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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.

French Onion Dumplings | halfbakedharvest.com

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.

French Onion Dumplings | halfbakedharvest.com

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.

French Onion Dumplings | halfbakedharvest.com

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.

French Onion Dumplings | halfbakedharvest.com

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.

French Onion Dumplings | halfbakedharvest.com

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!

French Onion Dumplings | halfbakedharvest.com

Looking for other weeknight dinners? Here are my favorites: 

Creamy White Chicken Chili

Ginger Sesame Chicken Potstickers

Crispy Cauliflower Tinga Tacos with Honey Lime Avocado Crema

Dan Dan Noodles

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!

@halfbakedharvest

A warming winter dumpling recipe #frenchonion #dumplings #halfbakedharvest #foodtok #easyrecipes

♬ Freaking Out the Neighborhood – Mac DeMarco

French Onion Dumplings

Author: Tieghan Gerard
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
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.

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Ingredients

Chicken Filling

Broth

US Customary – Metric

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. 
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French Onion Dumplings | halfbakedharvest.com

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Comments

    1. Hi Chan,
      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

      Reply

    1. Hi Deanna,
      Happy Monday!! Thanks a lot for making this dish and sharing your review, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Have a great week! xx

      Reply

    1. Hey Leisa,
      Here is the recipe for my homemade dumpling dough:
      2 1/2 cups flour + 3/4 cup water, stir, let sit 20 minutes. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan

      Reply

  4. 5 stars
    Made this twice, once with regular onions and another with scallions (friend has an allergy). It was delicious both times. It takes awhile but is worth it to sit down with family and fold dumplings together.

    Reply

    1. Hi Skye,
      Love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for making it and sharing your feedback! ??xTieghan

      Reply

    1. Hey Kristie,
      You can use chicken broth in place of the wine. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx

      Reply

  6. 5 stars
    I made the chicken dumpling recipe and it was delicious! I bought wonton wrappers (which were square) so I could only put 1/2 tablespoon of filling in each one.

    Reply

    1. Hey Lynne,
      Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan

      Reply

  7. 5 stars
    Fantastic. You should add a Dumpling Wrapper recipe to this if people want to make their own. I had to and it was SO easy and SO delicious and I also felt so accomplished. Seriously was only flour, salt, and water 🙂

    Reply

    1. Hey there,
      Fantastic! Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xx

      Reply

  8. 5 stars
    I LOVE THIS BLOG AND THIS RECIPE!!! This is one of the best recipes I have ever had and I cook often! I could eat this multiple times per week! If I made a bunch (maybe tripled the recipe) of dumplings and then cooked and froze them do you think they would hold up well?

    Reply

    1. Hey Sara,
      Wonderful!! Love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks a lot for giving it a go:) I would actually just freeze them uncooked, that millwork well for you! xTieghan

      Reply

    2. I have tried freezing them cooked because I wasn’t going to be able to eat them all by myself. Still tasted great after defrosting!

      Reply

    1. Hey CJ,
      Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a bunch for giving it a go! Have the best weekend! xxT

      Reply

  11. 5 stars
    Why would I ever order takeout again?! These were so good and so fun to make. I added some diced mushrooms to the chicken mix and used a little more veggie broth for the French onion soup. I will definitely be making this fun, flavorful and unique meal again!

    Reply

    1. Hey Kristen,
      Happy Friday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan

      Reply

  12. This recipe was absolutely fantastic. I made it with my oldest daughter 15. We had a lot of fun making the dumplings. It was so packed full of flavor, that was enjoyed by the whole family. We loved it with the chicken, but think the next time we would like to try it with lamb.

    Reply

    1. Hi Dorothy,
      Happy Friday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks sos much for making it! xTieghan

      Reply

      1. 5 stars
        Thank you so much for your quick reply, Tieghan! We made it today and it was delicious as always. We served it with goat cheese fondue with crackers. Lovely dinner. Thank you again for providing great recipes! We will try your egg rolls next.

        Reply

          2. Hey Chesleigh,
            I would just use 2 cloves of garlic:) Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT

    1. Hey there,
      You bet! More broth is perfect to use. Let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan

      Reply

    1. Hey Emily,
      Totally, that will work well for you! I hope you love this recipe, let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan

      Reply

        2. 5 stars
          My husband and I are vegetarians and are OBSESSED with the mushroom version of this recipe!! Soooo delicious and comes out perfect every time!

          Reply

          1. Hey Alyssa,
            Thanks so much for your feedback! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for making it! xTieghan