Ingredients Print

Check off ingredients as you go

Serves 6

For the chicken broth

• 2 chicken thighs (or another cut)
• 2 liters (8 cups) water
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 piece (1 cm / ½ inch, 6 g) fresh ginger
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp sugar (optional if you use mirin)
• 2 Tbsp rice wine (or mirin)
• 1 Tbsp sesame oil

For the broth garnish

• 2 small heads bok choy (optional but very good)
• 2 scallions (spring onions), thinly sliced
• 1 handful fresh mushrooms, sliced (optional)
• Salt, pepper

For the wontons

• 30 or so wonton wrappers (to make your own, see the end of the recipe)
• 300 g (10.5 oz) chicken breast cutlets
• 1 piece (2 cm / ¾ inch) fresh ginger, minced
• 2 Tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp rice wine (or mirin)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 2 scallions (or Chinese chives)
• 1 level Tbsp cornstarch (cornflour)

If you change the number of serving, consider adjusting cooking times!

These Chinese dumplings (wontons) are cooked in a clear broth packed with flavor from the ginger, sesame oil and garlic.

Making the chicken broth

1. In a Dutch oven, place the chicken skin side down and brown it, without any added fat, so it colors lightly in the fat from the skin. Turn it on all sides until seared.
2. Pour in 2 liters (8 cups) of water and bring to a boil, then add the peeled garlic, the ginger, the soy sauce, the rice wine (or mirin), the sesame oil and the sugar (if using). Cover and simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, make the wontons.

Making the wontons

For the filling

3. In a food processor, blend the chicken, the ginger and the white part of the scallions (the green part will be delicious in the broth), then add the liquids (soy sauce, etc.) and the cornstarch. You will get a kind of paste that already smells wonderfully of Chinese cooking!

Shaping the wontons

Lay out the wonton wrappers on a clean work surface.

Keep a small bowl of water nearby; you will use it to moisten the edges of the dumplings to seal them.

Place 1 small teaspoon of chicken filling in the center of each wonton (no more, or you will have trouble closing them).

Moisten the edges of the wonton with a little water from the bowl, then fold into a triangle, point up, and pinch the sides lightly (see photo). Set aside and repeat until you run out of filling.

Cooking the wontons

Remove the chicken, ginger and garlic, then bring the broth to a boil. Cook the dumplings for 5 minutes. Set them aside in the serving bowl, then clean and chop the bok choy (rinse it well so it loses its slight bitterness) and add it to the broth along with the sliced mushrooms.

Pour everything into the serving tureen.

Variations

• You can use a bouillon cube instead of the chicken, but the flavor will be less natural and saltier.

• For a vegetarian or even vegan version, make this fragrant broth and add the bok choy, the mushrooms and some Chinese noodles.

• You can change the filling to suit your taste, swapping the chicken for beef or shrimp,

• If you want to serve them two ways, or if you have leftover filling, you can boil some and fry the rest, as in my fried wontons.

• You can pull the chicken off the bone and serve it in the broth, or use it in another recipe, such as these chicken club sandwiches.

Making homemade wonton wrappers

If you can’t find wonton wrappers, here is the recipe to make them yourself. It’s very easy, and you can even use this dough to make gyoza or steamed dumplings.

Ingredients for about 25 wontons:

• 250 g (2 cups) all-purpose flour (plain flour)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 140 ml (½ cup + 1 Tbsp) water
• 1 egg (optional)

Mix well until you get a smooth dough, then let it rest for 5-10 minutes. Dust your work surface with cornstarch, roll the dough out thinly and cut into 8-10 cm (3-4 inch) squares. You can use them right away or freeze them, separating each wonton wrapper with a sheet of parchment paper.