Easy Potstickers Dumplings Recipe With Chicken Or Pork (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between chicken dumplings and potstickers? ›

Unlike dumplings, potstickers are made with a thin wrapper, sometimes referred to as a dumpling skin. This is because they are steam fried to get a crispy golden bottom layer and to ensure that the filling is juicy and delicious.

Potstickers are a type of dumpling that is pan-fried on one side, giving it a crispy texture. They are typically filled with meat and vegetables and served with a dipping sauce. Dumplings, on the other hand, can be boiled, steamed, or pan-fried and are usually filled with meat or vegetables.

Chicken potstickers are filled with ground chicken, shredded carrots, and green cabbage. You can add other ingredients like garlic and ginger to ramp up the flavor. Simply add a small scoop to a dumpling wrapper and fold it in half, pinch off the sides, then cook in a skillet. It is that simple and easy!

From-scratch dumpling dough requires only two ingredients — flour and water — and the water temperature yields different types of wrappers. Cold water is best for boiled dumplings because it causes the flour's proteins to form the gluten that makes dough chewy and able to withstand vigorously boiling water.

Technically, the most standard way to prepare potstickers is with both pan-frying AND steaming.

Gyoza is the Japanese variation on the traditional Chinese recipe of potstickers. They are usually made with thinner, more delicate wrappers, and the filling is more finely textured. The thinner skins mean that gyoza get crispier than chewy potstickers.

Jiaozi. One of the most ubiquitous types of Chinese dumplings, jiaozi (饺子) are usually steamed or boiled and have been enjoyed across China for millennia. They often have a mixture of minced pork, shrimp, vegetables, mushrooms, and aromatics, along with a paper-thin dumpling wrapper.

They're almost always very carb-rich thanks to the wrapper, and vegetarian and vegan versions of both are typically lower calorie and high nutrient than ground-meat-based versions. That said, potstickers tend to have more fat, thanks to pan frying, than any dumplings except soup dumplings.

The version we'll be cooking—technically called jiānjiǎo, fried dumplings—are properly what we call potstickers. Rather than steaming or boiling them, these are fried on one side in a thin film of oil, then steamed in the pan by adding a half cup or so of water and putting the lid on the pan while the water boils out.

Wonton wrappers can be substituted, though they lack dumpling wrappers' thin edge and will not pleat as well. If you substitute wonton wrappers, which are usually square, cut them into rounds before using.

Is it worth making your own dumpling wrappers? ›

Of course, store bought dumpling wrappers are totally suitable if that's all you have on hand (or you're just not in the mood for rolling and shaping dumplings), but homemade dumpling wrappers are always extra delicious! And you get the satisfaction of truly making all your dumplings from scratch and by hand.

You can also use the fresh egg roll or spring roll wrappers; cut in half or quarters. You could, then, cut those halves or quarters with the biscuit cutter, but I'd just leave them in their rectangular or square shapes — enough cutting, right?

Wrappers: Wonton wrappers are thinner, are usually square, and may contain egg. Dumpling wrappers are thicker, are usually round, and don't require egg. Filling: Dumplings can be filled or unfilled. Wontons always have a well-seasoned filling.

Potstickers, or jiaozi, are crescent-shaped Chinese dumplings that are first pan-fried and then steamed, which results in a dumpling that is crispy on one side and soft and chewy on the other.

However, for ease of understanding, they can be classified into two main types – crescent-shaped dumpling (gao) and purse-shaped dumplings (bao). Within these two types, there are several variations, many of which such a shui jiao, guo tie and more have been mentioned in our article.