Chicken Pot Stickers

Late June. Edna is better. She came to the door for the bread this Tuesday and we talked through the screen for twenty minutes. She told me about her daughter in California and the weekly video calls and the garden her daughter has. I told her about Prattville and Gloria and the Sunday dinners. She said: you have a mother. I said: I have someone who chose to be one. She said: that is often better. I said: yes. I think she is right.

I have been making Thai food this month, working through a cookbook I found at the library. Green curry paste from scratch: lemongrass, galangal, green chilies, garlic, shallots, kaffir lime zest, ground in a mortar and pestle. The paste is labor-intensive and aromatic in a way that fills the kitchen with something entirely different from anything I usually make. The curry itself takes twenty minutes once the paste is ready. Coconut milk, chicken, zucchini, Thai basil. It was extraordinary.

Priya said: you made Thai food from scratch. I said: from scratch. She said: do you ever use a jar. I said: almost never. She said: why? I said: because the scratch version teaches you something the jar version does not. She thought about this and said: that is the most Savannah answer possible. She has been using the adjective Savannah for things that are a particular combination of effortful and principled and sometimes she uses it as high praise and sometimes as gentle teasing and always she is right.

The green curry taught me something I keep returning to: the effort of making something by hand changes the way it tastes, and not just because of the ingredients. When I told Priya that the scratch version teaches you something the jar version does not, I meant it — and I find that same truth in these chicken pot stickers, which reward patience and repetition with a crispy, tender result that no frozen bag has ever matched. If you have been wanting to try your hand at something made entirely from the ground up, this is a beautiful place to start.

Prep Time: 40 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 1 hr | Servings: 6 (about 36 pot stickers)

Ingredients

1 lb ground chicken
2 cups finely shredded napa cabbage
4 green onions, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
36 round pot sticker (gyoza) wrappers
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1/2 cup water, divided
Dipping sauce: 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes

Instructions

Salt the cabbage. Toss shredded cabbage with 1/2 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Let sit 10 minutes, then squeeze out as much moisture as possible with your hands or a clean kitchen towel. This step prevents soggy filling.
Make the filling. In a large bowl, combine ground chicken, drained cabbage, green onions, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, and white pepper. Mix well with a fork or your hands until evenly combined.
Fold the pot stickers. Place a wrapper on a clean surface. Add 1 heaping teaspoon of filling to the center. Moisten the edge of the wrapper with a fingertip dipped in water, fold in half over the filling, and pleat the top edge to seal. Press firmly so no air pockets remain. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.
Pan-fry the first batch. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large nonstick or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Arrange half the pot stickers flat-side down without crowding. Cook undisturbed for 2—3 minutes until the bottoms are deep golden and crisp.
Steam to finish. Carefully pour 1/4 cup water into the skillet (it will sputter). Cover immediately with a tight lid and steam for 5—6 minutes until the water is absorbed and the filling is cooked through. Remove the lid and let cook 1 more minute to re-crisp the bottoms. Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining oil, pot stickers, and water.
Make the dipping sauce. Whisk together soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and chili flakes in a small bowl. Taste and adjust to preference.
Serve. Arrange pot stickers crispy-side up on a platter and serve immediately with dipping sauce alongside.

Nutrition (per serving)

Chicken Pot Stickers — The Joy of Making Something From Scratch