# 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.

**Japanese Cuisine · 55 min · 4 servings · 320 kcal per serving**

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.

## Ingredients


### Filling
- 400 g — minced chicken
- 2 cups — finely chopped cabbage
- 1 tsp — salt (for the cabbage)
- 3 — spring onions, chopped
- 4 cloves — garlic, crushed
- 1 tsp — grated ginger
- 2 tbsp — soy sauce
- 1 tbsp — sesame oil
- 1 tsp — cornflour

### The dough
- 30 — gyoza wrappers (or wonton wrappers)

### For cooking
- 2 tbsp — oil
- 0.5 cup — water

### Sauce
- 3 tbsp — soy sauce
- 2 tbsp — rice vinegar
- 0.5 tsp — chilli oil

## 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.
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.

## Tips

- 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.

## FAQ

### 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.

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Source: https://hanakoleah.com/en/japanese-cuisine/japanese-gyoza-with-chicken
Edited by: Marwa Mohamed
Last updated: 2026-10-30