Easy Chicken Pot Stickers Recipe

If you love pot stickers but haven't ventured beyond microwaving dumplings that come from the frozen food aisle, this surprisingly simple and quick chicken pot stickers recipe from recipe developer and blogger Ting Dalton is just what you need! "My family loves me making dumplings. And while some recipes can be quite fiddly, they're actually very easy to make. It's all in the preparation," Dalton says. "Cooking time is minimal."

Pot stickers, much like dumplings or gyoza, are stuffed with all sorts of good stuff, and in this case, that good stuff is a flavorful chicken blend. The difference between making these homemade pot stickers and ordering them from a restaurant is that you can customize the homemade ones, truly catering them to your taste buds. "I love taking the time to wrap the really tasty fillings and then seeing everyone enjoy them," Dalton adds. "It's impossible to eat one or even three!" While these pot stickers may not seem like quick and easy option at first glance, this delicious recipe takes less than half an hour — let's get started!

To make these pot stickers, you'll need minced chicken, leeks, fresh grated ginger, sesame oil, garlic, salt, a green onion, and white pepper. You'll also need one egg, with the egg white and egg yolk separated, 20 round wonton wrappers, and 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. You'll also need Shaoxing wine, a type of Chinese rice wine. If you don't have Shaoxing wine on hand or can't find it in a Chinese market, you can substitute a dry cooking sherry or any other Chinese rice wine.

Mix the minced chicken, green onion, leek, salt, pepper, minced garlic, grated ginger, sesame oil, Shaoxing wine, and egg white together in a large bowl until combined.

Lay out a wonton wrapper. Put a small spoonful of the chicken mixture in the middle of the wrapper. Dip one of your fingers into the egg yolk and brush the outside rim of the wrapper with the egg yolk. Fold the wonton wrapper over to make a half-moon shape. Seal the edges of the pot sticker, and make sure to press out any air. Repeat this process with all the remaining wonton wrappers.

"My special method here is to bind the wonton wrappers with a little egg yolk," Dalton says. "You can use water, too, but I find the egg really seals the dumplings together well, so they don't break apart when cooking."

Heat the vegetable oil in a nonstick pan. Fry the pot stickers on medium heat until they are golden brown on the bottom, or for roughly 40 seconds. Then pour ¼ to ½ cup of water into the pan to create steam. Cover the pan and cook the pot stickers for around 3 minutes, or until they're cooked through.

Why fry and steam? According to Dalton, quickly frying and then steaming your pot stickers will give you dumplings that are crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. But be careful — if the heat is too high they can burn!

Once your pot stickers have cooked through, they are ready to serve, preferably with your choice of dipping sauce. Dalton suggests serving this dish as an appetizer along with other Chinese favorites such as shrimp toast and egg rolls.

"You can make these ahead of time and fry them before serving," Dalton says. "Just keep them on a board or plate and cover them with a cloth so the dumplings don't dry out." These pot stickers should also last in the freezer for up to 3 months.