Pan Fried Chicken Dumpling

Hi everyone, welcome to Cook Stacey Cook. Today we are making pan-fried dumplings, or as some of us may call it popstickers. Dumplings is a food that people would eat to celebrate Lunar New Year in the northern part of China. In today's video, I will show you how I make dumplings from scratch, from making the wrappers to pan-frying the dumplings. I guarantee you it is much better than the factory mass-produced ones that many restaurants serve nowadays, and it's much cheaper. Let's get started. To make dumplings, you can use store-bought dumpling wrappers like this, or make your own wrappers like I am going to show you. You should look for round dumpling or popsticker wrappers. Popsticker wrappers are thicker, while dumpling wrappers are only about half the thickness. Either one works and you can choose based on your preference. I prefer to make my own wrappers whenever I can, because homemade wrappers have better texture and flavor which make the dumplings taste better. To make the wrappers, put some all-purpose flour in a container with a wide, sturdy bottom. Mix in a little bit of salt, then slowly pour room temperature water into the container while stirring the flour. After adding all the water, the flour should look like this. Now we can knead it into a dough. Once we get the dough together like this, let it rest for 5 minutes so the dough can relax, making it easier to continue kneading. After 5 minutes of rest, knead the dough for a few more minutes until the surface looks smooth like this, then let it rest in a covered container for 30 minutes. Resting the dough is crucial because it allows the dough to relax, making it soft and pliable for rolling it next. While the dough is resting, we will prepare the filling. Start by finely mincing 2 cloves of garlic, then chop up some cilantro, and chop 3 green onions into small pieces. Keep the pieces from the stem part and the leafy part separate because we will saute the pieces from the stem part. Add some oil to a hot pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the pieces from the stem part of the green onion. Saute it until some of it turns golden brown, then remove it together with all the oil in the pan and let it cool down. Now the main ingredient of the filling, the meat. I'm using ground chicken today. You can also use turkey, beef, or pork. Season the ground meat with soy sauce, oyster sauce, a little bit of sugar, some cornstarch, and a little bit of white pepper powder. Mix everything together and stir it in one direction until the consistency looks like a smooth paste. Now add the minced garlic, the sauteed green onion with the oil, the leafy part of the green onion, and the cilantro. Mix everything evenly together and the filling is ready to use. If you are using store-bought dumpling wrappers, take one wrapper, wet the edge of the wrapper with a small amount of water and place some filling in the center of the wrapper. Fold the wrapper and pinch the edge together. You can make some pleats like this or make other creative pleats to make the dumplings look nicer. Now I will show you how to make homemade wrappers. When the dough is done resting for 30 minutes, divide the dough into four equal parts. Work on one quarter at a time and keep the rest in the cover container to preserve the moisture in the dough. You can roll the dough into a thin sheet and use a roughly three inch diameter glass or cookie cutter to cut out the wrappers. A more traditional way to make the wrappers is to shape the dough into a roll about one inch thick. Then cut the roll into one inch sections. Roll the dough back and forth as you make each cut. This separates the pieces and prevent them from sticking to each other. Take one piece and place it on its cut side and press on it with your palm. Then roll it out like this. Turn the wrapper with one hand as you roll it with your other hand. Let's take another look from the top. This takes some practice but it's easier than it looks. To wrap the dumpling with our homemade wrapper, place some filling in the center and fold the wrapper up like this. We don't need to wear the edge like we did for the store-bought wrappers. Simply pinch the edges together to form the dumpling. You can create some pleats to make the dumpling look better. I usually make enough dumplings for three to four meals for my family. Homemade dumplings can be kept frozen and fresh for up to two months. I usually place the freshly made raw dumplings in a metal tray lined with parchment paper. Cover the tray with plastic wrap and place it in the freezer overnight. When the dumplings are completely frozen, I put them in a ziploc bag and keep them in the freezer. They're great when you need to prepare a meal quickly. The way you cook these frozen dumplings is exactly the same as the freshly made ones. Now let me show you how easy it is to pan-fry the dumplings. Add some oil to a hot pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, place the dumplings in the pan and let it pan-fry for one minute. After one minute, add some hot water and cover the pan with a lid. Lower the heat to medium low and cook the dumplings for eight minutes. The water in the pan will slowly evaporate. By the end of the eight minutes, most of the water in the pan is gone. Remove the lid when the time is up. If the pan already looks dry like this when you remove the lid, check the bottom of the dumplings for a golden brown crust. If it's already golden brown, your dumplings are done. If there is still some liquid in the pan or there is still no crust on the bottom, turn the heat up to medium and pan-fry until all the liquid is gone and a golden brown crust is formed. To remove the dumplings from the pan, the best way is to place a plate upside down over the dumplings. Pour out any excess oil in the pan, then flip the pan over to transfer all the dumplings onto the plate. This reveals the beautiful crust of the dumplings, making it look much more appetizing. Lastly, let's make a simple dipping sauce by mixing chili oil, soy sauce, and rice vinegar. The dumplings are already tasty by itself. This simple dipping sauce takes it up to another level. I know making homemade dumplings takes quite a bit of work, but to me, the better flavor and texture of the dumplings make it all worthwhile. I hope you will give this pan-fried dumpling recipe a try. Before we end today's episode, I would like to wish you a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year. If you find today's video useful, please share it with your friends and family. Let me know your thoughts about this recipe in the comments. Thank you for watching and see you next time!