To me, wontons are little bundles of joy wrapped up in a chewy wrapper, served with delicious chili oil on the side. It’s just a little piece of heaven in each bite! And being the gluttonous person I am, I always wish I had a whole bucket of them to enjoy! Homemade wontons are surprisingly easy and relaxing to make in the comfort of your own home. With just a few ingredients, you too can enjoy a bucket full of these heavenly morsels!
Wonton vs dumplings
While both are equally delicious, it’s worth noting that wontons are a type of dumpling. Dumplings can either be stuffed with filling inside or made of just dough without filling. Wontons, on the other hand, always include filling.
This wonton filling recipe calls for tons of garlic, fresh green onions, and crisp water chestnuts to add tons of fresh textures and flavors!
How to Make Homemade Wontons
Wontons are crazy simple to make! In a large bowl, simply throw together some fresh veggies, pour in some flavorful seasonings, and mix really well until you form a paste. Then, bada bing, bada boom… You have your wonton filling!
But here’s the thing. I have to give you a heads up that the wonton filling is probably the quickest part of the recipe. The wrapping of the wontons is the time-consuming part.
Although making homemade wontons isn’t your ideal 20-minute meal, it’s perfect when you have a favorite Netflix show to binge or catch up to do with family or friends!
In college, my friends and I would use this as an opportunity to catch up with each other, share hilarious stories, or talk through challenges we were trying to overcome… All while folding dumplings or wontons, cooking them up, & enjoying them with some spicy Sichuan Chili Oil. I always found it heartwarming how food can get people to gather and create powerful bonds.
Cooking & Freezing Your Homemade Wontons
Once you’ve wrapped up your wontons, you have the flexibility to enjoy them now (my first choice after so much hard work!) and / or freeze them for later.
Cooking Wontons
A quick and easy way to cook up your wontons is to simply boil them in a pot of water. Once you’ve placed them in the pot, make sure to agitate them because they LOVE to stick to the bottom of the pot.
Cook them for 3 - 5 minutes, drain, and serve with some chili oil on the side.
Freezing Wontons
Aside from the delicious flavor, another reason I learned how to make wontons is that it’s great meal prep! You can always make extra to freeze for later.
To freeze wontons, place any extra wontons on a parchment or wax paper-lined tray. Freeze for about 3 hours, then once they’re frozen, transfer them into an airtight container for up to 2 months. I’d be surprised if these wontons even stay in the freezer that long though because they’re just THAT GOOD!
Once you’re ready to enjoy, just follow the instructions above to cook your wontons.
Try out this recipe and let me know how they turned out in the comments below!
Let's Get Cooking!
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Homemade Chicken Wontons
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken*
- 5 garlic cloves minced
- 5 oz can water chestnuts chopped
- 4 green onions thinly sliced
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- 1 tablespoon chicken broth or water
- ½ tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon white pepper
- ~45 wonton wrappers
Optional for Serving:
- 1 green onion
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
- chili oil
Instructions
Making Wonton:
- In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients except the wonton wrappers and ingredients for serving.
- Wet the edges of a wonton wrapper, then place about 2 teaspoons of the wonton mixture in the center of the wonton wrapper. No fancy folding is needed to create wontons, you just want to make sure all the sides are sealed. If you'd like to fold wontons like the picture above, place a wonton wrapper flat in your hand with one corner facing you. Place 2 teaspoons of the filling in the center, then take the wrapper corner facing you and fold across to the opposite corner facing away from you. This creates a triangle. Press top touching corners together. Take side corners and bring to the top edges, then press corners together and seal edges.
- At this point, you can either cook the wontons immediately or freeze them. If you’d like to freeze them, place the tray of wontons in the freezer for 3 - 4 hours, making sure the dumplings are well spaced so they don’t touch each other. After they’re frozen, you can move them into an airtight container.
Cooking Wontons:
- In a medium - large pot (depending how many you’re cooking), bring water to a boil. Gently drop wontons in and stir wontons immediately to prevent sticking. Cook for about 5 minutes. Drain from the water and place in a bowl. Top with chili oil, finely sliced green onions, and sesame seeds, if desired.
Notes
- Protein: Wontons are commonly made with ground pork, but I decided to make it with ground chicken to make it a little healthier. Feel free to substitute the meat with ground pork, chicken, shrimp, extra firm tofu, or even a combination of two of them!
Nutrition
Exact calculations may vary. For the most accurate nutritional information, use your preferred nutrition calculator, actual ingredients, and quantities used for the recipe. Please consult with your physician or registered dietitian if more precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
HEY, I'M MIKHA!
...A fellow food lover who believes anyone can whip up a delicious meal - no matter your skill level! These quick & easy Asian recipes will help you transform simple ingredients into a drool-worthy meal for you & the people you love most - without spending all day in the kitchen.
Now come on - Grab a seat & let's eat!
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