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.

Holding a wonton with chopstick with a bowl of wonton soup

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.

A black bowl with chicken wontons, bok choy and broth

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.

Chicken wontons in broth with bok choy and spring onions

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)

  1. Fill the wonton

    Spoon a teaspoon of chicken mixture into the center of a wonton wrapper.

  2. 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).

  3. Seal

    Pinch so all the air is pushed out and the wonton wrapper is tight around the filling with a good seal.

  4. Fold

    Take the right and left corners and bring them around to meet at the bottom (wet one corner to  help them stick).

Ground chicken on wonton wrappers ready to make wonton
The steps showing how to fold a wonton

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

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.

Yield: 4

Chicken Wonton Soup

Green bok choy, sliced spring onions and chicken wontons on broth

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.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 3 minutes
Total Time 13 minutes

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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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

4

Serving Size

1

Amount 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.