Chicken and Cilantro Wontons
March 2, 2023
Chinese Dumplings Main Dishes Recipes Sides
I LOVE the frozen Chicken and Cilantro Wontons I see at the supermarket but they never have quite enough filling for me! They’re the small mini wontons but I’ve recreated a version that you can make at home quite easily! They’re so full of flavor, cook quickly, and the best part is, they freeze perfectly! You can keep these in the freezer to pull out for an easy meal ANY TIME!
Watch the Chicken and Cilantro Wonton Recipe Video Below!
Ingredients for Chicken and Cilantro Wontons
This Chicken and Cilantro Wontons recipe one of my favorite wonton recipes! I love them boiled and lightly tossed in chili oil or in Wonton Noodle Soup. Here is what you’ll need for the recipe:
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 2 oz bean thread noodle (about 2 oz dry)
- 2 cups cabbage chopped
- 3 scallions minced
- 1 cup cilantro chopped
- 3 tbsp light soy sauce low sodium
- 1 tbsp shaoxing wine
- 4 cloves garlic grated
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp MSG can sub chicken powder/accent/etc
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 1/2 tbsp corn starch
- wonton wrappers I used the brand ‘Dynasty’
INGREDIENTS TIPS
GROUND CHICKEN
This recipe calls for ground chicken and is a copycat of the frozen Chicken and Cilantro wontons, but you can easily swap proteins for pork, shrimp, or even turkey!
WHITE PEPPER
I get asked all the time if you can sub black pepper for white pepper – and my answer is, it depends BUT you need to watch the ratio. White pepper has a milder flavor profile than black pepper, so it’s a 1-1 substitute. I would start with less black pepper and add as you go. (But really, you should have white pepper in your pantry! It’s a staple in mine!)
SHAOXING WINE
If you cannot or do not want to use wine, you can sub with sherry, mirin, or chicken stock!
MSG
As always, this is optional 🙂
WONTON WRAPPERS
I like to use store bought wrappers and my go-to brand is Dynasty.
Chicken and Cilantro Wontons: Recipe Instructions
Make the filling
The first step in making these Chicken and Cilantro wontons comes down to the filling ingredients. First you will want to rehydrate the bean thread noodle. Kimbo is the brand that you can most recognizably find in the asian supermarket, and it comes in a package seen below.
Take a 2 oz piece of bean thread noodle (this came in one condensed block), then add boiling water to the noodles in a bowl. Let them sit and rehydrate for about 10 minutes or until the noodles are soft and pliable. Drain them of any excess water – this is very important! I even go as far as to drain them further with a paper towel. Water in the filling is your enemy when making dumplings or wontons! Too much water content will create soggy wontons by the end.
Next, take a pair of scissors or use a knife to cut them into small pieces. You want these to be about 1/2″ long (this doesn’t have to be exact).
Next, chop the cabbage into small pieces similar the noodles. In a large bowl, add 1 tsp of kosher salt to the dry cabbage and let it sit for 15 minutes to expel any excess water from the cabbage. At this point, squeeze the cabbage to ring out any additional water.
Now that the bean thread noodles and cabbage are prepared, chop the scallions and cilantro, and now we’re ready to make the filling!
In a large bowl, combine ground chicken, bean thread noodle, drained cabbage, scallions, cilantro, soy sauce, shaoxing wine, grated garlic, sugar, salt, MSG, and white pepper. Mix in one direction until you see streaks on the bowl, and slam the filling down a few times if desire for extra springiness.
Now that your filling is ready, you want to taste it for seasoning. I like to take a little and microwave it in a bowl or pan-fry it on the stove to check for seasoning. Once you are happy with the seasoning, it’s time to wrap the wontons!
Wrap the Wontons
Below is a picture of the wrappers that I personally love and are widely available in Asian and western grocery stores. The brand is Dynasty and they always turn out well for me!
The first step in wrapping a wonton is to wet two edges of the wrapper with water. Next, place about 1 tbsp of filling into the center of the wrapper.
Fold the dry edges together and pinch the sides, removing as much air as possible from inside the wrapper and seal the wonton into a triangle.
Next, wet the two corners with water then fold the two edges together to wrap and seal your wonton!
Boil and serve
My favorite way to cook these wontons is to cook them in boiling water for 3-4 minutes (5-7 minutes if cooking from frozen) until they float. The key here is to add them to boiling water, then allow the water to reboil and then turn the heat down to medium high so the wontons are cooking in a high simmer. This will ensure the filling is cooked through but the water wont be so hot that it breaks the wonton wrappers.
Serve them with freshly chopped scallions and chili oil, or serve them in a soup and enjoy!
If you liked this Chicken and Cilantro Wontons recipe, check out some of the most popular Chinese Take-Out recipes on the blog!
RECIPE TIPS
Da Xian 打馅
My grandma’s SECRET to this wonton is a technique called Da Xian 打馅! Da Xian 打馅 basically involves slamming down the mixed filling a couple times – my grandma swore this helped provide springiness and additional texture! (Added bonus – it’s a great stress reliever!)
MAKE EXTRA TO FREEZE
These make a GREAT freezer meal. I always make a big batch and freeze for the future. Once you’ve folded your wontons, lay them out on a baking tray with room in between (to avoid sticking). Place the tray in the freezer and freeze for at least one hour. After the hour has passed, you can transfer the wontons to a freezer bag. This helps avoid the wontons sticking together. (Confession: I’ve eaten the wontons stuck together.. can’t let food go to waste!)
HOW TO EAT THESE
I personally like to eat these boiled (in water) and drained with chili oil on top OR in a soup. Check out my Wonton Noodle Soup recipe to see how I incorporate them!
ELIMINATE WATER IN THE FILLING
Making sure that the filling is as “dry” as possible, and removing any excess water is the most important key to making great wontons. Filling ingredients like cabbage and rehydrated bean thread noodles contain a lot of water, so making sure these ingredients are as dry as possible is the key to making sure your wontons don’t turn out soggy and break apart!
Chicken and Cilantro Wontons
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 2 oz bean thread noodle (about 2 oz dry)
- 2 cups cabbage chopped
- 3 scallions minced
- 1 cup cilantro chopped
- 3 tbsp light soy sauce low sodium
- 1 tbsp shaoxing wine
- 4 cloves garlic grated
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp MSG can sub chicken powder/accent/etc
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 1/2 tbsp corn starch
- 1 package wonton wrappers Ensure the package comes with about 50
Instructions
- Rehydrate bean thread noodles by placing them in a bowl and soaking them in hot water until soft and drain & pat dry to remove as much water as possible. Cut into small sections.
- Chop cabbage and add about 1 tsp of salt directly to the dry cabbage and mix thoroughly. Let rest for 15 minutes until water is pulled out and squeeze out as much water from the cabbage as possible.
- In a large bowl, combine ground chicken, bean thread noodle, drained cabbage, scallions, cilantro, soy sauce, shaoxing wine, grated garlic, sugar, salt, MSG, and white pepper.
- Fry a little bit of the filling to taste test and adjust seasoning to your preference if needed! I always do this before folding my wontons – there is nothing worse than spending the time to fold to find out the seasoning is off to your preference.
- To make your wonton, place 1/2 tbsp of filling in the center of your wrapper. Wet two adjacent sides of your wrapper with water, then fold over into a triangle and seal, making sure all air escapes from the inside of the wrapper. Then wet the two long corners of your wonton and connect them together to form a tortellini-esque shape.
- Cook for 3-4 minutes on a high simmer (medium high) until the dumplings float. You do not want a rapid boil, otherwise the dumplings wrappers may break.
- Serve with chili oil, fresh scallions, and cilantro!