Potstickers are Chinese pan-fried dumplings with crisp, golden bottoms and soft, steamed tops. My version is filled with ground chicken, ginger, garlic and chives, then fried and steamed in one covered skillet using store-bought wrappers and an easy fold. They take about 35 minutes and come with a quick chili oil dipping sauce. So good!!
If you're new to my site, hello!! I actually wrote a whole cookbook about dumplings, and the thing I find myself telling people most is that store-bought wrappers are absolutely fine. They're what turn potstickers like these from an hour-long project into something you can make tonight.
If you like these, my crispy skirt dumplings use a similar chicken and chive filling with a lacy golden crust underneath, and my smash gyoza skip the folding completely. When you're ready to go further, I've got more than 50 easy dumpling recipes from around the world waiting for you.
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Why these potstickers are easier than they look
If you've never folded a dumpling in your life, this recipe is a really great place to start.
- No dough to make. Store-bought round wrappers do the hard part, and they're the same size and thickness every time.
- One bowl, nothing to precook. The filling is just nine ingredients. No cabbage to salt and squeeze, we're going as simple as possible.
- Two ways to fold. The easy fold is a pinch and two pleats, the classic has six. Both seal and cook exactly the same, so pick whichever your fingers are happy with.
- One pan does everything. Fry, add water, lid on, lid off. It's about 8 minutes per batch.
Ingredients for potstickers
You need a handful of everyday ingredients plus a pack of dumpling wrappers for this recipe. Here's what to buy:
- Ground chicken. It makes a light, juicy filling. Ground pork works with exactly the same seasoning. If you can only find chicken thighs, chop them very finely or pulse them in a food processor.
- Fresh ginger and garlic. Chop both as finely as you can so nobody bites into a chunk of raw ginger.
- Fresh chives. They go in the filling and on top. The green parts of scallions are the best swap.
- Light soy sauce.
- Sesame oil, rice wine vinegar and sugar. Use toasted sesame oil. Rice wine vinegar is usually labeled rice vinegar in US stores.
- Dumpling wrappers. Look for round wrappers labeled dumpling, gyoza or potsticker wrappers, in the refrigerated section of most big grocery stores (often near the tofu) or the freezer at Asian grocery stores. Thaw frozen ones at room temperature or in the fridge overnight. Do not microwave them to defrost - I've not had much luck doing this...ever!!
- Crispy chili oil. This is the jarred chili oil with crunchy bits in it, often sold as chili crisp. My homemade chili oil is perfect here, or try one of these substitutes for chili oil if you've run out.
For the full ingredient list with measurements, scroll down to the recipe card.
How to make potstickers (with photos)
Step 1. Mix the filling
Put everything except the wrappers into a large mixing bowl. Stir with chopsticks in one direction (I go clockwise) until the loose ground chicken turns into a sticky, paste-like mixture. It should smell really aromatic.
Step 2. Fill the wrappers
Lay a wrapper on a clean surface, or six at a time once you get into a rhythm. Dip a finger in a small bowl of water and run it along one half of the wrapper's edge, then spoon ½ tablespoon of filling into the center (feel free to add a bit more filling if you're confident).
Step 3. Fold the potstickers (pick your fold)
Fold the wrapper in half over the filling and pinch the top center. Then pick a fold below. If you've never done this before, start with the easy option, and whichever you choose, press firmly along the edges so there are no gaps.
The easy fold: Fold one pleat on each side in toward the pinched center, then press all the edges together to seal. For a SUPER easy fold, literally just fold the dumpling in half and seal so it looks like a semi-circle.
The classic pleat: Starting on the right, fold the outer edge in on itself toward the center and press. Do this three times, then repeat on the left side and seal.
Step 4. Cover them while you pleat
Set each finished potsticker on the counter and keep them under a damp kitchen towel or paper towel until you're ready to cook. Wrappers also dry out, so keep the unused ones covered too.
Step 5. Fry until golden underneath
Heat ½ tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet with a lid over medium heat. Add the potstickers flat side down and leave them alone for 3 minutes, until the bottoms are golden brown. Feel free to lift up the potstickers to check if they're golden. If they don't fit in one layer, cook them in two batches.
Step 6. Steam, then crisp
Gently pour in 3½ tablespoons of water (it will spit, so stand back), cover and turn the heat down slightly. Steam for 4 minutes, then take the lid off for the final minute so the water cooks off and the bottoms crisp back up. The wrappers should look glossy and slightly translucent - you might even be able to see the juices bubbling inside the dumplings. Don't cook them longer, or the filling dries out.
Step 7. Stir together the dipping sauce
While the potstickers steam, mix the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, crispy chili oil, sugar and 1 tablespoon of water in a small bowl. Taste, and add the second tablespoon of water if it's too punchy. For more ideas, here are my favorite dumpling dipping sauces.
Step 8. Garnish and serve
Pile the potstickers onto a plate, crispy side up, and scatter over black sesame seeds and sliced chives if you like. Serve straight away with the dipping sauce. To turn them into a full meal, here's my list of what to eat with dumplings.
Tips for the best potstickers
- Work in batches of six. Lay out six wrappers, wet the edges, fill them all, then fold them all. It's much quicker than doing each one start to finish.
- Use less filling than you think. Half a tablespoon looks stingy, but overfilled wrappers are hard to seal and tend to split in the pan. Feel free to trial based on the wrappers you have and add more or less filling to the centre based on your abilities!
- Go easy on the water. A wet fingertip is all the glue you need. Too much water makes the edges slippery, and they slide apart instead of sticking.
- Dust the counter with flour. A light sprinkle stops the finished potstickers gluing themselves to the surface while you fold the rest.
- Have the lid in your hand before the water goes in. The water spits the second it hits the hot oil, so pour and cover in one move.
How to freeze potstickers (and store leftovers)
Potstickers are one of the best things to keep in the freezer, so it's worth doubling the batch. Freeze them uncooked on a parchment-lined baking sheet, not touching, until solid (about 2 hours), then move them into a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Cook them straight from frozen with no thawing, adding a splash more water and 2 to 3 extra minutes of covered steaming.
Cooked leftovers keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat them in a lightly oiled nonstick skillet to bring the crispy bottoms back. The microwave works, but they'll go soft.
Potstickers FAQs
Potstickers are a type of dumpling. "Dumpling" covers any dough, filled or not, that's boiled, steamed, fried or baked. Potstickers (guotie in Chinese) are pan-fried and then steamed in the same pan, giving a crisp bottom and a soft top.
Close, but not quite. Gyoza are Japan's version, adapted from Chinese dumplings, and they tend to be a little smaller with thinner wrappers. The cooking method is the same fry, steam and crisp you use here, so this recipe works with gyoza wrappers too.
Yes, kind of. Wonton wrappers are square and thinner than dumpling wrappers, so they tear more easily and the result is less chewy. Trim them into circles with a round cookie cutter, or fold them corner to corner into triangles.
Usually it's the pan or the water. Use a nonstick skillet, let the oil get hot first, and don't skip the final uncovered minute, which dries out the bottoms so they crisp and release. If one still clings, give it 30 seconds more and ease it off with a thin spatula or metal teaspoon.
They're done when the water has cooked off, the tops look glossy and slightly see-through, and the bottoms are crisp. If you're not sure, cut one open. The filling should be white all the way through with no pink, with lovely juices oozing out, and feel firm rather than soft.
More easy dumpling recipes
- Viral Dumpling Lasagna: layers of dumpling wrappers and a great fun recipe to make.
- No Fold Blanket Dumplings: all the dumpling flavor with no folding at all.
- Homemade Chicken Siu Mai: open-topped dim sum dumplings, so there's nothing to seal.
- Pan-Fried Lemongrass Beef Dumplings: ground beef, lemongrass and fresh herbs in a spicy, tangy sauce.
- Chicken and Shrimp Dumplings with Chili Tahini Sauce: a light, bouncy filling with a dipping sauce you won't find anywhere else.
Easy Chicken Potstickers
Ingredients
For the potstickers
- 9 oz ground chicken 250g
- 1½ tablespoon fresh ginger, finely chopped 10g
- 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
- ¼ cup fresh chives, finely sliced 10g
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1½ teaspoon sesame oil
- 1½ teaspoon rice wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 20 round dumpling wrappers
For cooking
- 1½ teaspoon vegetable oil
- 3½ tablespoon 50ml water
For the dipping sauce
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1½ teaspoon rice wine vinegar
- 1½ teaspoon crispy chili oil
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 to 2 tablespoon water
Optional garnish
- Black sesame seeds
- Chives finely sliced
Instructions
- Add the ground chicken, ginger, garlic, chives, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, sugar and black pepper to a large bowl. Stir with chopsticks in one direction until the mixture turns sticky and paste-like and smells aromatic.
- Lay a wrapper on a clean surface (or 6 at a time). Dip a finger in a small bowl of water and run it along one half of the wrapper's edge. Add ½ tablespoon of filling to the center. This may vary depending on the dumpling wrapper or your pleating confidence - add more if you're a bit more confident with your skills!!
- Fold the wrapper in half over the filling and pinch the top center together.
- For the easy fold, make one pleat on each side toward the center and press to seal (see image further up the blog for reference)
- For the classic pleat, fold the right-hand edge in toward the center 3 times, pressing as you go, then repeat on the left and seal (see image further up the blog for reference)
- Repeat with the remaining wrappers.
- Keep the folded potstickers and unused wrappers under a damp kitchen towel or paper towel until ready to cook.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet with a lid over medium heat. Add the potstickers flat side down and fry for 3 minutes, until golden brown underneath - you can lift them up to check. Cook in two batches if they don't fit in one layer.
- Carefully pour in the water (it will spit so make sure to pour it from a jug rather than a small spoon), cover and reduce the heat slightly. Steam for 4 minutes, then remove the lid and cook for 1 more minute to crisp the bottoms. If the dumplings are sticking to the pan, just let the water evaporate and the base of the dumplings dry out and get crispy, then loosen the base with a metal teaspoon. Don't overcook steaming the dumplings though, or the filling will dry out.
- Meanwhile, mix the dipping sauce ingredients in a small bowl, starting with 1 tablespoon water and adding more to taste.
- Plate the potstickers, top with black sesame seeds and chives if using, and serve with the dipping sauce. Enjoy!!
Notes
- Make double: Double everything for 40 potstickers (serves 4 as a main). Cook in batches, using the oil and water for each batch.
- To freeze: Freeze uncooked potstickers on a parchment-lined baking sheet, not touching, until solid (about 2 hours). Transfer to a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Cook from frozen with a splash more water and 2 to 3 extra minutes of steaming.
- Storage: Keep cooked leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in a lightly oiled nonstick skillet.
- Swaps: Ground pork for the chicken filling, scallion greens for the chives, and wonton wrappers for the dumplings wrappers.
Nutrition
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