Japanese Gyoza with Chicken
Gyoza is cooked two ways in the same pan: fried from the base for 3 minutes until crisp, then water is poured in and the pan covered immediately so the steam cooks the top. Together, the two steps create its characteristic contrast.
- Prep
- 40 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 55 min
- Calories
- 320
Gyoza is Chinese in origin (jiaozi), but Japan developed a version with a thinner wrapper and a crisper base. Eaten as a starter beside ramen, or as a main with rice. The original filling is pork — here it is chicken, with the same technique.
Method
-
1
Dry the cabbage
Sprinkle salt over the chopped cabbage and leave 15 minutes, then squeeze it hard in a cloth. That water is what tears the wrappers.
⏱ 18 min -
2
The filling
Mix the chicken, squeezed cabbage, spring onion, garlic, ginger, soy, sesame oil and cornflour, and stir in one direction for 3 minutes until it turns tacky.
⏱ 6 min -
3
Fold
Put a teaspoon of filling in the centre of a wrapper, wet the edge with water, fold it into a half-moon, and make 5-6 pleats along the front edge.
⏱ 22 min -
4
Fry
Heat the oil in a non-stick pan, arrange the gyoza base down without crowding, and fry 3 minutes until the base is deep golden.
⏱ 4 min -
5
Steam
Pour in half a cup of water carefully (it will spit) and cover immediately. Leave 6 minutes until the water has gone and the wrappers turn translucent.
⏱ 7 min -
6
Final crisping
Take off the lid and leave it a minute over medium heat until any remaining water evaporates and the base crisps again.
⏱ 2 min -
7
Serve
Turn them onto a plate base up so the crispness shows, and serve the dipping sauce alongside.
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Tips that actually matter
- Squeeze the cabbage water out hard — the first cause of torn wrappers.
- Add the water and cover immediately, or the steam escapes and the tops stay raw.
- Stir the filling in one direction until it turns tacky — that binds it so it does not crumble.
- They freeze raw beautifully on a tray first, then in a bag. Cook from frozen with two extra minutes of steaming.
People also ask
What is the difference between gyoza and Chinese jiaozi?
Japanese gyoza has a thinner wrapper and a more finely chopped filling, and is fried from the base until crisp. Chinese jiaozi is thicker and usually boiled or fully steamed.
Where do I get gyoza wrappers?
Asian grocers, sold frozen. Thin wonton wrappers work as a substitute, and you can make them at home from flour and hot water.
Why does the base not crisp?
The pan was crowded so steam was trapped, or the final dry-steaming step after removing the lid was skipped. Both are necessary.
Cook mode
Japanese Gyoza with Chicken
-
1
Dry the cabbage
Sprinkle salt over the chopped cabbage and leave 15 minutes, then squeeze it hard in a cloth. That water is what tears the wrappers.
-
2
The filling
Mix the chicken, squeezed cabbage, spring onion, garlic, ginger, soy, sesame oil and cornflour, and stir in one direction for 3 minutes until it turns tacky.
-
3
Fold
Put a teaspoon of filling in the centre of a wrapper, wet the edge with water, fold it into a half-moon, and make 5-6 pleats along the front edge.
-
4
Fry
Heat the oil in a non-stick pan, arrange the gyoza base down without crowding, and fry 3 minutes until the base is deep golden.
-
5
Steam
Pour in half a cup of water carefully (it will spit) and cover immediately. Leave 6 minutes until the water has gone and the wrappers turn translucent.
-
6
Final crisping
Take off the lid and leave it a minute over medium heat until any remaining water evaporates and the base crisps again.
-
7
Serve
Turn them onto a plate base up so the crispness shows, and serve the dipping sauce alongside.
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