Chinese Chicken Dumpling
Chinese chicken dumpling AKA the potsticker. A flavorful filling of chicken and cilantro stem that lend a robust flavor along with the traditional ginger and soy sauce. Not only is the filling delicious the dough is just a perfect texture and chew you’ll only find in homemade dough. Don’t be intimidated by the dough, it is not difficult to make, just takes a bit of muscle to knead.
I will use the metric system for the chicken and dry ingredients for more accurate measurements. If you don’t have a scale there are metric conversions online that are helpful.
Filling:
500 grams, chopped chicken thighs into a ground meat
150 grams, cilantro stems, minced with some greens
1 teaspoon, sesame oil
1 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic, ginger paste
1 egg white, whisk
1/4 teaspoon five spice powder
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
2 green onions, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
Put the chicken, egg white , garlic ginger paste in a large bowl and mix well. Add the spices and other ingredients in ending with the cilantro and green onions on the top. Heat 50 grams of neutral oil and pour over the herbs in the bowl of ingredients. This will release the cilantro and onions flavor.
Stir with two chop sticks in the same direction until it has mixed together. Doing this is important for the texture of the filling.
Dough:
4oo grams of King Arthur Bread Flour, 12.7% protein (just over 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 teaspoon salt
240 grams room temperature water (approximately 1 cup)
Measure the flour and salt together and slowly pour in the water. Using chopsticks to stir it while you are adding the water. Gathering all the flour together and make it into a dough. Knead the dough on the counter for about 5-6 minutes or until smooth. Cover it and let sit for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, knead it again for another 5 minutes. Cover it with a slightly damp towel and let it sit for 1 hour. The reason we knead it twice is to help develop the protein that will make sure the dumpling wrapper has a great texture.
Dust a work surface with flour. Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces. Work with 1 piece at a time and keep the others covered with the damp cloth. Using your palms, roll into a log 12 inches long. Cut crosswise into 12 equal pieces. Using a small rolling pin, roll out each piece into a 3 inch round. Keep the work surface well dusted with flour as you work.
Place 1 round on the palm of one hand, place 1 tablespoon of the filling on the center, and fold the round into a half-moon, press to seal the center only. Pleat the edges in and press on edge and then pleat the other to shape into a half moon. Cover the dumplings with plastic wrap to prevent them from drying out, then repeat with the remaining two pieces of dough in two batches to make a total of 36 dumplings.
In a cast-iron frying pan, heat 3 tablespoons of the peanut oil over medium-high heat. Place 10 to 18 dumplings in the pan. Turn the heat to medium and allow the dumplings to cook for 3 minutes. Pour 1/4 cup of the water into the pan and then cover. Allow the dumplings to cook for 7 to 10 minutes, or until the water evaporates. Remove the lid and reduce the heat to low and allow the dumplings to cook for about 2 minutes, or until they are golden brown on the bottom and the skins are translucent on top. To ensure the dumplings cook evenly, move the pan back and forth on the burner to distribute the heat evenly and prevent sticking.