100x Easier Than Making Homemade Wontons
If you’re craving the comforting flavors of wonton soup but want a quicker, simpler way to enjoy it, this deconstructed wonton soup is the perfect solution. It delivers all the classic elements—juicy dumplings, silky wonton wrappers, tender greens, and a rich, aromatic broth—but skips the intricate folding and sealing of traditional wontons.
Why I Love This Recipe
This soup is ideal for weeknight dinners or whenever you need a cozy, satisfying meal with minimal effort and maximum flavor. It can be enjoyed on its own or alongside a larger Asian-inspired menu.
For more delicious and comforting soup recipes, try my 15-minute miso soup or these ground pork meatballs in ginger scallion broth next!
What You’ll Need
For the dumpling mixture, you’ll want to combine ground chicken, raw shrimp, green onions, chopped cilantro, cornstarch, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, and low-sodium soy sauce together in a bowl. This is essentially a dumpling filling.
For the broth:
- Ginger paste (or fresh ginger root) and garlic, sautéed in a little neutral oil.
- Low-sodium chicken broth, homemade or store-bought.
- Soy sauce: To control the level of salt, I strongly recommend reduced sodium.
- Thinly sliced baby bok boy for an added vegetable!
- Wonton wrappers, cut into quarters.
For serving, drizzle a little chili oil on top, then garnish with fresh herbs, such as cilantro, basil, or fresh mint!
Ingredient Substitutions
- Protein: Swap ground chicken and shrimp with ground pork or turkey.
- Greens: Spinach, edamame, or napa cabbage can replace bok choy.
- Gluten-Free: Use rice paper sheets instead of wonton wrappers and tamari in place of soy sauce.
- Wontons: Store-bought wontons or frozen dumplings work wonderfully if you’d prefer that to making your own dumpling filling.
- If you can’t find wonton wrappers, feel free to omit entirely or substitute with either rice paper or pasta sheets.
Directions
Full quantities and instructions can be found in the recipe card below.
- Make the Dumpling Mixture: Combine chicken, shrimp, green onion greens, cilantro, cornstarch, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, vinegar, and soy sauce. Mix well and set aside.
- Prepare the Broth: Sauté white scallion parts, ginger, and garlic in oil. Add chicken broth and simmer.
- Cook Dumplings: Drop small spoonfuls of the mixture into the simmering broth. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Add Vegetables and Wrappers: Stir in bok choy and wonton wrappers. Simmer until dumplings are cooked through. Adjust seasoning.
- Serve: Divide into bowls and garnish with chili oil and cilantro. Enjoy!
Ari’s Best Tips!
- Don’t expect uniform dumplings: That’s half the fun of using a spoon to drop in the filling! Each little dumpling is rustic and unique.
- Enhance flavor: Add a splash of fish sauce or a pinch of white pepper for extra depth.
- Don’t overcrowd: Avoid adding too many dumplings at once to maintain the broth’s simmer.
Make-Ahead and Store
- To make-ahead: Prepare the dumpling mixture up to 24 hours in advance and store in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Leftovers and storage: Leftover soup can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Remember, seafood has a shorter shelf life than other meats.
- Reheating: Warm gently on the stove over medium heat or in the microwave in 30-second intervals until hot.
While the soup can be frozen, the wonton wrappers may become soggy. If freezing, cook the soup without the wrappers and add them fresh when reheating. Freeze in individual portions for up to 2 months.
Serving Suggestions
This soup pairs beautifully with a side of crispy spring rolls, a light cucumber salad, or steamed rice for a heartier meal.
Absolute comfort food and truly so easy to make. You just can’t beat this!
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Deconstructed Wonton Soup with Chicken & Shrimp Filling
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground chicken, pork, or turkey
- 1 lb raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, and finely chopped
- 4 green onions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
- ½ loosely packed cilantro leaves, finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tsp ginger paste, or 1-inch piece of ginger root peeled and grated
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and grated
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 2 tsp rice wine vinegar or Chinese cooking wine
- 2 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
For the soup
- 2 tsp neutral oil
- 2 tsp ginger paste, or 1-inch piece of ginger root peeled and grated
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and grated
- 4 cups (32oz) low-sodium chicken broth
- 2-3 heads of baby bok choy, ends trimmed, leaves and stems thinly sliced (about 3-4 cups)
- 2 tsp low sodium soy sauce
- ~25 wonton wrappers, cut in quarters diagonally (this is roughly half of a 12oz package)
For serving
- Chili oil
- Cilantro
Instructions
- Make the wonton filling. In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 lb ground chicken, 1 lb chopped raw shrimp, thinly sliced green onions (the green parts only!), chopped cilantro, 1 Tbsp cornstarch, 2 tsp ginger paste, 2 grated garlic cloves, 2 tsp sesame oil, 2 tsp rice wine vinegar, and 2 tsp low-sodium soy sauce. Use chopsticks or a spoon to mix very well. Allow this to come to room temperature while you make the broth.
- Make the broth. In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, heat 2 tsp neutral oil over medium-high heat. When hot, add the reserved thinly sliced white part of the scallions, 2 tsp ginger paste, and 2 grated garlic cloves. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 1-2 minutes. Add 4 cups (32oz) of low-sodium chicken broth, then bring the mixture to a simmer.
- Add the dumpling mixture. Once simmering, reduce the heat to medium. Drop small spoonfuls of the dumpling mixture into the broth. These should be about 2 teaspoons each. Repeat until all of the filling is used up, then allow to cook for 5 minutes. The chicken is not fully cooked yet.
- Stir in veggies. Add thinly sliced bok choy and quartered wonton wrappers, then cook for an additional 7-10 minutes more, or until the dumplings are fully cooked. Chicken is safe to eat when it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Stir in remaining 2 tsp soy sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding a splash of soy sauce or vinegar as needed.
- To serve: Divide the soup between bowls, then garnish with a drizzle of chili oil and fresh cilantro. Enjoy!
Notes
- To make gluten-free, substitute soy sauce with tamari and use rice paper noodles or wrappers instead of wonton wrappers.
- I recommend reduced or low-sodium soy sauce to control the level of salt in the soup.
- To make-ahead: Prepare the dumpling mixture up to 24 hours in advance and store in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Leftovers and storage: Leftover soup can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Remember, seafood has a shorter shelf life than other meats.
- Reheating: Warm gently on the stove over medium heat or in the microwave in 30-second intervals until hot. While the soup can be frozen, the wonton wrappers may become soggy.
- To freeze: If freezing, cook the soup without the wrappers and add them fresh when reheating. Freeze in individual portions for up to 2 months.
Nutrition
Photography by Jo Harding.
Not my favorite recipe … kinda bland and way more labor intensive. Easily spend 2 or more hours on prepping.
Hi Verdery, thank you for your feedback. I’m sorry you found the soup bland. The ingredients in the wonton “freeform meatballs” is the same I use when making wontons, which I absolutely love. You can certainly add more flavor by increasing the aromatics (ginger, garlic, etc) or going heavy with the chili oil. As far as prep time, I try to be realistic when figuring out those numbers. If you’re peeling and deveining the shrimp yourself, I can see that adding a bit of time, but if not, the chopping and prep would should absolutely not require 2 hours of time. Is there somewhere specific that got you tripped up? If I can help make something in the instructions more clear, please let me know. As always, I value the feedback and support. Thank you! Ari
I think I was hoping for a more robust broth like in hot and sour soup.
If you were thinking of a “robust” soup like Hot and Sour, then why are you making Wonton? It’s chicken soup with some Asian flavour to it.