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–+ servings
Chicken cabbage rolls served on a plate with sauce and garnish.
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Chicken Cabbage Rolls

These chicken cabbage rolls are stuffed with savory chicken, mushroom, carrot, and green onion filling wrapped in napa cabbage leaves. They're delicious as a meal or snack and well balanced with protein and vegetables. If you're looking for more ways to use up napa cabbage, you'll also love our classic kimchi, mille feuille nabe, and jjamppong (Korean spicy seafood noodle soup) recipe!
Prep Time40 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time55 minutes
Yield: 16 cabbage rolls

Ingredients
 

Cabbage rolls:

  • 3 pieces dried shiitake mushrooms *see notes
  • 1 pound ground chicken
  • 2 ounces carrot peeled and grated (about ½ cup per 2oz/57g)
  • 3 stalks green onion thinly sliced (optional - more for garnish)
  • 1 tablespoon ginger minced
  • 1 tablespoon garlic minced
  • 3 tablespoons oyster sauce
  • 2 tablespoons regular soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
  • Generous dash of white pepper
  • 16 leaves napa cabbage trim the ends and wash the leaves if needed
  • Neutral oil as needed for cooking
  • 2 tablespoons water for cooking

Dipping sauce (optional):

Instructions

  • Rehydrate the shiitake mushroms:
    Bring a large pot of water to boil. The water will be used for the mushrooms and later the napa cabbage.
    Place the dried shiitake mushrooms into a heatproof bowl and once the water is boiling, pour enough water over the dried mushrooms to cover the mushrooms by about at least an inch (2.5cm). Set the mushrooms aside for about 15 minutes or until rehydrated. You can also use warm water and let the mushrooms rehydrate overnight in the fridge. When the mushrooms are ready, drain and rinse them well to remove debris. Cut and discard the woody stems and finely chop the mushroom caps. Set aside until needed.
  • Blanch the napa cabbage:
    While waiting for the mushrooms, prepare the cabbage and have a pair of tongs and large heatproof bowl ready. With the pot of water still boiling, add the napa cabbage and cook for about 15 to 20 seconds, until the stems become flexible. Blanch in batches if needed. Then immediately remove the cabbage and place them into the bowl. Try to grab the cabbage by the stem to prevent tearing the leaves. Rinse the cabbage under cold water until the stems are no longer hot. Drain well and very gently squeeze the leafy part of the cabbage to remove some excess water. No need to dry it completely and be careful to not tear the leaves! Set them aside until needed.
  • Make the filling:
    In the mixing bowl, add the ground chicken, shiitake mushroom, carrot, green onion, ginger, garlic, oyster sauce, soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil, and white pepper. Mix until combined then mix vigorously until the filling is paste-like.
  • Assembly:
    On a cutting board, place a leaf of napa cabbage vertically in front of you and the stem closest to you. Spread the leafy part out so that it's flat. Place about 2 tablespoons of the filling 2-3 inches (5-7cm) from the bottom of the stem. Roll and tuck the bottom of the stalk over the filling to compact it. Then give it one more roll before folding the left and right flaps of the leaf to the middle. Finish rolling it up and keep the open seam face down. Repeat with remaining filling and cabbage leaves.
  • Cook:
    In a large sauté pan, add enough oil to lightly grease the pan. Place the pan over medium high heat as you arrange the cabbage rolls in the pan, making sure to keep them seam-side down. When the cabbage starts to sizzle, drizzle 1-2 tablespoons of water around the pan and cover with a lid. Reduce the heat to medium low to keep it at a simmer and let the cabbage rolls cook for about 10 minutes. Open the lid and increase the heat to medium high to evaporate the remaining cooking liquid, about 2-5 minutes. At this time, the filling should also be cooked through. Cook in batches as needed.
  • Optional dumpling sauce:
    In a small bowl, add the soy sauce, rice vinegar, water, sugar, and if desired, some chili oil. Mix until the sugar has dissolved and use immediately or cover and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.
  • Finish:
    Once done, transfer the cabbage rolls onto serving plates. Drizzle the sauce over the cabbage rolls or serve the dipping sauce on the side. You can also enjoy the cabbage rolls with just soy sauce and some chili oil. Enjoy while hot.

Notes

Please refer to the post above for step by step photo reference, ingredient notes, tips, storage, and more!
  • Shiitake mushrooms - We opted for dried ones here because we always have them readily available at home since they are shelf stable. The downside is that they require rehydrating. Alternatively, you can use fresh shiitake mushrooms to skip the rehydrating step. Lastly, you can also substitute the shiitake mushrooms for a mushroom of your choice or even do without them all together.
  • Ground chicken - If you prefer, you can swap the ground chicken for ground pork.
  • Alternative way to soften the napa cabbage - Please refer to the post for the alternative (microwave method) to soften the napa cabbage.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cabbage roll | Calories: 65kcal | Carbohydrates: 3.2g | Protein: 5.9g | Fat: 3.3g | Saturated Fat: 0.8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1.4g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 24.4mg | Sodium: 366.3mg | Potassium: 251mg | Fiber: 0.6g | Sugar: 1.5g | Vitamin A: 703.5IU | Vitamin C: 8.4mg | Calcium: 29.4mg | Iron: 0.5mg
Keywords: easy recipe
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