Quick & Easy Pork Chive Wontons

Name: Quick & Easy Pork Chive Wontons
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 lb wonton wrappers (approx. 70 store-bought wrappers); 3 tbsp water ( to seal dumplings); 1 lb ground pork (or ground chicken, lean); 1 cup garlic chives (finely chopped); 3 cloves garlic (finely minced); 2 tbsp regular soy sauce; 2 tbsp sesame oil; 2.5 tbsp cornstarch (or potato starch); 1 tsp white granulated sugar; 1 tsp ginger (grated (or 1 tsp / 2 g ginger powder)); 1/2 tsp chicken bouillon powder; 1/4 tsp white pepper (or black pepper)

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Delicious wonton skins packed with savory pork and garlic chives. These quick and easy pork chive wontons are ready in 30 minutes with simple ingredients! A Chinese classic that is great as a main, meal, side or snack.

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Ingredients & Substitutes
Expert Tips
Instructions
Storage
Cooking Frozen Wontons
Pairing Suggestions
FAQ
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💬 Reviews

Pork Chive Wontons are made of wheat flour wrappers filled with seasoned minced pork, ginger, garlic, and garlic chives! They're so good on their own with chili oil or a dumpling sauce, in soup or with soup noodles!

Wontons originate from China and are a classic dish that are popular in Chinese restaurants and households. They bring family members together as the filling and folding process is enjoyable and results are always delicious!

The best part about wontons is that they only take minutes to cook. You can boil, air fry or deep fry them and I share how to below!

These Asian dumplings can made ahead of time, then refrigerated or frozen and the cooking time is relatively the same! Great for meal preparation on busy weeknights!

I love making my own wontons as you can customize the filling ingredients and I find they always taste better than Chinese takeout!

When I was young, I used to make wontons with my mother and we always had the best conversations while preparing them.

Ingredients & Substitutes

Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.

Wonton Wrappers: these are around 3 x 3-inch wrappers made of egg, wheat flour and water. Most Asian grocers or select Western grocers sells them in the refrigerated section in square or circular shape. Or substitute with dumpling wrappers.

Wonton Filling

Ground Pork: extra lean minced pork is recommend. Or substitute with ground chicken or turkey. Avoid using ground beef as I find this type of meat doesn't compliment the chives well.
Garlic Chives (or Chinese Chives): these are very long flat chives that look and taste different from regular chives. Most Asian markets will sell garlic chives. Or substitute with finely chopped bok choy, yu choy sum or green onions.
Regular Soy Sauce: or substitute with low sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce. If you’re gluten-free, substitute with tamari sauce, coconut aminos or a gluten-free soy sauce.
Cornstarch: to bind the filling together. Or substitute with potato starch or tapioca starch.
Sesame Oil: for that nutty flavor. If you're allergic to sesame, omit it.
Garlic
Fresh Ginger: to balance out the meaty flavors. Or substitute with ginger powder.
White Granulated Sugar: to balance out the savory flavors.
Chicken Bouillon Powder
White Pepper: or substitute with black pepper.

Note: Most Asian grocery stores will carry most of the Asian specific ingredients or check online stores, like Amazon.

Expert Tips

Mix in one direction until the ground meat is pasty. Why in one directions? This extends the protein strands making the meat more tender and the filling stickier.
Cover and keep wrappers moist by placing plastic wrap or a clean damp paper towel on top or store them in an airtight container or they will dry out making it harder to wrap.
Do not add too much filling to the wonton wrapper or you will not the able to seal it and they may burst open during the cooking process.
Remove any excess air pockets in the wonton and tightly seal the wrappers or they will explode in the boiling process.

Instructions

Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make pork chive wontons:

In a large bowl, add wonton filling ingredients as listed. Mix the ingredients in one direction for about 1-2 minutes with a pair of chopsticks or a fork until the minced meat becomes a sticky paste.

In a large bowl, add wonton filling ingredients as listed. Mix the ingredients in one direction for about 1-2 minutes with a pair of chopsticks or a fork until the minced meat becomes a sticky paste.

Then on a clean working surface, lay one wonton wrapper flat and add ½ tablespoon of the filling into the center. Lightly dab the edges with water to help seal the wonton.

Then on a clean working surface, lay one wonton wrapper flat and add ½ tablespoon of the filling into the center. Lightly dab the edges with water to help seal the wonton.

Fold the wonton wrapper over the filling into a semi-circle or triangle shape and pinch and seal the edges tightly.

Fold the wonton wrapper over the filling into a semi-circle or triangle shape and pinch and seal the edges tightly.

Slightly push the middle of the folded wonton down with a chopstick. Then bring the ends together and pinch them together. Repeat this until you have no more filling or wonton wrappers left.

Slightly push the middle of the folded wonton down with a chopstick. Then bring the ends together and pinch them together. Repeat this until you have no more filling or wonton wrappers left.

To boil wontons: bring a medium pot of water filled with 8 cups / 1.9 litres of water to boil on medium-high heat. Add wontons in small batches, reduce to medium-heat and boil for a total of 6-8 minutes or until they float to the top and are cooked through. Strain out the cooked wontons and transfer to a serving bowl.

To boil wontons: bring a medium pot of water filled with 8 cups / 1.9 litres of water to boil on medium-high heat. Add wontons in small batches, reduce to medium-heat and boil for a total of 6-8 minutes or until they float to the top and are cooked through. Strain out the cooked wontons and transfer to a serving bowl.

Serve wontons with chili oil, dumpling sauce, oyster sauce or any condiments you enjoy!

Serve wontons with chili oil, dumpling sauce, oyster sauce or any condiments you enjoy!

Deep Frying Wontons

In a large pan set on medium heat, heat 3 inches of neutral tasting oil. Ideal oil temperature should be around 350-375 F with a digital instant read thermometer or insert a wooden utensil into the oil and look for rapid bubbles.
Fry 7-8 wontons at a time for 3-4 minutes until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a cooling rack or a baking sheet lined with clean paper towel to absorb excess oil.

Air Frying Wontons

Pre-heat air fryer to 350 F. Lightly spray air fryer basket with neutral oil. Place uncooked wontons in a single layer with enough space around each one. Do not overlap and you may need to air fry in small batches.
Lightly spray oil over the wontons. Air Fry for 6-8 minutes until crispy and internal temperature is 140 F to ensure filling is cooked through.

Storage

Leftover cooked wontons will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat, microwave for 2-3 minutes until hot or reboil in water until hot throughout.
Cooked wontons can be frozen for up to 3 months. Let them cool down completely and store them in a single layer in a freezer-safe bag resting on a baking sheet. Squeeze out any excess air in the bag before sealing and freeze. After the wontons are frozen, remove the baking sheet. To reheat, re-boil them in water in a pot on medium-high heat until hot throughout.
Uncooked wontons can be frozen for up to 4-6 months. Place a freezer-safe bag flat on a baking sheet. Place wontons in a single layer into the bag giving each one enough space. Seal the bag removing any excess out and place the baking sheet with the bag into your freezer. This prevents the uncooked wontons from sticking to one another as they freeze. Once they've been frozen for 1 hour, remove the baking sheet.

Cooking Frozen Wontons

To deep fry frozen wontons: heat 3 inches of neutral oil in a large pan on medium heat and fry the wontons in small batches for 3-5 minutes until golden brown. Remove and transfer fried wontons to a wire rack or paper towel lined plate to remove excess oil.
To air fry frozen wontons: pre-heat the air fryer to 350 F and lightly spray the air fryer basket with neutral oil. Place the frozen wontons in a single layer and do not overlap. Lightly spray oil over the wontons and air fryer for 6-10 minutes or more until crispy and the internal temperature is 140 F with a digital instant read thermometer.
To boil frozen wontons: Bring a pot of water to boil on medium-high heat. Add wontons in small batches, reduce to medium heat and boil for 2-4 minutes until they float and are cooked in the center.

Pairing Suggestions

Wontons serve well with:

starters like egg rolls, crab rangoons, egg drop soup, hot and sour soup
other wontons like Pork and Shrimp Wontons or Shrimp Wontons
Pork Cabbage Dumplings, Pork Shrimp Dumplings, or Chinese Pork Chive Dumplings
fried rice, chow mein, lo mein, plain noodles, soup noodles
cooked vegetables like bok choy, spicy garlic bok choy, choy sum, gai lan, garlic green beans or stir fried snow pea leaves.
protein dishes like Mongolian Chicken, Mongolian Beef, Honey Walnut Shrimp, Bang Bang Shrimp, Soy Garlic Tofu, Chinese Braised Tofu and more!

FAQ

Can I prepare wontons in advance?

Wontons can be assembled in up to 4 days in advance and stored in a single layer in an airtight container in the fridge. I recommend placing the wontons onto parchment paper to prevent the wontons from sticking to the container. Then follow the recipe instructions to cook them on the day of serving.

You can also cook them up to 4 days in advance and store in an airtight container in the fridge and reheat in the microwave or reboil them.

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