Chicken dim sum, the classic Chinese delicacy, is an uniquely special dish to enjoy on special occasions with friends and family. You may even save it for that special date night in!
These chicken dim sums are special. They are not for quick weeknight meals. Save this chicken dim sum recipe for special occasions and everyone will talk about it! You will become a rock-star overnight! Look how beautiful these babies are, aren’t they?!
And trust me, they are equally delish too, if not more! Chicken dim sums are one of those specialties which require a bit effort in preparing but extremely rewarding at the end. Don’t get scared; this recipe of chicken dim sum is very user friendly and customizable.
If you are planning it for a special day, you can prepare the dim sum filling and also the dough a day before. This way it will become extremely quick on your D day and you won’t need to spend the entire time inside the kitchen. Next day just fill ‘em up and steam!
You can even make a live steaming station and gather a group of friends to make it a fun ‘filling‘ task and steam your own Chinese chicken dim sum!
I just realized that my previous recipe, Kung Pao Chicken, was also from Chinese cuisine, but this sequence was pure coincidence. We do love Chinese food (especially me!) and I make it quite frequently at home.
This also reminds me that I do have a stir fried noodles recipe lined up for publishing! Coincidentally, it has become Chinese food marathon in my blog and I don’t mind it at all! And to close this round up, I will be sharing my best ever stir fried noodles recipe up next!
And sharing this appetizer recipe of chicken dim sum today fits everything perfectly in places!
Stir fried noodles is one of my favorite food which is closely followed by my all-time favorite chicken biryani! I still remember my cravings for Chinese noodles from the Chinese take-away counters during my school days and the tantrums I used to throw to convince my mom.
Thankfully I can make my own now and can satisfy my craving any time. The reason I am mentioning noodles here is that I feel chicken dim sum and noodles are a match made in heaven and you won’t need anything else to enjoy a complete meal.
As I have mentioned above, this chicken dim sum recipe is very customizable. Even though I have used chicken here, you can follow the same recipe with shrimps or any other seafood.
Instead of mincing the shrimps, cut them into tiny pieces as it will be more flavorful than minced shrimps; or you can use the tiniest shrimps available in the market.
Rest all steps would be same as the ingredients which I have used to flavor the chicken here will beautifully complement the shrimps too.
Making this chicken dim sum may require some practice, especially rolling out the outer casing with ideal thickness and shaping it in the ideal authentic way.
It should be thin enough so that it cooks well during the steaming process and at the same time the thickness should be good enough so that it doesn’t fall apart once filled.
You will get that balance once you start making your chicken dim sum and first one or two may become the experimental version; but there onward you will hit it right!
So don’t be intimidated. This small investment of patience will delight you with great reward in the form of this lip-smacking chicken dim sum!
You may fall for these cute little chicken dim sum so badly that it may even become a frequent item on your dinner table! Who knows!
- All-purpose flour – 1 cup + extra for dusting
- Boiling water – ⅔ cup
- Salt to taste
- Chicken mince – 250 gms
- Light soy sauce -1 tbsp
- Carrot – 1, small, finely minced
- Garlic – 6 cloves, minced
- Green onion – 2, finely chopped
- Leeks – 1, finely chopped (optional)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Light soy sauce – 4 tbsp
- Red chillies – 2 – 3
- Sesame oil – ½ tsp
- Chopped spring onion greens – 1 tbsp
- First make the dough. In a large bowl mix the flour and salt. Now add boiling water gradually and start mixing it using a wooden spoon.
- When the dough becomes cool enough to handle, start kneading it with hand. Add some dry flour if it gets sticky and continue kneading until it becomes soft.
- Cover it with a damp kitchen towel and keep it aside for 30 minutes.
- Next prepare the filling. Add chicken mince, chopped carrots, chopped leeks, minced garlic and chopped green onion in a large bowl and mix them together with a light hand. Season with soy sauce, salt and black pepper to taste. Mix well.
- Now it’s time to make the casing. Tip out the dough on a flat surface and knead it again. Take small ball of dough of about 1 inch diameter. Roll it into a thin round disc of about 2 inches diameter and about ¼ centimeter thick. Make sure the casing is thin, else it will not cook thoroughly and will not let the chicken cook evenly.
- Now let’s stuff the chicken dim sum. Take about a tablespoon of the chicken filling and place the filling in the center of the disc. Now shape the dim sum by squeezing the sides of dough disc.
- Once all the dim sums are shaped, steam them on medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes. Keep the steamer covered during steaming. (If you don’t have a steamer, boil water in a sauce pan and place a stainless steel sieve or colander over it. Cover the tiny holes of the sieve with some cabbage leaves and place the dim sums on top. Cover the dim sums with a dome-shaped lid and start steaming.)
- While the chicken dim sums are steaming, make the dipping sauce by mixing the light soy sauce, spring onion greens, finely chopped red chilles and sesame oil. Whisk them thoroughly and reserve until serving.
- After the chicken dim sums are thoroughly cooked (you can check by inserting a toothpick at the center of a dim sum and it should come out clean), take them out and garnish with greens of spring onions. Serve the hot chicken dim sum along with soy chilli dipping sauce.
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