Ditch the takeout and whip up a restaurant-worthy recipe for Spicy Chicken Wontons.
If you tune in to Instagram Stories, you’ll find me at dim sum hotspot Din Tai Fung once a week. I have become the unofficial mayor of the international eatery, most often frequenting the Orange County and San Diego locations.
So it comes as no surprise to me that one of the most common DM’s I get is, “What should I order at Din Tai Fung?” Well, folks, you’ve come to the right place because I have tried almost every item on the menu and narrowed down all of my favorites.
My normal order is below, however I will say that I like to try one new item at each visit (hence why I’ve sampled nearly the entire menu). How else would I find the best of the best that Din Tai Fung has to offer?
Without further ado, if you’re dining at Din Tai Fung, you absolutely must order the following:
- Sweet and Sour Pork Baby Back Ribs
- Sautéed String Beans with Garlic
- Sautéed Broccoli with Garlic*
- Kurobuta Pork Xiao Long Bao (a.k.a. the world-famous soup dumplings)
- Kurobuta Pork Bun
- Jidori Chicken Fried Rice*
- Jidori Chicken Wontons with Spicy Sauce (See where this is going?)
- Jidori Chicken Fried Noodles
The asterisk above denotes a very important caveat: Those are the items I like to douse with the slightly-spicy potsticker sauce. So even though I don’t order the potstickers themselves, I always ask for two sides of the potsticker sauce. It’s not overwhelmingly spicy, but it does add a whole new element.
So let’s talk about the Spicy Chicken Wontons at Din Tai Fung. They are a real beauty of a dish that’s served with the wontons and a few thinly-sliced radishes atop a bed of the sauce. You then mix it all together tableside before digging in.
I’ve done my best to recreate Din Tai Fung’s spicy chicken wontons without breaking the bank or making you hunt for hard-to-find ingredients.
The wontons themselves are very easy to assemble, it’s just all about repetition. The great news is this makes a big batch, and they freeze and reheat like a breeze.
Once you whip up the sauce, adjust the spiciness and other flavorings to your taste. Prefer more heat? Add a bit more chili paste. Need a touch more sweet to balance the heat? Add another pinch of sugar.
This is a DIY Din Tai Fung copycat recipe that will leave you skipping the long lines and ditching the delivery for homemade wontons that can easily be swapped for noodles in your go-to broth-based soup recipe.
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Ingredients
For the wontons:
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
- 1/3 cup chopped scallions
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 36 square wonton wrappers
For the sauce:
- 2 Tablespoons Thai Toasted Chili Paste
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
- 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
Instructions
Make the wontons:
- In a large bowl, combine the ground chicken, minced garlic, ginger, scallions, soy sauce, sesame oil and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
- Spoon a heaping teaspoon of the mixture into the center of each wonton wrapper. Wet the edges using your finger dipped in water then fold the wontons in half to form triangles. Bring the two ends of the wontons together so that the tips are touching and seal them with water, pressing them lightly together.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the wontons and cook until the wonton wrapper is translucent and the chicken is no longer pink and cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Using a slotted spoon, remove the wontons and transfer them to a serving bowl then make the sauce.
Make the sauce:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the chili paste, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil and rice wine vinegar.
- Pour over the wontons and serve, garnished with additional sliced scallions and sesame seeds.
- ★ Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to give it a star rating below!
Nutrition
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Recipe by Just a Taste. Please do not reprint this recipe without my permission. If you'd like to feature this recipe on your site, please rewrite the method of preparation and link to this post as the original source.
These turned out delicious! I got to use a meat grinder I got for Christmas so I new I was using decent quality chicken. The assembly was fun but mine didn’t turn out as pretty as the picture nor was my sauce quite as dark red even after adding some gochugaru for extra heat. My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed it and will be making again.
Woohoo! I’m so thrilled you and your husband enjoyed the recipe, Pam!
These looks lovely – could I steam them in a bamboo steamer instead of boiling them? How long would they take in a steamer you reckon?
Hi Anne-Cathrine – I haven’t tried that so unfortunately I can’t weigh in on this. Let me know if you give it a shot!
WOW. I didn’t have ginger and I used regular chili paste and the entire time I thought I was folding the wontons incorrectly but I trusted the process and they turned out amazing!! Just the right amount of spice and tang, not too oily, didn’t take too long to make, and so delicious! And this is coming from a college student with little to no cooking skills. Definitely making these once a week, you get a big batch too!
This is what I love to read, Alex! I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe!
Perfection! I moved back East after living in LA for two years and Din Tai Fung is what I miss the most. This sauce is on point!
Huge compliment! THANK YOU! So glad you enjoyed the recipe.
This recipe is SPOT ON! My husband’s fave meal at Din Thai Fung. After eating these, he said “well, looks like we never have to eat there again!” ;) Thanks you so much!
WOWZA! I love reading this, Jen! Din Tai Fung is my all-time fave place!
am i supposed to cook the sauce ??
No, the sauce isn’t cooked. :)
This recipe is sooooo delicious. I cut back a little on the chili paste. At my age, spicy foods no longer agree with my stomach. I also have made this using crab(imitation) meat, shrimp(corse ground), and beef. The fillings are endless. But I had to adjust cooking times. I give the beef, pork, a quick sauté before putting it into the wrappers. I always like to play around with recipes. Coming up with ones that are different(but the same).
Love those variations, Tammy! I’m so happy you’ve been enjoying the recipe :)
This. Was. Delicious. I doubled the wonton recipe and used half for this and half for a wonton soup so I got two dishes with one prep. My question is: what else can I use this sauce for?? I need it on more things. Some kind of deconstructed wonton cup bake or wonton egg roll? Could I use this for lettuce wraps? I’m new to cooking so I need help knowing what’s possible. :)
So glad you enjoyed it, Cici! I’d use this sauce on any roasted veggies or even a roast chicken. It’d also be fantastic with pork tenderloin or even drizzled on flank steak. The options are endless!
Such a good recipe! I’ve made this now a few times. Followed recipe exactly and it is super tasty
I’m so thrilled you’ve been enjoying the recipe, Laura!
These were wonderful and so easy. I didn’t buy ground chicken so I got home and ran 3 large chicken thighs through my Cuisinart and it turned out wonderful. I also did not have the chili paste and instead used Sambal Oleek and the sauce was great. Thank you for this wonderful recipe
I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Angie!
Made this recipe and it was so spot on! Only thing is I couldn’t find the right chili paste. which one do you use and do you recommend any substitutes/dupes?
So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Nina! I like the McCormick brand Thai Kitchen Roasted Red Chili Paste.
Hi Kelly,
What are the directions for freezing and then reheating the wontons?
Hi Kim! The key is to freeze the wontons before you cook them. Follow the recipe below up through assembly and then either store the uncooked wontons in a sealable plastic bag or arrange them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and then cover the baking sheet securely with several rounds of plastic wrap. To cook the wontons from the frozen state, simply follow the directions below but increase the cook time by a few minutes to ensure the wontons are cooking all the way through.
Hi, great recipe and so easy to make. In your suggestion about freezing the dumplings before cooking, I’ve done this with other small appetizers(egg rolls,…ect ). I put them on a parchment lined sheet pan and freeze them and then put them in a zip lock freezer bag(s). It saves space that way. I sometimes even freezing them away in individual portions, like for apitizers. Just a suggestion. Thanks again for this recipe.
Great tips, Tammy! Thank you!
Hey I love your recipe I just couldn’t get access to wonton wrappers, but I have dumpling wrappers would the cooking time be the same
Yes, as long as they’re the thin ones!
Amazing!!! So easy and so good. 10/10
I’m thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Stephanie!
Hi – this looks incredible!! I definitely want to try it. We’ve moved away from where we used to have access to Din Tai Fung, and the one thing my husband and I miss the most is their “noodles with spicy sauce”.
Your sauce *looks* similar, but we had thought there must be szechuan pepper or gochujang or something in the noodles, because it leaves that satisfying long-lasting tingle afterwards. Do you think the Thai toasted chili paste has the same properties and flavours that we love in the spicy noodles?
Thanks!
You could absolutely use gochujang!
Hi there! Thank you for sharing this recipe, I also love their dumplings! Would it work with pork and prawn filling as well?
Amanda
That should work!
amazing, thanks!
Just one more question… is the soy sauce the regular variety or the Lo-Salt?
cheers
I used regular, but feel free to use low-sodium if you prefer!
Can you deep fry the wonton instead of boiling them?
Sure! I haven’t tried that with this particular recipe, but it should work. Just make sure the filling cooks through.
Hi Kelly,
I am obsessed with dumplings and sticky rice. I live in the far out reaches of Montana where such items are hard to find and get. I was wondering if any of the items would survive an overnight trip to get into my belly?
And I am def. trying your recipe.
Hi Kelly, just a little confused as your last para
“MAKE THE SAUCE: In a medium bowl, whisk together the chili garlic sauce, sesame oil, sugar, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and balsamic vinegar.”
doesn’t match the list of ingredients.
Also what sort of pepper are you using, freshly ground black or white fine pepper?
Hi Shaz! Thanks so much for catching this. Recipe has been updated! White pepper is traditional but either works!