Chicken Wonton Soup
This Chicken Wonton Soup recipe is a quick and delicious Chinese soup that can be an appetizer or complete meal. Ground chicken breast is mixed with delicious flavorings then easily transformed into dumplings that can be made ahead so the soup is ready to go anytime.
This is one of the first recipes I posted way back in 2013 and has been popular ever since. For a little refresh, I updated the pictures and added a step-by-step video.
Wonton, which translates to ‘swallowing a cloud’, is a great way to describe how light these dumplings are. Ground chicken, green onions and flavorings are mixed together then wrapped in wonton wrappers then cooked in a delicious broth for a light and healthy soup.
Napa cabbage is traditional in wonton soup, but I like to use bok choy because it gets greener when it cooks which makes this soup very eye-catching and bright.
More additions to wonton soup
There are lots of ingredients you can add to the soup. Once additional ingredients are added, it then becomes Wor Wonton Soup. Wor is the Chinese word for everything. Some of these additions can be other vegetables like carrots, mushrooms, broccoli and proteins such as pork or shrimp.
The key to making the wonton assembly go quickly is to have everything lined up around your work area: the wonton wrappers, the chicken filling and a small bowl of water.
The wontons come together very quickly once you get the hang of making them. I like to lay out as many wonton wrappers that will fit on my board. In this case, I was making them in batches of 6.
How to make wontons in 4 easy steps (you can also see this in the video)
- Fill the wonton
Spoon a teaspoon of chicken mixture into the center of a wonton wrapper.
- Fold the wonton
Dip a pastry brush or your finger in the water and wet the top and right edge of the wonton wrapper. Fold the bottom left corner over the filling to meet the top right corner (this can be reversed if you are left handed).
- Seal
Pinch so all the air is pushed out and the wonton wrapper is tight around the filling with a good seal.
- Fold
Take the right and left corners and bring them around to meet at the bottom (wet one corner to help them stick).
Freezing wontons
This recipe makes a lot of wontons, 27 to be exact. Which is too many for the count of 3 in a single serving of soup. You can freeze whatever you don’t use.
To freeze, put the unused wontons in a zippered bag in a single layer. Put the bag flat in the freezer and simply pull out however many you need, when you need them.
Freezing leftover soup
Pour the leftover soup into a container with a tight fitting lid and freeze. To defrost, place in the fridge overnight then reheat in the microwave or a pan on the stovetop and enjoy!
Dishes to serve with Wonton Soup
- Vegetarian Chinese Hot and Sour Soup
- Trio of Asian Dipping Sauces
- Chicken and Vegetable Lettuce Wraps with Orange Sauce
The importance of using good chicken broth or stock.
I have had some terrible tasting chicken broth/stocks from the grocery store. Be sure your broth/stock has good flavor because just adding the ginger, soy and sesame oil may not help the flavor. Just keep this in mind.
Chicken Wonton Soup
Ground chicken breast is mixed with delicious flavorings then easily transformed into wontons that can be made ahead so the soup is ready to go anytime.
Ingredients
- For the wontons:
- 1 pound (454 grams) ground chicken breast or skinless boneless chicken breasts
- 2 spring onions/scallions chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon low sodium soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, peeled and chopped finely
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (you may need less if your soy sauce is salty)
- 27 each, 2-inch (5 cm) square wonton wrappers
- For the soup:
- 6 cups (1.4 liters) low sodium good tasting chicken stock/broth * see note
- 6 ounces (170 grams) bok choy (pak choi)
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger, or to taste
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce, or to taste
- 1 tablespoons toasted sesame oil, or to taste
- 2 spring onions/onions, sliced
Instructions
- If using ground chicken: To a food processor, add the chicken, spring onions/scallions, soy sauce, rice wine, ginger, salt and pepper. Pulse until the meat comes together in a ball.
- If using chicken breast: Cut the chicken into large pieces. Add to the food processor and pulse until it resembles ground chicken. Add the spring onions/scallions, soy sauce, rice wine, ginger, salt and pepper. Pulse until the meat comes together in a ball.
- On a clean surface or cutting board, arrange the wonton wrappers. Have a small bowl of water nearby.
Spoon 1 tablespoon of of the chicken mixture into the center of each wonton. Wet a finger in the water and wet 2 edges of the wonton. - Fold the opposite corner to meet the wet edge to make a triangle. Press very firmly and make sure you get a good seal, pressing out any air so it is tight around the chicken and well sealed. This is important so the chicken doesn’t seep out when cooking.
- With the folded corner facing away from you, bring the left and right corners around to meet at the bottom, wet with water and press firmly together. You can see this in the pictures and also in the video. Set aside. Don’t worry too much about the shape as they change dramatically when cooked.
- Add the chicken stock to a large pan and bring to a simmer. Add the wontons, bok choy, ginger, soy sauce and sesame oil. Taste to see if you want to add more ginger, soy or sesame oil. Simmer for 3 minutes.
- Serve and garnish with sliced spring onions/scallions.
Notes
Using a good tasting broth/stock is important because it will affect the taste of the finished soup.
Nutrition Information
Yield
4Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 325Total Fat 10gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 7gCholesterol 62mgSodium 1078mgCarbohydrates 25gFiber 4gSugar 9gProtein 33g
This nutrition calculation is provided by Nutronix that is only a guideline and not intended for any particular diet.
34 Comments on “Chicken Wonton Soup”
I am on a low carb diet, do you think I could roll the chicken mixture into mini meatballs and not use the wonton wrappers?
I think the soup would be a perfect low carb option for you without the wonton wrappers. You can just drop them in the soup and cook the same way. Enjoy!
This was so easy to do, and it was beautiful, thank you
You’re so welcome.
Delicious! I used pork mince and apple cider vinegar because I didn’t have any rice vinegar. My blenders on the blitz so I hand mixed. Really tasty receipe, thanks!
I’m so glad you liked them and I like making them with pork sometimes too. Thank you for the great feedback.
I made this for the weekend and it was delicious. I have the leftovers with me for lunch today at work and can’t wait. Thanks for a delicious and easy recipe.
I’m so glad, thank you for the great feedback Valerie and enjoy your lunch 🙂
Can you tell me how many quarts this makes, or how much a serving size is? Thanks!
Hi Roxie, the recipe yields almost 2 quarts. Thanks for stopping by.
Can you make the wontons ahead and freeze them for a day when you NEED the soup? I love soup but it’s only me and I’d never be able to eat all of them at one time!
Hi Debbie, this is actually a great idea! I think you could probably cook them right from frozen, just cook them longer to make sure the chicken is cooked. Thanks for stopping by.
You said to boil the Bok Choy in water for 2 minutes & then drain. But nothing is ever said about what to do with the Bok Choy afterwards? Please clarify. Thanks.
Hi Tamara, the bok choy is added to the soup after cooking the wontons. Thank you for stopping by.
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You cook the chicken before the food processor, correct?
Hello Ang, no the chicken goes in the food processor uncooked, mixed with the other ingredients then gets wrapped in the wonton and they get cooked in the soup. I hope this helps.
Hello Nancy. Many grocery stores carry ground chicken now so you don’t need a food processor, just chop the green onions finely and mix well with the ground meat and other ingredients. Please come back and let me know who you like it if you make the recipe.
I almost empty My veg. Bin when I make my wongton soup. Just make sure your Veg’s are cut small. The filling will freeze well. I usually make the left overs into egg rolls love it all. Yum so good.
Thank you so much for the feedback Jill
Wow, your soup looks fantastic. Very exotic!
Comfort food in a bowl! Love it! Pinned.
This is the soup I order when i go to a Chinese restaurant! Your pics look so beautiful!
Perfect description swallowing a cloud! Looks Scrumptious! Nettie
Thank you Nettie 🙂
I think I had hit the mother load of recipes, I simply adore wonton soup and would devour this entire recipe in no time flat.
Thanks for sharing a great idea/recipe
Heidy
This looks delicious! Thanks for the tutorial on them as well. I love wonton soup, and need to try making it at home. Thanks for the recipe! Yum!
Mmmm, those wontons look so good. Great soup!
This looks like a wonderful, easy recipe. Thank you for sharing! 🙂
This recipe is a keeper! Nice tutorial and such great photos. I want to make this today. Won Ton soup has been on my bucket list a while now!
I have some wonton skins in my fridge just begging for this soup. YUM!
This looks like the perfect soup to eat if you were feeling unwell.
Janette, I love this simple soup and the won tons are perfectly done.
Thank you Peter, I was very pleased at how light and fluffy they turned out