Chicken Potstickers with Spicy Soy Dipping Sauce

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Making potstickers has long been on my bucket list and these Chicken Potstickers with Spicy Soy Dipping Sauce do not disappoint. The only thing wrong is that I waited so long to try them!!!

Who among us does not love these doughy pillows filled with little bits of minced goodies? Really doesn't all food taste better wrapped up?!! The best dumplings I ever had can be found somewhere in Toronto's Chinatown. My husband and I happened upon this little cash only, Chinese-only speaking dumpling heaven and gorged ourselves on the lightest, chewiest most flavorful dumplings in the universe. I've never found better ones since, (although East Dumpling House in Rockville, MD ranks pretty high up there-go if you can) and sadly, these homemade ones are not as good as the Toronto version, but considering we still can't remember the name of the restaurant (believe me, we tried) and that we live pretty far from Toronto and the fact that you can make them in your very own kitchen, with minimal fuss, I think these are winners all around!!

And though they take a bit of time, they're not difficult. You make an easy flour/water dough and roll out little rounds.

The filling comes together in just a minute or two and then you place a small (small is the operative word here or you'll wind up with a big squishy mess!) in the center--

And then fold into a half moon and seal with little fork marks. Isn't that pretty?

The cooking of these is a two step process (first you boil, then you pan-fry) and breaks my no-fry rule but with my new super powerful oven vent, the entire house didn't smell like fried foods. And the taste of these is so worth it anyway!!

Then, there's the spicy soy dipping sauce which is not optional here guys--this zingy enhanced soy sauce sends these little half moons over the top! A heck of lot easier than a trip to Toronto (not that I'd mind another visit there--no siree!)

And while these are not traditional July 4th fare (at least not in my house) how great would a platter of these guys be at any celebrations next week?!! 

Now for a total non sequitur. I don't really want to use these pages to go on and on about family stuff and I did quite a bit of it last week with the engagement, but there's actually more and I just have to share it with you. Last night we got the news that that same kid who just got engaged also just got off the wait list and will be going to UCLA Medical school in a few weeks!!! Sometimes dreams do come true!!! Except that we're all so full of adrenaline, who can sleep...

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Chicken Potstickers with Spicy Soy Dipping Sauce

One batch makes about 24 but if you're doing these for a party you should definitely double the recipe because these go fast!!

Prep Time for the Dough:  15 minutes plus at least 20 minutes to rest and the time to roll out the dough and cut out the circles; Prep Time for Filling:  5 minutes; Assembly Time:  20 minutes; Cook Time:  15-20 minutes

Ingredients

For the Dough

• 1 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/4 cup boiling water
• 1/4 cup cold water

For the Filling

• 1/2 pound ground white meat chicken
• Pinch of kosher salt
• Pinch or two of black pepper
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger (optional)
• 1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
• 1 scallion, minced
• 5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon chicken broth

For the Dipping Sauce

• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• 1 scallion, minced
• Pinch of red pepper flakes

Peanut or another flavorless oil for frying

The Recipe

1.  To make the dough:  Place the flour and salt in a large bowl and mix together. Slowly pour in the boiling water and stir well until you have a coarse meal. Stir in the cold water to form a dough. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes, until smooth and slightly sticky. You may need to add more flour along the way. Cover the dough with a damp kitchen towel and let sit for 20 minutes.

2.  While the dough is resting, mix the all the filling ingredients together in a medium bowl. Set aside.

3.  Once the dough has rested, divide it into 24 little balls. Use a floured rolling pin to roll out the balls into 4-inch rounds on a floured surface. Place about a teaspoon of filling in the center of each round (if you add to much it will squish out when you fold these over) and fold in half to make a half moon shape. Use a fork to press the edges together so that the filling stays sealed inside.

4.  Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and add a thin layer of oil to a large skillet. Heat over medium-high heat. Working in batches, carefully add the dumplings to the boiling water and cook for about 4 minutes. The dumplings will sink at first and then rise to the surface. Use a slotted spoon to remove them from the water and let them drain a bit. Then add to the hot oil in the skillet. Be careful because they might splatter a bit. Fry on each side until the dumplings are golden brown. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate to drain. Repeat the process with the remaining potstickers.

5.  To make the dipping sauce, whisk all the ingredients together in a small bowl and then transfer to a ramekin or bowl for serving. Serve the potstickers with the dipping sauce. These are best on the day you make them, but if you have leftovers, you can store them in the fridge and reheat them in the microwave for 20-30 seconds. Also, this recipe doubles really well and is great for parties because you'll get about 50.

Enjoy!

Note:  Recipe adapted from Molly on the Range by Molly Yeh.