Have you ever made homemade wontons? Well, since we might have some extra time on our hands right now, why not give it a try? My absolute favourite flavour (and I have tried a lot!) are chicken and cilantro wontons. The combination of chicken with cilantro, immersed in Asian flavours, all wrapped inside a wonton is just meant to be.
What are Wontons?
Wontons are a type of Chinese dumpling made by stuffing a wonton wrapper with delicious filling and wrapping it up. The wonton wrapper is essentially like a big square noodle.
When I met my hubby, wontons did not really exist in my life. Being from Shanghai, wontons are a thing of pride for him. Basically, they are life. For me, it wasn't quite like that. In fact, I was never super adventurous with food growing up, so it wasn't until we were together that I actually tried them.
I always had the idea that the stuffing was always made with pork (and it usually it is). At the time, I only preferred my pork in bacon form. So when my mother-in-law came to visit us a few years ago, she whipped up a batch of chicken and cilantro wontons, I was hooked. The wontons lasted about a week.
How to Make Chicken and Cilantro Wontons
Making the wonton stuffing is quite easy. You basically throw in your ingredients into a food processor and pulse. What takes a lot of time is the actual wrapping. This recipe makes about 80-90 wontons, which takes me about an hour to wrap, so I usually do this in front of the TV.
You will need:
- chicken thighs
- cilantro
- garlic
- ginger
- soy sauce
- sesame oil
- wonton wrappers
Sure, it is a little time consuming to fold these little dim sum bites, but the effort is SO worth it, because we all know that homemade is always better than store-bought.
And if you have extra 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 to spend a large amount of time making these, I might as well make a big batch to last a couple of months.
How to Fold Wontons
Figuring out how to fold the perfect wonton can be pretty intimating, but once you try a few of them and get the hang of it, you will find that it is actually super easy. There are three simple steps to follow:
- 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.
Video on How to Fold Wontons
How to Store Wontons
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 store in the freezer, and use as desired.
How to Serve Chicken and Cilantro Wontons
My favourite way to eat these wontons are in wonton soup. Two of my favourite soups to make are easy 10-minute wonton soup or 10-minute Shanghai-style wonton soup. You can also boil them and serve with a chili oil sauce on top (see my spicy chili oil wontons). Or just pan-fry them and serve with some dipping sauce on the side.
More Dim Sum Recipes
- Pan-Fried Pork and Shrimp Wontons
- Crispy Bottom Pan-Fried Vegetable Buns
- Egg and Chive Vegetarian Dumplings
- Shanghai Style Vegetarian Steamed Buns
- Crispy Bottom Shanghai Pan-Fried Pork Buns
- Spicy Chili Oil Wontons
- Crispy Fried Vegetarian Spring Rolls
- Savoury Chive Pancakes with Sourdough Starter
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Recipe
How to Make Chicken and Cilantro Wontons
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 10-12 servings (80-90 wontons)
Description
Learn how to make homemade chicken and cilantro wontons to celebrate Chinese new year with this easy to follow recipe and instructions on how to fold wontons.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, diced into 1 inch cubes
- 1 bunch of fresh 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.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Category: Dim Sum
- Method: Folding
- Cuisine: Chinese
This post was originally posted in January 2017. It has been updated with new photos, videos, and written content.
Mack Tonkovich says
Can I cook these and then freeze them? Also, what is the best way to cook them and how long should I cook them? Thank you!
Farah says
These look so delicious and versatile, never thought to steam them! If I’m using ground chicken instead of whole, would it be better to chop everything else together and add it to the ground chicken? Can’t wait to make these!
Sam Hu | Ahead of Thyme says
Hi Farah. Yes, chop everything else up either by hand or in the food processor. Then, add in the ground chicken and incorporate together using a spatula or a few pulses on the food processor. You don't want to overpulse and get the greens to completely blend together.
Reena says
Thank you for this recipe. My family really enjoy making and eating them. We make in big quantity and freeze. My 5 years old daughter relishes every bite.
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Thank you so much, that is so lovely to hear! So happy you all love the recipe as much as we do. 🙂
Leighann says
I love this recipe! I make big batches to freeze twice a year and each batch gives me a dozen dinners (for 2) on hand for days when I don’t have time to cook. My husband likes a little crunch so I often add a can of water chestnuts. I’ve also replaced the chicken with Shiitake and King oyster mushrooms for a good veggie version. Thanks so much for sharing - it’s a favorite in my house now.
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Thank you so much Leighann! We also make BIG batches to last us a good few months. I love the variations you have tried as well.
Haley says
These look amazing, but is there a follow up recipe for the won’t ton soup? Would love to see that too! Wondering if you stuffed these all raw and then they cook in the soup, or cook filling ahead?
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Yes, I have 2 different wonton soup recipes. I have linked: 1) my original 10-minute wonton soup and my more recent Shanghai-style wonton soup. You stuff the wontons raw and they cook in the soup. You don't cook the filling ahead.
Laurie says
These are beautiful! I am craving wonton soup now and will have to make my own wontons. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Thank you so much Laurie! Let me know if you make them 🙂