Coming off our peach pancake post from Wednesday, it’s time to talk about yet another summer crop that’s you’re probably scratching your head over what to do with. Zucchini and summer squash are bursting out of my mom’s garden right now, and it’s all we can do to keep up!
If you’ve had enough of zoodles and zucchini bread, I have a recipe that uses zucchini in a different way than you’re probably used to…chicken zucchini dumplings. I’ve grown really fond of the combination, and the filling is actually quite simple to throw together with ingredients that you can probably find from your local grocery store!
Recipe Notes
Just a few notes before we get on with the recipe!
- I used store bought wrappers for these chicken zucchini dumplings, but if you’d like to make wrappers from scratch, you can make the wrappers from our Vegetable Dumplings recipe.
- If you need a more detailed refresher on how to fold/pleat a dumpling, check out our full post on how to fold dumplings 4 ways!
- I actually ground my own chicken using dark meat chicken thighs for this recipe. Often, the ground chicken you buy at the store is made from the breast meat, which I think is too lean for dumplings. So I simply bought chicken thighs, de-boned them, and then used a cleaver to chop up the meat. Check out my mom’s post on how to grind meat without a grinder.
- I also ended up with the chicken skin, which (upon my dad’s kooky request) I fried up in a pan, chopped up, and added to the filling. It did add a certain buttery, flavorful quality to the filling! You can feel free to skip that step all together, and just buy ground chicken from the store, of course. But where’s the fun in that?
- Don’t forget the dipping sauce to serve these with! Try my perfect dumpling sauce recipe.
Chicken Zucchini Dumplings: Recipe Instructions
Take the shredded zucchini, put it in a clean kitchen towel, and squeeze out as much water as you can. Add it to a large mixing bowl and set aside.
In a wok or cast iron skillet over medium low heat, add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and the minced ginger. Allow the ginger to fry in the oil until fragrant, 2 minutes.
Add to the bowl of zucchini along with the ground chicken.
To the bowl, add 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, ½ teaspoon white pepper, 1 teaspoon sugar, 2 teaspoons sesame oil, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, and 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine. Mix well, stirring vigorously in one direction for about 5 minutes, until it resembles a paste.
(This is when I stirred in that crispy chicken skin.)
Here’s a photo of me cooking the chicken skin––along with the ginger.
Grab your dumpling wrappers, wrap the dumplings…
And place on a parchment lined baking sheet, so that the dumplings are not touching each other too closely.
If you’re not sure how to pleat them, check out our article on how to fold dumplings, with 4 techniques from beginner to advanced.
You can fry them right away, or cover the dumplings with plastic wrap and freeze them on the tray. Once frozen solid, you can transfer them to freezer bags and store for up to 3 months.
To fry the dumplings, simply add a couple tablespoons of oil to a cast iron skillet or nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add the dumplings to the pan.
Once the bottoms of the dumplings are golden brown, fill the pan with a little less than a centimeter of water, and cover immediately.
Turn the heat down to medium-low, and allow your chicken zucchini dumplings to steam.
Once the water has evaporated, remove the cover and let the dumplings continue to fry until the bottoms are crisp.
You can also steam or boil these dumplings. Check out our full tutorial on how to cook dumplings (steaming, boiling and pan-frying).
Serve these Chicken Zucchini Dumplings with Chinese black vinegar, chili oil, and/or soy sauce or try out our dumpling sauce recipe.
Chicken Zucchini Dumplings
Ingredients
- 2 medium zucchini (seeds removed and shredded)
- 5 tablespoons vegetable oil (divided)
- 2 tablespoons ginger (minced)
- 1 pound ground chicken
- ½ teaspoon white pepper
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine or dry cooking sherry
- 2 packages dumpling wrappers
Instructions
- Take the shredded zucchini, put it in a clean kitchen towel, and squeeze out as much water as you can. Add it to a large mixing bowl and set aside.
- In a wok over medium low heat, add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and the minced ginger. Allow the ginger to fry in the oil until fragrant, 2 minutes. Add to the bowl of zucchini.
- To the bowl, add 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, 1 pound ground chicken, ½ teaspoon white pepper, 1 teaspoon sugar, 2 teaspoons sesame oil, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, and 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine. Mix well, stirring vigorously in one direction for about 5 minutes, until it resembles a paste.
- Wrap the dumplings and place on a parchment lined baking sheet, so that the dumplings are not touching each other. You can fry them right away, or cover the dumplings with plastic wrap and freeze them on the tray. Once frozen solid, you can transfer them to freezer bags and store for up to 3 months.
- To fry the dumplings, simply add a couple tablespoons of oil to a cast iron skillet or nonstick pan over medium high heat. Add the dumplings to the pan. Once the bottoms of the dumplings are golden brown, fill the pan with a little less than a centimeter of water, and cover immediately. Turn the heat down to medium low, and allow the dumplings to steam. Once the water has evaporated, remove the cover and let the dumplings continue to fry until the bottoms are crisp. Serve with black vinegar, chili oil, and/or our dumpling dipping sauce.
Tips & Notes:
nutrition facts
Another great recipe, thank you!
You’re welcome, Jessica!
Omg I just ate a bowl of these over rice in 45 seconds flat while standing in the kitchen!!! ??????
Two questions:
1) I made lots for the freezer. Do they need to be defrosted before cooking? Or just toss them in frozen?
2) Why do you need to stir the filling in one direction. What happens if I go back the other way? ???
Hi Emily, no need to defrost before cooking. You must cook them while they are still frozen, either pan-fried or boiled. As for the filling, stirring in one direction allows you to get a smooth, paste-like texture and avoid it being dry/coarse.
I like the shape of your dumplings – when I make Gyoza (which I did tonight coincidently) the pleats are on both sides across the middle. Could you manage to make a short vid of you doing one of yours? Thanks in anticipation!
Michael
Hey Michael, will keep this request in mind when we do our next dumpling recipe! In the meantime, this video on YouTube is pretty good––very close to how I was taught by my grandma to fold a dumpling! Start it at 2:10 if you want to skip ahead to the folding part. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcFrhE7w4XM
I need to try this! We’re presently knee-deep in courgettes (zucchini) and I have some chicken thighs lurking in the freezer, waiting for a plan. :)
Niiiiice––let us know how you like them!
Really looking forward to making these- the squash should keep them more tender & juicy than cabbage!
Since our zucchinis come in all sizes, do you know about how much to use by weight?
Hey Sarah, I didn’t weigh them, but it’s generally a good bet to have a 1:1 ratio in volume of zucchini to chicken––maybe slightly more zucchini if you’re wanting to rid your pantry of the summer harvest. I have to remember to include weight measurements in future recipes!
Can’t wait to try these! More recipes for my overflowing zucchini crop please!!!!
Haha I knew this would come in handy at the end of the summer!
Fantastic recipe Sarah! We’re not big fans of ginger, so we’ll add some garlic instead:):):) Once again, the photography AND the recipe are both out of this world. KUDOS!!!
xoxoxo
Thank you so much, guys!
Never thought of using zucchini for dumplings, but will now. Two of my favorite ways of using zucchini – cooking them lengthwise on the grill (brings out the sweetness) and making zucchini bread with walnuts.
Nice! Great suggestions, Eileen!
this is not about the above recipe but about the advertisements that are overwhelming. I don’t find it very pleasant (especially on a food website) to see an advertisement for “hipperdentitis
Suppurativa ” ( painful sores near the anus)
I understand that in order to have a website it takes funding-but what are you thinking? I used to really like this site and have recommended it to many people but I don’t think I can do that now.
Hey Ken, sorry about that. We can talk to our ad managers to have that ad removed.
I always wonder, is there a reason for only frying up one side of the dumpling before adding water? I’ve done the flip most of the time before adding the water, just wondering the reasoning thanks!
Hey Josh, you could certainly do that, if you wanted the dumplings fried on both sides.