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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.
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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
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
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
My pre made dumpling wrappers have directions on how to cook them. Should I follow those directions first (boiling the dumplings) and then these or skip the package directions and go straight to these directions. They are frozen Shanghai style wrappers! Thanks!
Hey Chelsea,
I would skip the package instructions and follow the recipe as is, you should be good! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know how it turns out! xTieghan
I absolutely loved this recipe. I was worried I was too much of a novice as I’ve been trying to expand my culinary skills. Your recipe made it simple and delicious! I made it with reg soy sauce and wish I would have listened about the low sodium soy sauce. I will be making these again. My husband and 16 year old step son wanted more and more!
Forgot to rate it. Sorry!
Thanks again Ginny!
Hey Ginny,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed!❄️ xTieghan
I have never commented on a recipe on a blog before, but this was one of the best things my husband and I have ever made. He made the dumpling dough from scratch because we couldn’t find any at the store. We really like spice, so to the dumpling filling, he did add a jalapeño, Chinese five spice, and Szechuan peppercorn. I also added four cups of vegetable broth rather than just two and a half since this is all we were eating. So good! Thank you for sharing!
Hey Lauren,
Wonderful! Love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for making it! Have the best week:) xTieghan
Delicious and actually came together faster than I expected. The grocery store was out of small dumpling wrappers but I was able to cut pre-made egg roll wrappers in half. Will make this again!
Hey there,
Wonderful! Love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for making it! Have the best week:) xTieghan
would love to know which round dumpling or wonton wrappers you’d recommend! having a bit of trouble finding some and really want to try this one 🙂 thank ya!
Hey Raina,
I honestly have found very great options near me, so I typically just make my own:) Please let me know if you give the recipe a try! xTieghan
Planning on making this for my wife’s birthday next weekend! Any recommendations on what to pair with this? Thanks!
Hey Anne,
You could do some fun egg rolls:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/chinese-chicken-brussels-sprouts-egg-rolls-sweet-chile-pomegranate-sauce/
I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
Trying this tonight. How many does this recipe feed?
Hey Dawn,
This recipe will make 6 servings. I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
The flavor in that broth is unbelievable! Excellent as always 🙂
Hey Kate,
Seriously amazing! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe out, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
This was sooo good! It does take a while to come together but it’s worth it in the end!
Hey Madeleine,
Seriously amazing! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe out, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
I only gave this four stars because it was a little labor intensive for something on a weeknight, at least for me, but it is so DELICIOUS! I am a vegetarian so I did the mushroom version and used not chick’n broth, and some dark soy in the broth, and it turned out SO TASTY. I’ll make this again for sure, but on a weekend 🙂 Thank you for another good one!
Hey Jessica,
Seriously amazing! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe out, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
This recipe is so creative and delicious! The skill of making dumplings is 100% a more advanced skill that I need a ton of work on, however, I was able to make a half-moon type dumpling and they still turned out delicious regardless. Next time I am going to double the broth recipe since I like extra, extra broth with my dumplings and we ran out it was so good!
Hey Katie,
Seriously amazing! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe out, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
So impressed. Was delicious and having never made dumplings before I was impressed how easy. Thank you for another wonderful meal. Can’t get enough
Hey Christine,
Wonderful! It’s so great to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it! xTieghan
I made this for dinner last night and it was a huge hit! This was the first time I made dumplings and it was a fun new dinner that wasn’t super boring. I was able to make about 30 or so dumplings, which was great because my husband enjoyed these so much that he went back for seconds. The dumplings and onions reheated really nicely too for a great work lunch.
Hey Mackenzie,
Wonderful! It’s so great to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it! xTieghan
This looks so good and all of your recipes are always amazing!! Weird question but do you think chopped up brussel sprouts might work in place of the spinach? I have an extra bag still from Thanksgiving lol.
Hey Morgan,
Sure, I bet that would work well for you! I hope you enjoy this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Turned out so delicious! Used the brussel sprouts in place of spinach and sweet soy sauce instead of regular. . .soooo good!! Thank you!
Hey Morgan,
Seriously amazing! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe out, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
OK this might be a DUMB question -been with HBH for like EVER PS.
Raw meat into the dumplings?
The meat cooks when you steam the dumplings in the pan.
Hi Kailey,
Yes, the meat will cook in the dumplings. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give the recipe a try! xTieghan
Wondering what I get for the dumpling wrappers? I am at grocery store now trying to figure it out. Sounds so yummy
I can’t find dumplings wrappers, what should I use instead?
Hi Melanie,
Here is my recipe for homemade dumpling dough:
2 1/2 cups flour + 3/4 cup water, stir, let sit 20 minutes
Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Thank you so much Tieghan. I didn’t realize my message duplicated. I was in grocery store trying to figure it out. I went to three, lol but I found won ton wraps. Going to give it a go tonight. Thank you again.
Awesome! Hope they turn out well!
Hi Melanie,
You should be able to find “dumpling wrappers”. Plea let me know if you give the recipe a try! xTieghan