Easy Chicken and Shrimp Dumplings Using Wonton Wrappers

Wonton wrappers are the cheat code here. They come thin, square and ready to fill, so these chicken and shrimp dumplings skip the hour of rolling dough and go straight to the fun part: filling, folding and cooking.

The filling is half chicken for body and half shrimp for that bouncy, sweet bite you get at a good dim sum place. A handful of aromatics and five pantry sauces do the seasoning. Make one tray for dinner and freeze the rest.

Why use wonton wrappers instead of dumpling dough?

Because the wrapper is the least interesting part of this dish. Homemade dough is lovely when you have a free afternoon, but on a Tuesday it’s the reason dumplings never happen.

Wonton wrappers are thinner than most round dumpling skins, which matters in two ways. They cook in minutes, and they turn glassy and silky when boiled or steamed. When you pan-fry them, the bottoms go crisp fast, so keep the heat at medium rather than high.

You’ll find them in the frozen or chilled section of Asian grocery stores. Thaw a frozen pack in the fridge overnight, or on the counter for an hour, and keep the stack under a damp towel while you work. Dry edges crack and won’t seal.

How do you keep the filling juicy, not dry?

Chicken mince on its own cooks up firm and a little bland. The shrimp fixes both problems, and how you chop it decides the texture.

Chop the shrimp into rough pea-sized pieces instead of blitzing it to a paste. You want to bite into actual shrimp. Pre-minced chicken is fine; if you mince your own, thigh gives a juicier result than breast.

Frozen shrimp works (fresh tiger shrimp is hard to find in Finland, so frozen is what I buy). Thaw it fully, then pat it dry with paper towel. Water from the shrimp is the number one reason fillings go loose and wrappers turn soggy.

Here’s the restaurant trick: once everything is in the bowl, stir hard in one direction for a minute or two. The mixture turns sticky and starts pulling away from the bowl. That’s the protein binding, and it gives you a filling that holds together and stays juicy instead of crumbling out of the wrapper.

Then fry one teaspoon of filling in a pan and taste it. Raw mince with fish sauce in it is impossible to judge by smell, and this ten-second test saves you from 40 under-salted dumplings. Adjust with more soy or a squeeze of lime.

The sauces carry a lot of the flavor, so it pays to know what each one does. Oyster sauce brings the savory depth and a little sweetness, and this guide to what oyster sauce is and what to swap it with helps if you’re out of it.

Folding: does the shape matter?

Not for flavor. A simple half-fold is all this recipe asks for: filling in the middle, wet the edges with a fingertip of water, fold corner to corner into a triangle and press out the air as you seal.

Air pockets are the thing to watch. Trapped air expands when the dumpling cooks and can split the seam. Press from the filling outward toward the edges.

Once you’re comfortable, try pulling the two bottom corners of the triangle together and pinching them (the classic wonton shape), or pleat one side for a more dumpling-like look. Your first ten will be slow. By the fiftieth you’ll be doing it without looking.

Boil, steam, pan-fry or deep-fry?

All four work, and each gives you a different dumpling.

Boiling is the softest and fastest. Drop a few at a time into a big pot of salted boiling water so they don’t stick, and lift them out once they float. Steaming keeps the wrapper intact and a bit chewier: line a steamer with parchment, leave space between each one and steam for 5 to 8 minutes.

Pan-frying is my pick. Heat a little oil in a non-stick pan, set the dumplings flat side down, then add a splash of water and cover. After 3 to 4 minutes of steaming the water is gone, the tops are tender and the bottoms are crisp. Deep-frying gives you golden, crunchy wontons for dipping, closer to a snack than a meal.

However you cook them, the chicken has to be fully cooked. Ground poultry is safe at 165°F (74°C) according to the FoodSafety.gov temperature chart, and shrimp is done when it turns opaque. Cut one open on your first batch; the filling should be firm and white throughout.

You can also drop them into a pot of broth a few minutes before it’s ready for an easy dumpling soup. Add some leafy greens and it’s a full meal; bok choy and its best alternatives fit right in.

Can you freeze homemade dumplings?

Yes, and you should. Folding is the slow part, so fold a big batch once and eat from the freezer for weeks.

Lay the uncooked dumplings on a parchment-lined tray without touching, freeze until solid, then move them to a freezer bag. They keep for up to 3 months. If you stack them in a box, put a sheet of baking paper between every layer, or you’ll end up with one frozen brick. A tidy freezer helps here, and these freezer organization ideas for meal prep make the trays easy to find.

Cook them straight from frozen. Don’t thaw first, or the wrappers go gummy. Add a minute or two to whichever cooking method you use.

What sauce goes with chicken and shrimp dumplings?

The easy one: soy sauce, rice vinegar, a few drops of sesame oil and sliced green onions. Taste it and balance until it’s salty and sharp in equal measure.

For heat, spoon over homemade chili oil, or use sriracha if that’s what’s in the fridge.

Pan-fried dumplings also take well to something sticky and sweet. A 10-minute sweet soy glaze brushed on right before serving works as both glaze and dip.

If you’re cooking these at home, see what fish sauce is and how to swap it. For another quick dish from the same pantry, try pan-fried pork belly with a sticky soy glaze.

Questions about chicken and shrimp dumplings

Can I use frozen shrimp in dumplings?

Yes, frozen shrimp works well as long as it’s fully thawed and patted dry. Extra moisture makes the filling loose and the wonton wrappers soggy and harder to seal.

What is the difference between wontons and dumplings?

Wontons are a type of dumpling made with thin, square wrappers, usually folded small and served in soup or fried. Dumplings in general often use thicker round wrappers. This recipe uses wonton wrappers but cooks them any way you’d cook dumplings.

How do I know the dumplings are cooked?

Boiled dumplings are cooked when they float and the filling is firm and opaque. For pan-fried or steamed ones, cut one open: the chicken should be white throughout and the shrimp pink and opaque.

Why do my wonton wrappers tear or open?

Wrappers tear when they dry out and open when air or water gets trapped inside. Keep the stack under a damp towel, wet the edges before sealing, press the air out and pat the shrimp dry.

Can I make the filling ahead?

Yes, the filling keeps covered in the fridge for up to a day. Fold the dumplings just before cooking or freezing so the wrappers don’t soak up moisture.

Fold a double batch this weekend

Set aside an hour, fold enough for two dinners, and put the second tray straight into the freezer. Next time a weeknight goes sideways, dinner is ten minutes away. Make the chili oil while the first batch cooks.

Last update on 2026-10-16 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API