I’ve shaped the sambal for chili crisp and swapped the sesame oil for black vinegar. It makes the dipping sauce abit more complex and it’s absolutely amazing.
Recipe Tip
Bought chili crisp and looking for other ways to use it? try my Charred Scallion Noodles, Chili Crisp Salmon, Crispy Rice Salad, and Ponzu Zucchini Stir Fry.
How to Make Potstickers
- Combine the filling. Add the ground chicken, scallions, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, pinch of salt, sesame oil, sugar, and cornstarch to a bowl and stir to combine. The meat should become sticky and hold all the other ingredients together – this makes the best dumplings.
- Let’s wrap it up. Add cold water to a small bowl. We’ll use this to seal the wedges of the wrapper. Working on a clean surface, place a sheet of gyoza wrapper in front of you. Add a dollop of the filling to the center of the wrapper. Then using your index finger, dip it into the cup of water and trace it along the edges of the wrapper.You want to pinch or make pleats with the wrapper between your fingers and seal the edges. Place the dumpling on a baking sheet lined with a piece of parchment paper. Then repeat with the remaining dumplings.
- Cook dumplings. At this point, you can freeze the dumplings until ready to use or cook immediately. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a skillet with a tight fitting lid over medium-high heat. Add as many potstickers as the pan can hold comfortably. If you need to make all of them, do this in batches. Then sear them in theban before adding water. Cover and allow the dumplings to steam or boil in the pot until the potsticker fillings cook through.
- Serving. Serve cooked dumplings with my homemade sauce.
If you like this recipe you might also like
- Chinese Buffet Jalapeño Chicken
- Garlic Lovers Pepper Steak
- Cantonese Pan-Fried Noodles
- Sticky Garlic Gochujang Chicken
- Black Pepper Chicken Stir Fry
Easy Potstickers (Pan Fried Dumplings)
Ingredients
Potstickers:
- 1 ¼ pounds lean ground chicken or turkey or beef
- 5-6 green onions thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoons ginger paste or grated ginger
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 50-60 dumpling wrappers aka gyoza or potsticker wrappers
- 2-3 tablespoons oil
Sauce:
- ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1-2 tablespoons chili crisp or chili crisp (sambal oelek works too)
- 2-3 teaspoons black vinegar or rice vinegar
Instructions
- FILLING: In a large bowl, combine the ground chicken, scallions, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, salt, sesame oil, sugar, and cornstarch until evenly mixed or distributed. The meat should be sticky and hold together well.
- FILL: Pour cold water into a small bowl. Working on a clean, flat surface, lay a potsticker wrapper down. Place a ½-1 tablespoon of the prepared mixture in the center. Dip your fingertip in water and trace it along the edge of the gyoza wrapper.
- PLEAT: Fold the wrapper over the filling to make a half-moon shape. You want to pinch or make pleats with the wrapper between your fingers and seal the edges. Make sure to work out any air pockets before sealing. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling.
- COOK: Heat a tablespoon of oil in a deep skillet or pan over medium high heat. Add as many potstickers in a single layer as possible, about ½-inch apart from each other and allow them to cook for 2-3 minutes.
- STEAM: Pour ⅓ cup of water into the pan and quickly cover with a lid to prevent splatter. Lower the heat to medium and allow the potstickers to steam for 6-7 minutes or until you hear a loud frying or popping noise from the pan. Remove to a plate and serve with dipping sauce.
Sauce:
- Combine the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl and serve with the prepared potstickers.
Notes
- Potstickers can also be frozen. Place the pleated potstickers in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Transfer the frozen potstickers to a large zip-top bag and freeze for up to two months. No need to defrost, you can cook these directly from frozen state. Potstickers may require closer to 8-10 minutes of steaming time if cooked from frozen state.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I made about 6 batches, each one better than the one before. I finally hit it perfectly yesterday. I could eat them every day!
Thanks for lovely recipe
Need to add water on the potstickers in the same pan to steam.