Next Post
Chocolate Cinnamon Sugar Pull Apart Wreath.
This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
French Onion Dumplings – best for nights when you’re craving steaming hot french onion soup but want something a little heartier too. Easy homemade dumplings made with chicken or mushroom filling, enclosed in sesame-crusted wrappers, and served in a steaming rich french onion style broth. These are a fun dinner to make any night of the week, especially during these cold months. So warming, cozy, and delicious.
Happy Monday, happy almost Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving week is always so odd. We’re prepping and gearing up for all the food and festivities on Thursday, but at the same time we still have to live a normal like Monday through Wednesday…and get dinner on the table too.
Sometimes we can forget that we’ll be needing dinners this week too! Between friends and family coming, it can all be a lot. But I thought ahead, and I’m bringing you some of the best dumplings.
These dumplings are different, and definitely not traditional, but they sure are delish. A cross between a good bowl of french onion soup (minus the cheesy bread) and crispy bottomed dumplings. Sounds odd, but I promise, these are SO GOOD.
The idea
Honestly, it was kind of simple how this recipe came to be. I was thinking about this week and what would be just the right recipes to share. More appetizers? Desserts? Sides? Nothing seemed perfect, but then I figured that by now your menus are probably pretty much set. So you may just be looking for a really delicious dinner to eat during these days leading up to Thanksgiving.
I love to serve Asian or Mexican meals this week since they’re so different from the traditional Thanksgiving meal.
Dumplings sounded awesome, but then I thought how delicious they could be in a rich french onion broth. And that was that.
The details
Make the filling. It’s very simple but very good. Just some garlic mixed with ground chicken and spinach. I add a splash of soy sauce for saltiness, and a pinch of pepper for a little kick.
I also did a mushroom filling for anyone who prefers no chicken. It’s the same as above, just minus the chicken and plus sautéed mushrooms. Both are really delicious.
Assembling is easier than you’d think. I chose to make round dumplings because I find the assembly easier and I’m able to make them prettier too. You can also fold the dough into half-moons. Either way, it’s an easy process. Simply spoon the filling into the center of your dumpling wrapper. Then lift the edges of the dough up and over the filling, pinching at the top to seal. Don’t stress about making these look perfect. Each little dumpling is unique and cute in its own way!
Brush the bottom of each dumping with water and coat in sesame seeds. I don’t believe this is traditional, but those crispy sesame seeds on the bottom are delicious.
Now the broth
The key to this is to caramelize the onions with a touch of wine just like I do in my french onion soup. They add so much flavor and make the broth feel rich and indulgent. When the onions have caramelized, add the broth, a splash of soy sauce, and then a bay leaf and star anise. The soy sauce, bay leaf, and star anise really create a flavorful broth and help to tie in the Asian flavors too.
Let the broth simmer while you cook the dumplings. I like to pan-fry the dumplings. Then add water to steam and finish cooking. It can be a little messy of a process, but it’s pretty easy. Once the water evaporates, I like to leave the dumplings on the pan another minute to allow the bottoms to get crispy again.
When pan-frying/steaming, it’s important to note that the pan will splatter when you add the water. So please be careful and stand back when doing so.
Serve them up
To serve, I like to arrange the dumplings in low bowls. Then spoon the steaming broth overtop and top with fresh green onions for a nice pop of color and flavor.
SO DELICIOUS. Even my dad, who doesn’t love onions, loved this dinner. These were his words, “Damn, these mushroom potstickers are amazing!!”.
Yeah, he called them potstickers, that’s ok, just so he loved them!
Our nights are so much longer these days, so sometimes I find it nice to be able to spend a little extra time in the kitchen making dinner. These are especially fun to make with others, so grab a few friends, your husband, kids, whoever. Then make this into a fun night.
Trust me, everyone is going to love this recipe. It’s surprising but in a good way!
Looking for other weeknight dinners? Here are my favorites:
Ginger Sesame Chicken Potstickers
Crispy Cauliflower Tinga Tacos with Honey Lime Avocado Crema
Lastly, if you make these French Onion Dumplings, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
French Onion Dumplings
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 2038 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Chicken Filling
- 1 pound ground chicken or pork
- 1 clove garlic chopped
- 2 cups roughly chopped spinach
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce or tamari
- black pepper
- 24-26 round dumpling or wonton wrappers
- 1/4 cup raw sesame seeds
Broth
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- chili flakes
- 2 1/2 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce or tamari
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 star anise (optional)
- sesame or olive oil, for cooking
- sliced green onions, for serving
Instructions
- 1. In a medium bowl, combine the raw chicken, spinach, garlic, soy sauce, and a pinch of black pepper.2. To assemble, spoon 1 tablespoon of filling onto each wrapper. Brush water around the edges of the wrapper. Fold the edges of the wrapper up and around the filling and pinch in the center to seal. Repeat with the remaining wrappers. Place the sesame seeds in a shallow bowl. Brush the bottoms of the dumplings with water and then dredge them in the sesame seeds. *vegetarian mushroom filling in the notes.3. To make the broth. Melt together 2 tablespoons butter and the onions in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally until softened, about 10 minutes. At this point, you'll want to slowly add the wine, 1/4 cup at a time, until the wine cooks into the onions. Continue to cook another 10 minutes until you've used all wine and the onions are deeply caramelized. Add 1 tablespoon butter, and season with chili flakes and pepper. Add the broth, soy sauce, bay leaf, and star anise. Simmer over low heat, 10 minutes. 4. Meanwhile, heat a few tablespoons of oil in a large skillet set over medium heat. Add the dumplings and cook until the bottoms are golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. Carefully pour 1/4 cup of water into the skillet, it will splatter, so stand back. Immediately cover with a tight-fitting lid. Turn the heat to medium-low and let the dumplings steam for 5-6 minutes. Remove the dumplings from the skillet to a plate.5. Arrange the dumplings in shallow bowls. Ladle the steaming broth and onions over top. Top with green onions. Enjoy!
Notes
Mushroom Filling: 1. Heat 2 tablespoons sesame oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 chopped shallots and cook until fragrant, 2 minutes. Add 3 cups finely chopped mushrooms and 2 cloves chopped garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally until the mushrooms have cooked down, about 5 minutes. Add 2 cloves chopped garlic, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, and a large pinch of pepper. Stir in 2 cups chopped spinach. Cook another 2-3 minutes, until the mushrooms are caramelized. Remove from the heat and let cool.
This is so good, I’ve become obsessed. I am making it for the third time in three weeks.
Hi there! Thank you soooo much for trying out this recipe! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂 xT
So delicious! I substituted the star anise for Chinese 5 spice. The dumplings took me a while to assemble but they were delicious! Would definitely make again!
Thank you for trying out this recipe! So glad to hear it was enjoyed! xT
Hi! I have made this before and it is amazing!!! I would love to make it for Christmas Eve. The problem is, my mom has to be gluten free. Do you think the dumplings would work if I tried to make them with rice paper wrappers? Or do you have another option? Thanks for all your insanely good recipes!
Hi there! I haven’t ever tried these with rice paper wrappers, but maybe if you double wrap them that could work well? xT
Thank you for the suggestion! I did a test run and it worked! They were obviously a different, more chewy texture, but they crisped up nicely on the bottom. I’m so excited I can make these for my family. Thanks again!
In the video, it looks like you arecooking the meat first, but the recipe says to put it on raw?
I made with both the pork and sautéed mushrooms. Made 42 dumplings. After fully steaming, I froze the leftovers individually and will use as an appetizer. I also added a little Parmesan but would have liked to have had some gruyere as to add a little fullness. It was an hour from start to finish. A great dish!!
Thank you sooo much! Love to hear that you enjoyed this recipe! xT
So the ground meat filling is going in raw into the dumpling wrapper? In the photo it looks like you’re first cooking the filling. (or is that only for the mushroom filling?)
This was delicious! It is easy. The only time-consuming part might be chopping but honestly, just do it ahead of time and then it’s a breeze. Even my kids loved it. Definitely will be on repeat. I was stressed about wanting to find dumpling dough – seriously. You can use wonton wrappers. I cut the corners off. They were perfect.
Hi Jessica,
Amazing!! So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe as well as your kids:) Thanks so much for giving it a try! xT
Don’t be scared! I never would have thought I could make my own dumplings but Tieghan’s directions, and IG videos make it so so easy! I used ground chicken, wonton papers, and added some chili sesame oil for tasting. Great for a cozy lunch or dinner!
Hey Diana,
Happy Wednesday!!❄️ Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, I am so glad it was a hit! xx
I did not find this recipe laborious. I was on wonton and my husband was on onion broth – while my toddlers ate protein waffles during the process. Haha.
The dry wine gave a good excuse for my husband to bring me wine and we played music in the kitchen! Date night in. Yummy! And the dumplings are great soaking in the broth for a few minutes.
Hey Dana,
Happy Friday!! I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear this was enjoyed! xT
Takes a little time to prep and make but so worth it! Fun meal to cook together. I used ground pork and could not find the star anise. I would double the broth if feeding a few people.
Hey Linsey,
Happy Wednesday!!❄️ So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it and sharing your feedback! xT
I have been following your recipes for a while and they have all been amazing! You have truly inspired me to get back into cooking and I want to thank you.
I didn’t find this recipe to be laborious. So don’t let other comments scary you away from trying because it’s delicious 🤤
Thanks so much Kristen! So glad you enjoyed this recipe! xT
Just finished it and it was divine! I will double the broth next time to make a bigger soup ☺️
Hey Genevieve,
Happy Holidays!! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it turned out well for you!🎁🎅
How can this possibly be 2000 calories per serving?
Hey Patrick,
I always recommend that if the nutritional information is important to you, you use your own personal calculator. Ours is automatic and controlled by google. It’s not something we’d prefer to be using. We are required to. I’m sorry for the trouble, we do our best! Hope you enjoy the recipe! xT
This was good but took me too long to make the dumplings. I couldn’t find the round ones and had to use wonton wrappers instead. Also I didn’t have the star anise and substituted Chinese five spice, probably a mistake, but all in all I thought it was pretty good!
I have liked all your recipes!
Hey Rhonda,
Happy Sunday! I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was delish! Sorry this took you longer than expected! xx
So good! My kids helped me make these as my birthday dinner. The kids really enjoyed making the dumplings. We didn’t have star anise so used a pinch of Chinese five spice instead. Will definitely make again! Thank you for sharing your awesome recipes.
Hey Laura,
Perfect!! ⛄️ I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for trying it out! xx
This was laborious but well worth the effort for a fabulously warm and comforting meal! I made both the meat and mushroom dumplings as one of us is a vegetarian and we all enjoyed it very much. Next time I’d double the broth recipe for the meal and make extra dumplings to freeze and have on hand.
Hey Ann,
Happy Tuesday!! Thanks so much for making this dish and sharing your review, I love to hear that it turned out well for you!🧑🎄