Recipe: Chicken Dumplings

They freeze fabulously, so weeknight dinner is on the table in no time

Image | Chicken dumplings

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Don’t be intimidated by this delicious dish — it’s super simple, we promise. Shahir knows that weeknight dinners can be hard to get on the table, so he came up with four easy recipes that involves minimal prep; Chicken Sesame Cashew Stir-Fry, Italian Cobb Salad, Chicken Pot Pie, and these tasty dumplings. You can use leftover chicken from the night before or a store-bought roasted chicken! Use pre-made wonton wrappers to cut prep time and either boil or plop them on a sheet pan in the freezer for a family dinner that’s ready in no time. They’re packed with veggies, cook in minutes and make 30-35 dumplings at a time, so your wallet will thank you.

Ingredients

  • 1 chicken thigh (from store-bought roasted chicken)
  • 1 chicken drumstick (from store-bought roasted chicken)
  • 1 medium leek, washed, sliced into thin rings
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • ½ inch knob of ginger, peeled, minced
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • ½ cup chopped cilantro + 1 tbsp, divided
  • 1 cup frozen peas, defrosted
  • 1 pkg wonton wrappers, 30-35 wrappers
  • 8 cups chicken broth
  • 4 cups baby bok choy, cleaned and trimmed
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Water for brushing
  • Sambal Oelek, Sriracha or any other hot sauce of choice, optional
  • 3 green onion sprigs, thinly sliced, to garnish

Preparation

In a food processor, pulse together chicken, leek, garlic & ginger until chunky enough to stick together. Do not purée. Dump into a bowl and add soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, sugar and ½ cup chopped cilantro and mix well. Mix in peas and season with salt & pepper to taste if necessary.
To assemble wontons, place wrappers on a flat surface and brush warm water on edges. Place a teaspoon of chicken mixture in centre then fold in half, matching sides together and press along edges to seal. Place on a parchment lined baking tray and cover with a damp cloth while working on the rest of the dumplings.
Bring chicken broth to boil, reduce heat to medium then drop dumplings in simmering broth and cook for 3-5 minutes. Add cleaned and trimmed bok choy and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add remaining cilantro and hot sauce, if desired. Ladle equally into 4 bowls, garnish with scallions and enjoy.
Dumplings can be individually frozen and last up to one month in your freezer.
Servings: Makes 30-35 dumplings