Chicken Dumpling Filling

A juicy, flavourful chicken dumpling filling made with fresh ginger, garlic, cabbage and green onions. This versatile mixture creates tender dumplings and works beautifully for wonton dumpling cups, skillet dumplings and smashed dumpling tacos.

This is the chicken dumpling filling I make most often in my kitchen.

It’s simple, incredibly flavourful and comes together in minutes using everyday ingredients. Fresh ginger, garlic, sesame oil and soy sauce create a savoury base, while finely chopped cabbage adds moisture and texture.

A small cornstarch slurry helps bind the mixture and keeps the filling tender and juicy as it cooks.

I often make a double batch of this filling and freeze portions so I always have dumpling filling ready for quick dinners. Once you have this mixture prepared, you’re only minutes away from a delicious dumpling meal.

Prep: 10 min · Serves: 4 · Cuisine: Asian · Category: Chicken

Ingredients

Chicken Dumpling Filling

• 500 g chicken mince (not extra lean — a little fat keeps the filling juicy)
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 3 tbsp fresh ginger, finely minced
• 1 cup green cabbage, very finely chopped
• 1 green onion, thinly sliced
• 1 egg
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp white pepper
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp water

Method

1. Finely chop the cabbage, mince the garlic and ginger, and slice the green onions. Keeping the vegetables finely chopped helps the filling bind together evenly.
2. In a large bowl add: Chicken mince, garlic, ginger, cabbage, green onion, egg, salt, white pepper, sesame oil, soy sauce, cornstarch slurry.
3. Using a spoon or your hands, mix thoroughly until the filling becomes slightly sticky and well combined. This helps the dumpling filling hold together during cooking.
4. The filling is now ready to use for dumplings, wonton cups, skillet dumplings or dumpling tacos.

Notes

Standard chicken mince, not extra lean, keeps the filling juicy once it is cooked. A little fat is doing real work here.

Chop the cabbage very finely. Large pieces stop the filling binding and can pierce the wrappers.

A short, firm mix develops just enough stickiness to hold the filling together. Over-mixing can make it dense.

Let the filling rest for ten to twenty minutes before using so the flavours settle and the cornflour hydrates.

Serving Suggestion

This filling is the base for a whole small collection. Layer it into Steamed Chicken Dumpling Cups, spoon it into The Easiest Skillet Chicken Dumplings, or press it thin for Crispy Smashed Chicken Dumpling Wonton Tacos, and bake it into Baked Chicken Dumpling Lasagna. A double batch in the freezer means any of them is a weeknight dinner.

The Grace Table Tip

Before you commit the whole batch, fry a teaspoon of the filling flat in a hot pan for a minute and taste it. You can still adjust the salt, pepper or soy at that point, the same trick worth using for meatballs or sausage rolls.

The filling freezes beautifully. Portion it into airtight containers or freezer bags, freeze it flat, and defrost overnight in the fridge before using. Make a double or triple batch so dumplings are always about fifteen minutes away.