Chicken Dumplings in Chili Oil (Juicy Homemade Chinese Jiaozi)
Juicy chicken dumplings in chili oil: homemade Chinese jiaozi with a ginger chicken filling in a spicy, tangy Sichuan red oil sauce.
These chicken dumplings in chili oil are juicy homemade Chinese jiaozi, folded around a ginger and spring onion chicken filling, boiled until tender and drowned in a fragrant Sichuan-style red oil sauce. They are one of the most satisfying things you can make with a packet of wrappers and an afternoon.
Jiaozi (饺子) are crescent-shaped dumplings eaten all over northern China, and they are the classic food of Chinese New Year, when families gather to fold hundreds together. Their shape is said to resemble old silver ingots, so eating them is a wish for wealth in the year ahead. Serving boiled jiaozi in a spicy red oil dressing comes from Sichuan, where Chengdu's famous Zhong dumplings (zhōng shuǐjiǎo) have been dressed in chili oil and sweet soy for over a century, and the sauce is now a favourite way to eat dumplings far beyond the province.
The secret to a juicy chicken filling is technique rather than fat. Minced chicken thigh is stirred in one direction while you slowly add a little ginger and spring onion water, which the meat absorbs, so the filling stays moist and bouncy instead of dry and crumbly. Soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, white pepper and sesame oil season it, and finely chopped napa cabbage adds sweetness and texture. The sauce balances heat, aroma and tang: chili oil with its crunchy flakes, black Chinkiang vinegar, light soy sauce, a pinch of sugar, raw garlic and numbing ground Sichuan pepper.
Ingredient swaps are simple. Minced pork or turkey work in place of chicken. Use Chinese chives or shiitake mushrooms instead of cabbage. Dry sherry stands in for Shaoxing wine, and rice vinegar with a dash of balsamic mimics black vinegar. If you prefer milder dumplings, use the oil and flakes sparingly and add more soy and vinegar. Homemade dough is lovely, but good store-bought round wrappers make this a weeknight dish.
Serve the dumplings in shallow bowls with the sauce spooned over, scattered with spring onion, coriander and toasted sesame seeds. A plate of smashed cucumber salad and a pot of jasmine tea make it a full meal. Uncooked dumplings freeze perfectly, so make a double batch.
Watch how it is made on our YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/shorts/Do7HwvczbOc
Watch how it is made
Ingredients
- 450 g minced chicken thigh (not breast)Substitute: minced pork or turkey
- 150 g napa cabbage, finely choppedSubstitute: Chinese chives
- 0.5 tsp salt (for the cabbage)
- 20 g fresh ginger, sliced
- 3 spring onions, plus extra to serve
- 60 ml cold water (for the ginger-onion water)
- 1.5 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wineSubstitute: dry sherry
- 0.5 tsp ground white pepper
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tsp cornflour
- 36 round dumpling wrappers
- 4 tbsp chili oil with flakes
- 2 tbsp Chinkiang black vinegarSubstitute: rice vinegar plus a dash of balsamic
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce (for the sauce)
- 1 tsp sugar
- 3 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 0.5 tsp ground toasted Sichuan peppercorns
- 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
- 1 tbsp chopped coriander, to serve
Method
- Salt the cabbage. Toss the chopped cabbage with the salt and leave for 10 minutes, then squeeze out as much water as you can with your hands.
- Make ginger-onion water. Lightly crush the ginger and 2 spring onions in the cold water and leave to infuse while the cabbage rests, then strain. Finely chop the remaining spring onion.
- Season the chicken. Put the chicken in a bowl with the soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, white pepper and cornflour. Stir firmly in one direction for 1 minute until sticky.
- Add the water slowly. Pour in the ginger-onion water one tablespoon at a time, stirring in the same direction until each addition is absorbed. Fold in the cabbage, chopped spring onion and sesame oil, then chill for 15 minutes so it firms up.
- Fold the dumplings. Place a heaped teaspoon of filling in the centre of a wrapper, wet the edge with water, fold into a half moon and pinch 4 to 5 pleats along one side to seal. Keep finished dumplings on a floured tray under a cloth.
- Mix the chili oil sauce. In a bowl combine the chili oil, black vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, grated garlic and ground Sichuan pepper. Stir until the sugar dissolves.
- Boil the dumplings. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil, add 12 to 15 dumplings and stir gently. When it returns to the boil add 125 ml cold water; repeat twice. They are done when they float and the wrappers look translucent, about 6 to 7 minutes.
- Sauce and serve. Lift the dumplings out with a slotted spoon, shake off the water and divide between bowls. Spoon over the chili oil sauce and finish with sesame seeds, coriander and spring onion.
Use chicken thigh rather than breast, because the extra fat keeps the filling juicy, and always stir the meat in one direction so it turns sticky and bouncy. Squeeze the cabbage really well or the filling will turn watery and tear the wrappers. Do not overfill: a heaped teaspoon is enough for a standard 8 cm wrapper. To freeze, open-freeze the uncooked dumplings on a floured tray until solid, then bag them; cook straight from frozen, adding 2 to 3 minutes. Make the sauce first so the garlic has a few minutes to mellow in the vinegar.
Frequently asked questions
What sauce goes on chili oil dumplings?
A Sichuan-style red oil sauce: chili oil with its flakes, black vinegar, light soy sauce, a little sugar, raw garlic and ground Sichuan pepper. Some cooks add a spoon of sesame paste for creaminess.
How do you keep chicken dumplings juicy?
Use minced chicken thigh, stir it in one direction and slowly beat in ginger-onion water so the meat absorbs it. A little sesame oil and well-squeezed cabbage also help the filling stay moist.
How long do you boil frozen dumplings?
Boil frozen dumplings for 8 to 10 minutes, adding cold water to the pot two or three times as it returns to the boil. They are ready when they float and the filling is cooked through.
Can I pan-fry these dumplings instead?
Yes. Fry them flat side down in a little oil until golden, add a splash of water, cover and steam for 6 to 7 minutes, then uncover and cook until the base is crisp again. Serve with the same chili oil sauce.
What is the difference between jiaozi and wontons?
Jiaozi use thicker round wrappers and are folded into crescent shapes, often boiled or pan-fried. Wontons use thin square wrappers, have a looser, frilly shape and are usually served in broth or red oil.
Are chili oil dumplings very spicy?
They are as spicy as your chili oil. Most store-bought chili crisps are medium. Use less oil and more of the crunchy flakes, or add extra soy and vinegar, for a milder bowl.
