Chicken Rice Paper Dumplings
These chicken rice paper dumplings have crisp, lightly chewy wrappers filled with Teriyaki chicken, crunchy vegetables and sesame seeds. A quick pan-cooked filling and a turn in the Air Fryer make them an easy snack or light meal, ready in about 30 minutes.
Love these sweet and savory flavors? Try my Teriyaki veggie stir fry next!
Rice paper makes a handy wrapper when you want dumplings without making dough. These are rolled into little parcels rather than pleated, with a sweet-savory chicken filling and plenty of crunch from carrots and cabbage.
Serve them straight from the Air Fryer for the best texture. Use any leftover Teriyaki sauce to make baked Teriyaki tofu next!
Quick Look: Chicken Rice Paper Dumplings
- 🔪 Prep time: 10 minutes
- 🍳 Cook time: 20 minutes total
- 🍽️ Servings: 6 dumplings
- 🥣 Main ingredients: Chicken breast, rice paper, carrots, cabbage, green onions and teriyaki sauce
- ➡️ Method: Sauté → fill → fold → air fry
- ⭐ Difficulty: Easy
- 🥢 Best served with: Thai dipping sauce, spicy green onion salad or noodles.
Jump to:
- Quick Look: Chicken Rice Paper Dumplings
- What's So Great About the Recipe?
- Recipe Ingredients
- Substitutions & Variations
- How to Make Chicken Rice Paper Dumplings
- 💭Top Tip
- Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- How to Serve Chicken Rice Paper Dumplings
- Troubleshooting and FAQs
- More Easy Asian Sides
- Chicken Rice Paper Dumplings
What's So Great About the Recipe?
- No need to scratch-make a dough. A brief dip in water makes the rice paper flexible enough to wrap.
- The outside crisps up while the vegetables keep a little bite. These dumplings are loaded with texture- just like my chicken egg roll in a bowl.
- They're easy to portion- serve a few as a snack or add a side to make a meal.
Recipe Ingredients
Chicken breast: Slice it into thin, evenly sized strips so it cooks quickly and fits neatly inside the wrappers.
Veggies: Sliced into juliennes. I used carrots, cabbage and green onions.
Teriyaki sauce: Coats the chicken with a sweet, savory glaze. The flavor and saltiness will vary by brand. I use the scratch-made sauce that I make for my Teriyaki chicken recipe.
Apple cider vinegar: Adds a little tang to balance the teriyaki sauce.
Rice paper sheets: They soften after dipping, so there is no need to leave them soaking until floppy.
Oil: Used to sauté the chicken and lightly grease the basket and wrappers.
Sesame seeds: Black and white sesame seeds add a nutty finish and show through the rice paper. I use these or my Japanese sesame salt.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- Use chicken thigh or any other cut of chicken if you can't fine chicken breast. Just make sure it is boneless. Sometimes, I just skip the raw chicken and use my chicken floss or Asian poached chicken as a filling.
- Swap red cabbage for green cabbage, or use a mixture of both. Keep the vegetables thinly sliced and dry.
- For a little heat, stir chili flakes or a small amount of chili garlic oil into the chicken.
- For a gluten-free version, check that both the rice paper and Teriyaki sauce are labeled gluten-free.
How to Make Chicken Rice Paper Dumplings
Step 1: Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the chicken strips and sauté for a few minutes, turning them so they cook evenly.
Step 2: Add the teriyaki sauce and apple cider vinegar. Toss to coat and cook for another minute, or until the chicken reaches 165°F in the thickest piece. Take off the heat and let the filling cool slightly.
Step 3: Dip a rice paper sheet into a wide, shallow bowl of water for about 2 seconds. Lay it on a lightly damp chopping board; it will continue softening as you fill it.
Step 4: Sprinkle sesame seeds over the lower portion of the wrapper. Add a small pile of carrots, cabbage and green onions, then top with chicken. Keep the edges clear.
Step 5: Fold the bottom of the wrapper up over the filling, then fold one side inward. Keep the filling tucked together without stretching the rice paper.
Step 6: Fold the other side inward and continue rolling the parcel away from you, keeping the filling enclosed.
Step 7: Finish rolling into a neat log and set it seam-side down. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling, keeping the rolls apart so they do not stick together.
Step 8: Arrange in a lightly greased air-fryer basket with space between the rolls. Lightly spray or brush the tops with oil. Air fry at 400°F for 10–12 minutes, until lightly golden and crisp. Cook in batches if needed.
💭Top Tip
Do not oversoak the rice paper. Take it out while it still feels slightly firm; it will soften on the board. An overly wet wrapper is harder to handle and more likely to tear.
Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- Let the chicken cool slightly before wrapping, and leave excess sauce in the pan so the filling is not dripping wet.
- Keep the filling modest. Overfilled wrappers are difficult to seal and more likely to split.
- For extra flavor, add fresh ginger and garlic while stir frying the chicken. I did this when I made my Air Fryer Teriyaki cauliflower too, using homemade ginger garlic paste.
- Experiment with different fillings to bring variations to the dumplings. I like using sprouted mung beans and my TikTok viral spicy pickled garlic and sometimes even pickled shredded carrots.
- Lightly dampen the work surface to help prevent sticking, but avoid puddles of water.
- Leave space around each dumpling in the basket. Touching rice-paper wrappers can stick together as they cook.
- Serve immediately. The wrappers lose their crispness as they sit, especially if stacked or covered.
How to Serve Chicken Rice Paper Dumplings
Set out a dipping sauce like scallion ginger oil, Schezwan sauce or Sichuan chili oil and serve the dumplings while they are hot. Keep the sauce on the side so the wrappers stay crisp.
For a fuller meal, pair them with mushroom ramen noodles or a simple Asian spicy cucumber salad.
Troubleshooting and FAQs
It may have soaked too long, stuck to a dry board or been overfilled. Dip briefly, use a lightly damp work surface and keep the filling compact.
Rice paper keeps some chew, especially where the layers overlap. Excess moisture, crowding and too little oil can also prevent the outside from crisping. Leave space in the basket and serve immediately.
This recipe uses pan-cooked chicken. Cook it through before wrapping; the short air-frying stage is intended to crisp the wrappers.
Prepare and refrigerate the chicken and vegetables separately, then wrap and air fry shortly before serving. Assembled rice-paper rolls can stick and soften while they sit.
These dumplings are best freshly cooked. Refrigerate leftovers promptly in an airtight container and use within 3–4 days. Separate layers with parchment so the wrappers do not stick.
Reheat in the air fryer until the outside crisps again and the filling reaches 165°F. A microwave will warm them but soften the wrappers.
More Easy Asian Sides
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
If you tried this chicken rice paper dumplings or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Chicken Rice Paper Dumplings
Ingredients
- 1 chicken breast sliced into strips
- ¼ cup carrots sliced
- ¼ cup cabbage sliced
- ¼ cup green onions sliced
- 1 tablespoon Teriyaki sauce
- 6 rice paper sheets
- 2 teaspoon oil
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds black and white
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Heat oil in a pan and sauté the chicken strips for a few minutes on medium heat until they are almost cooked.
- Add the Teriyaki sauce and apple cider vinegar to the pan and cook for another minute. Take off heat.
- Soak a rice paper sheet in large shallow bowl of water for 2 seconds.
- Remove and place on a chopping board. Sprinkle some sesame seeds near the bottom two-thirds and arrange some sliced veggies, followed by some of the cooked chicken.
- Fold the bottom of the rice paper sheet over the filling, followed by both the sides.
- Lift the almost-wrapped dumpling and continue rolling until it is nicely wrapped and shaped like a log.
- Set it aside and do this for all the rice paper rolls.
- Arrange in a greased Air Fryer basket and spray some cooking spray over it. Air fry at 400°F for 10-12 minutes or until light golden brown.
Notes
- Cut the chicken breast into thin, evenly sized strips so it cooks quickly and fits easily inside the rice paper wrappers.
- Make sure the chicken is fully cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F before assembling the dumplings, as the air frying step is mainly for crisping the wrappers.
- Let the cooked chicken cool slightly before assembling the dumplings, and avoid adding excess teriyaki sauce to prevent the wrappers from becoming soggy.
- Dip each rice paper sheet in water for just 2 seconds. The wrapper will continue to soften as you add the filling, so avoid soaking it for too long.
- Use a lightly damp chopping board when assembling the dumplings to prevent the softened rice paper from sticking or tearing.
- Avoid overfilling the wrappers, as this can make them difficult to fold and cause them to split while cooking.
- Keep the vegetables thinly sliced and relatively dry to prevent excess moisture from making the dumplings soggy.
- Lightly grease the air fryer basket and brush or spray the dumplings with oil to help them develop a crispy, golden exterior.
- Arrange the dumplings in a single layer, leaving space between each one to prevent them from sticking together. Cook in batches if necessary.
- Air fry at 400°F for 10–12 minutes, or until the wrappers are lightly golden and crispy. Cooking times may vary depending on your air fryer.
- Add chili flakes, minced garlic, or grated ginger to the chicken filling for extra flavor.
- Serve immediately with sweet chili sauce, spicy mayo, or your favorite Asian dipping sauce for the best texture.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 days. Reheat in the air fryer until crispy and heated through to 165°F.
