Recently, I’ve been on a mission to use up leftover items from my kitchen cupboards – things that don’t go bad and have been sat at the back of the shelf for ages. One of such items was a pack of rice paper sheets. Previously, probably a year ago, I decided to try making spring rolls, and bought two packs of rice paper. I made spring rolls once, didn’t like how they turned out, and gave up. The leftover rice paper has occupied the back of the shelf since then. Until recently! I decided to try to make chicken dumplings with rice paper, and it was a success. So naturally, I need to share the recipe with you all. By the way: this recipe is gluten-free and high in protein. And full of flavour, naturally!

Ingredients for gluten-free chicken dumplings

For around 15 dumplings

• 500g ground chicken
• 1 egg
• 1 small carrot
• 2-3 garlic cloves
• 3 spring onions (green and white parts)
• 5g chives – small bunch – or replace with an additional spring onion
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce of your choice, e. g. Sriracha
• salt, pepper
• 8 rice paper sheets
• optional: oil spray and sesame seeds

If you need this recipe to be gluten-free, make sure you use gluten-free soy sauce, hot sauce and rice paper. Some of those available in supermarkets might contain gluten!

How to make gluten-free chicken dumplings

Start by cutting the rice paper sheets in half – I recommend using scissors for this step. I also added a few smaller incisions around the edge of each half-sheet to make it easier to wrap the paper around the filling. Set the rice paper aside.

Next, prepare the filling.

Finely chop the carrot, spring onions, garlic and chives. Add them to a large bowl. Add ground chicken, soy sauce, hot sauce, and the egg. Add a pinch of salt and ground pepper. Mix all ingredients until everything is evenly distributed.

If you’re using an air fryer, prepare the basket. Line it with parchment paper or a silicone liner.

If you’re using a traditional oven, line a baking sheet with paper. Pre-heat the oven to 190°C (375°F).

Fill a large dish with cold water – it needs to be large enough to fit the rice paper. Next to it, prepare a dry plate.

Assembling chicken rice paper dumplings

Grab a piece of rice paper and submerge it in cold water for a few seconds, just to soften it. Now, you have to be quick.

Place the softened piece of rice paper on the spare plate. Add a golf ball size amount of filling to the middle of the paper. Wrap the rice paper around the filling. Try to make sure there aren’t any gaps.

Now, carefully place the dumpling on the lined baking sheet or lined air fryer basket.

Do NOT set the dumpling aside ‘temporarily’ in a different place! It will stick to the surface and if you try to lift it again, the paper will likely tear.

Repeat until you’ve run out of filling. I made 15 dumplings. When you place your dumplings on the baking sheet, make sure they don’t touch!

Once again, do NOT attempt to rearrange the dumplings on the baking sheet. If you run out of space in an air fryer basket, take a break and bake your dumplings in batches.

If you want, spray the top of the dumplings with a bit of oil and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Bake or air-fry the chicken dumplings in 190°C (375°F) until golden-brown – it should take around 20 -25 minutes. You can enjoy these chicken dumplings on their own as a snack, or add them to a bowl of warming miso soup. Yum!

Nutritional value of gluten-free chicken rice paper dumplings

The whole recipe has around 1100 kcal, 50g fat, 70g carbs, 7g fibre, and 110g protein. Assuming it makes three servings, each serving will have around 379 kcal, 16g fat, 23g carbs, 2g fibre and 37g protein. It’s a delicious, high-protein dish!

How to store leftover chicken dumplings

Serve these chicken dumplings hot. If you have any leftovers, you can store them in the fridge for a couple of days. You can enjoy them cold, or heat them up in an air fryer or oven for a few minutes.

Bon Appetit!

So there you have it – a delicious recipe for high protein chicken dumplings made with rice paper. Naturally gluten-free, just make sure you don’t buy soy sauce or rice paper with traces of gluten, if you need the recipe to be safe for gluten allergies.

This recipe was a bit of an experiment, but I’m really pleased with how it turned out. Having these chicken dumplings in a plate of miso soup was a perfect small meal for a rainy day. Making these dumplings can be a little fiddly and you need a bit of patience, but they’re worth the effort. I highly recommend giving them a try!

Also see:

• Food
• Savoury