Happy Year of the Rooster! It’s Chinese New Year (and Lunar New Year) in our house and I thought I would bring my husband a little taste of home by making some homemade chicken and cilantro wontons.
Before I met my hubby, wontons did not really exist in my life. Being from Shanghai, wontons (or dumplings) are a thing of pride. Basically, they are life. For me, it used to be quite the opposite. I just wasn’t that keen on the stuffing. I mean, I like my bacon, I am not a huge fan of ground pork… which is pretty much what all wontons are made of. So when my mother-in-law came to visit us two years ago, she whipped up a batch of chicken and cilantro wontons. The wontons lasted about a week. You could say that I was hooked. And just before she left, she made another huge batch for us. Boy, did we try to hold on to those as long as possible. It was a sad day when we were down to our last dumpling.
So here were are, two years later, and these delightful little bites are back in our lives. After confirming the recipe with my mother-in-law, we have finally been reunited with these wontons just in time for Chinese New Year. If you have the time, I suggest even doubling this recipe so that you have lots to store in the freezer for later. The way I see it is that if I am going through all the trouble (and fun!) of making these, I might as well make enough to last a couple of months.
How to Fold a Wonton
Learning how to fold a wonton may seem intimating at first, but once you get the hang of it, it is actually super easy. Just follow these 3 simple steps below:
- Dip your finger in water and smear along the edges of the wonton wrapper.
- Fold the wrapper over to create a rectangular shape and and press down along the side and top edges to seal the mixture inside.
- Take the two bottom edges and wrap them under to overlap. Add a dap of water on the bottom edges to make them stick together.
Freeze
To store, place wontons on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and freeze for an hour. Then transfer wontons into ziploc bags or tupperware and use as desired.
Serve
When you are ready to eat these wontons, you can pan-fry them and serve with a side of dipping sauce or make an easy 10-minute wonton soup.
How to Make Chicken and Cilantro Wontons
Prep Time: 1 hour- Total Time: 1 hour
Yield: 10-12 servings (80-90 wontons)
Category: Appetizer
Cuisine: Chinese
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
Celebrate Chinese New Year this year with easy-to-make chicken and cilantro wontons!
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, diced into 1 inch cubes
- 1 bunch of cilantro (about 3.5 cups), loosely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, halved
- 3 tablespoons ginger, chopped
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 80-90 wonton wrappers
Instructions
- Combine chicken, cilantro, ginger, garlic, soy sauce and sesame oil into a food processor.
- Process on low for about 30 seconds until mixture is chopped finely.
- Scoop a spoonful of the chicken mixture into the centre of a wonton wrapper.
- Dip your finger in water and smear along the edges of the wonton wrapper. Fold the wrapper over to create a rectangular shape and press down along the side and top edges to seal the mixture inside.
- Take the two bottom edges and wrap them under to overlap. Add a dap of water on the bottom edges to make them stick together.
- Repeat until all the chicken mixture is used up.
- To store, place wontons on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and freeze for one hour. Then transfer wontons into ziploc bags or tupperware and use as desired.
Is it 3.5 cups cilantro or is that a typos and it’s supposed to be 3.5 TBS? Just wanted to check before I make them this weekend. Thanks! They look amazing!
Thank you! Yes, it is 3.5 cups cilantro (approximately 1 bunch of cilantro). If your bunch yields a little less, that’s okay too. Let me know how you like them!
I don’t have a food processor, has anyone tried this recipe with ground chicken purchased from the grocery store? Looks so good, I’m dying to have wonton making party now!
It will work with ground chicken as well. Enjoy!
I’m sure that I will love these because I make a pork Wong tong. But I fry them drop some reds hot sauce on them. That’s how I used to buy them as a kid in the mall.
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Hot sauce sounds like a yummy kick! Let me know how you like the recipe 🙂
This wontons looks so yummy!! !! I Will definitely gonna make this for husband!!Thanks for sharing.
Is the chicken raw when making these/
Yes the chicken is raw when you prepare these. The chicken cooks really fast when you cook the wontons.
Hi Sam, These look yummy, but I’m not sure how to cook them. Can they be baked,or steamed?
They can be steamed, boiled or pan fried. I have never tried baking them so I cannot say how they will turn out. Check out my easy 10-minute wonton soup recipe 🙂
These look delicious. Thank you! But am I missing the cooking instructions?
These are literally making my mouth water just reading about! I’m definitely going to give them a try!
If these are even half as good as they look then i know I will be in heaven!
XO, Jacque
http://www.mixplorology.com
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Oh my goodness these wontons look and sound amazing!
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Seriously my was watering looking through that!!!!
These look delicious! I actually have the ingredients and I may try it out!
These wontons look delicious! Like you, I really love the fact that they are made from chicken rather than ground pork. I’m definitely going to give them a try, thanks to your step by step guide.
Thanks, Cait! Enjoy 🙂
Wontons do require some work but they are well worth it. I love your version with chicken and cilantro. Yum!
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Oh wow, I love dumplings of any kind so much and these look incredible! The step by step guide is so helpful. Great post!!
This is a beautiful tutorial great photography and very detailed. Thanks for sharing all yoru tips with us! =)
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Thanks for the step-by-step guide on making wantons. They look absolutely fabulous.
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These sound so delicious to make homemade!
What is Cilantro?
It is a fresh herb that you can find at your local grocery store. 🙂