Nashville Hot Dumplings

Written By: Danno Landon

The inspiration behind my Nashville hot dumplings starts with a Japanese gyoza plus Nashville Hot.  It’s a nice fusion that works well. I love the combination of a protein with cabbage because it extends the filling and helps keep the proteins from turning into a tough filling. It’s important to add salt to the ground chicken first and mix to extract proteins and give enough bind to the meat so that it won’t fall out of the dumpling. Without the addition of cabbage to the chicken dumpling mix you would end up with a tough little sausage. The cabbage and other add ins soften the bind and make it into the perfect little bite. The vinegar in the hot sauce means that you can’t have the chicken sit overnight or for very long otherwise you will have chicken ceviche filling. I would serve this with a side of dill pickle yogurt sauce.

Nashville Hot Gyozas 
Ground Chicken-1.5 pounds
Napa Cabbage, shredded-1 pound
Yellow Onion, minced-.5 pound
Garlic, minced-.25 pound
Hot Sauce-8 oz
Salt-1 Tablespoon
Pepper-1 teaspoon
1 Package of Wonton Wrappers
1 Egg

Combine the ground chicken and the salt. Mix using a mixer, or your hand, until it is sticky. Add the cabbage, onion, garlic, hot sauce, and pepper. Mix until fully incorporated and set to the side. Thoroughly beat an egg in a small bowl. This will be used as a binder for the wonton wrapper. Using your finger or a brush, put a small amount of egg wash on half of the wonton wrapper. Add about 1 Tablespoon of the filling in the middle of the wrapper. Fold the wonton over on itself. Seal the wrapper and the edges, making sure to push any air out of the middle of the dumpling. Put into a 350-degree fryer and cook for about 2-3 minutes.

Dill Pickle Yogurt Sauce
Greek Yogurt- 8 oz
Dill Pickle, minced- 2 medium size
Dill Pickle Brine- 2 oz

Combine all ingredients and serve on side of dumplings.