Authentic Sichuan Wonton Soup (Long Chāo Shǒu 龙抄手)

Ready in just 30 minutes (if you use store-bought wrappers), this easy Sichuan wonton soup recipe is one of the most famous Chengdu snack foods. If you're already familiar with these tender pork and ginger wontons floating in homemade broth (also called "Dragon Wontons" or "Long Chāo Shǒu") then you know just how comforting and truly heart-warming this authentic Sichuan soup is.

If you're looking for authentic mala Sichuan red chili oil wontons, click over here to get that recipe (they're amazing!). But if you want the classic long wonton soup recipe, you're in the right spot. 

If you've already checked out the Spicy Sichuan Chili Wonton post then you know that my friend Vivian kept me in a pretty good supply of her homemade pork and ginger wontons for the entire 4 years I lived in Chengdu. Of course, all the noodle shops worth their salt serve this wonton soup all year round to hungry patrons even on the hottest, most humid days of Sichuan summers.

There are two versions of Sichuan wonton soup: spicy and not spicy (or clear). This is the not-spicy or "clear wonton soup" that the entire family will love (especially if your kiddos already love dumplings). I like to think of this Chinese soup as an "Eastern chicken noodle soup" -- cozy, delicious, and it'll make your belly smile.

Why We Love This Wonton Soup Recipe

• It's an authentic pork wonton recipe from my friend (and Chengdu local), Vivian Yan
• The wontons are ready in 30 minutes when you use store-bought wonton wrappers
• The pork and ginger filling uses just 5 ingredients (not including salt and water)
• Ready in 4 steps: make the chicken broth, mix the pork filling, fill the wrappers, boil
• Homemade fried wonton strips add extra texture and flavor
• You can easily spice it up with homemade chili oil sauce
• Freeze extra wontons to cook for quick wholesome weeknight meals (ready in 8 minutes)
• Tastes just like the wontons you find in Chengdu noodle shops and throughout the Sichuan province

What is Sichuan Wonton Soup (aka Long Chaoshu or Dragon Wontons)?

Long Chāo Shǒu (or Dragon Wonton 龙抄手) is a typical Chengdu snack food (or street food) made up of 2 components: tender ginger-infused pork wontons, and homemade meat broth. This wonton soup is unique to the Sichuan province and originates in the city of Chengdu at the famous restaurant by the same name, Long Chāo Shǒu. The original broth (the one that is milky in appearance is made using chicken, duck, and pork parts. While you'll also find this soup using a simple chicken broth, or just water to cook them in.

Wonton wrappers are filled, folded, and boiled in chicken broth, and often garnished with sliced scallions and/or cilantro leaves. You may add a Sichuan vinegar sauce to make the traditionally spicy version of this soup, or just drizzle some homemade Sichuan chili oil over it to give it a spicy kick. I also like to add a handful of homemade crispy fried wontons (my non-traditional but delicious addition) for added texture.

To make this easy wonton soup you'll first need to make the wonton filling which takes just about 10 minutes, with a resting period of at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. Wrapping the wontons is super easy using the method below (even if you're not skilled at folding wontons). And they take about 4 minutes to cook from fresh and if you freeze wontons they cook from frozen in just about 6 to 8 minutes).

If you're interested in the other (spicy) version of Sichuan wontons in red chili oil, head over here to check out that post. 

6 Traditional Sichuan Tips & Techniques for Making the Best Long Wonton Soup

Here are the most important tips for making authentic Sichuan wontons that I learned from the locals while living in Chengdu. It's not rocket science and none of these tips are difficult. But truly great (not just "good" or "ok" wontons) depends on these 6 tips.

Grind and mince the pork yourself. Instead of buying pre-ground pork, freshly grinding it and/or mincing it yourself creates a far superior filling. And it really only takes just a few minutes to mince a piece of pork collar or shoulder using two sharp knives or a cleaver. However, if you don't have time the next best thing is to ask your butcher to grind it for you, or just buy a nice fatty minced pork.

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Make Ginger-water (or ginger-scallion water). Ginger (and also sometimes scallions) are sliced, smashed, and added to cool tap water to infuse the water. Infusing the pork with ginger water (or ginger-scallion water) is a local Sichuanese trick for getting all the delicious ginger and scallion flavor into these notoriously tender wonton fillings without ever having to bite down on an actual piece of ginger or scallion. Once I was taught this trick, I never looked back. I use this technique in all of my dumpling recipes. It's brilliant and in some ways akin to how Italians often use smashed whole garlic cloves to flavor sauces and ragùs, but then remove the cloves before serving the final pasta.

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Stir the pork filling in one direction only. Whipping the pork mixture vigorously and quickly in one direction for a solid 10 to 12 minutes breaks down the proteins and muscle fibers and transforms the pork mixture into a bouncy, pasty, tender filling (or shàng jìn). You can also use your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment to achieve the same results without all the work.

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Never add the ginger-water (or ginger-scallion water) all at once. The purpose of adding water is to hydrate the pork and make it tender and juicy after being cooked. This should be done in at least 3 stages so the meat better absorbs the water in stages and plumps up. If you add the infused water all at once, the meat will not absorb it properly and will expel the liquid (the exact opposite of what you want).

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Allow the wonton filling to marinate and chill for at least 30 minutes before filling the dumplings. Resting the pork mixture before filling the wontons allows the flavors to meld together. It also makes filling the wontons a little easier when it's chilled.

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Make homemade chicken broth (or broth using pork, duck, and chicken. Your family will thank you for it and this wonton soup recipe will be far superior because of it. Making homemade chicken broth takes 30 minutes in a pressure cooker or Instapot. However, if I'm not in a hurry, I like to let it pressure cook for 45 minutes to extract as much flavor as possible. I buy the cheapest cuts of organic chicken (carcass pieces/necks/backs/legs/wings (which are all very inexpensive here in Italy) and add leftover ends and peels of vegetables I keep in the freezer just for the purpose of making homemade stocks/broths.

What Makes Wontons Different From Regular Dumplings (jiaozi)?

In China there are many different types of dumplings and wontons both of which are meat or vegetable-filled parcels that are steamed, fried, or boiled. Wontons go by many regional names (in Sichuan they're called "chaoshu") and have a distinctive square shape.

• Wonton wrappers tend to be made with egg whereas, dumpling wrappers are not.
• Wonton's also tend to be a bit thinner and more slippery compared to dumpling wrappers which are a little thicker and tend to be chewier (see above examples).
• Since wonton wrappers are thinner, they're not meant to hold as much filling as dumplings. Learn more about dumplings versus wontons, over here in this post.

How to Fold Wontons (in photos above)

If you're new to folding wontons don't worry, it's very easy and takes just a bit of practice. Usually, by the 3rd or 4th wonton, you'll have the process down and be breezing your way through filing them. I like to use a cornstarch slurry to seal store-bought wontons, but you can also just use water. For the slurry, add 1 tablespoon (10g) of cornstarch to a bowl with 1 ½ tablespoons (17g) of water, and stir. When making homemade wonton wrappers, you won't need anything to help them seal.

1. Place a wonton wrapper in the palm of your hand and add a small amount of filling (about 1 teaspoon) to the center. Using water or a cornstarch slurry, lightly wet one entire L-shaped corner of the wrapper.
2. Bring the two points together folding the wrapper to form a triangle and press to close.
3. Seal the wrapper closed pressing down gently right next to the filling all the way around the wonton to press out any air. *If you don't press out the air, the wontons will open up while boiling and be ruined.
4. Make an indention in the middle of the wonton using your finger to crease it. This is actually a fried cherry pie shaped like a wonton in the photo, but it's a good representation of how to make the crease in the middle. Although, pork wontons shouldn't be filled as full as this.
5. Bring one of the hanging "side flaps" over the top of the other "flap", add a dot of water or slurry, and press the two "flaps" together to seal. Place sealed wontons on a parchment-lined baking tray lightly dusted with cornstarch so they don't stick together.

Classic Wonton Soup Ingredients (Long Chāo Shǒu 龙抄手)

To make wonton soup taste like what you'll find at noodle shops across the Sichuan province make sure to use fatty pork (like collar or shoulder).

Wonton Filling Ingredients

• wonton wrappers (homemade or store-bought) 
• fatty pork collar or pork shoulder (sub fatty 70/30 pre-ground pork) 
• fresh ginger
• scallion (optional)
• cool water
• egg
• light soy sauce
• fine sea salt
• white pepper

Homemade Wonton Broth Ingredients (sub low-sodium store-bought chicken broth)

• bone-in chicken
• water
• white or yellow onion (or equivalent ends and peels)
• carrot (or equivalent ends and peels)
• whole cinnamon (optional but recommended)
• celery
• porcini mushrooms (optional but recommended)

Optional Wonton Broth Aromatics & Flavor Enhancers

• rendered pork fat (optional but recommended)
• fresh ginger (optional but recommended)

Optional Wonton Soup Toppings

• cilantro leaves
• sliced scallions
• homemade crispy fried wonton strips

How to Make Wonton Soup From Scratch 

This easy wonton soup recipe is satisfying beyond measure and ready in just about 30 minutes if you're using pre-ground pork and store-bought chicken broth. Just be sure to make extra and freeze for quick and easy 8-minute weeknight meals. Here's an overview for how to make wonton soup, but you'll find the full instructions in the recipe card below. 

1. Make the wonton broth or use store-bought chicken broth.
2. Infuse the water with ginger (and scallions if using). 
3. Mince the pork filling meat or use pre-ground fatty pork.
4. Mix the pork filling.
5. Fill the wontons.
6. Boil the wontons. 

How to Make Sichuan Wonton Soup step-by-step photos

How to Freeze Extra Wontons For Quick & Easy 10-Minute Meals

Wontons freeze exceptionally well so I always make extra and pop them into the freezer.  This recipe makes just about 6 servings of 10 wontons per person. To freeze wontons place them onto a parchment-lined tray sprinkled with a little cornstarch and pop it into the freezer. Freeze the wontons completely (this takes about 45 minutes). When they are frozen solid you can add them to a freezer bag and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months.

When you're ready to cook them, add frozen wontons directly to boiling water or broth. They will float to the top and you will want to continue cooking them for about 2-3 minutes to ensure the pork is cooked through (or about a total of 7-8 minutes total cooking time). Do not thaw frozen wontons first before cooking them because this will cause them to break and tear open.

Looking for a Few More Dim Sum Recipes?

If you're looking for more easy Chinese recipes to round out your takeout night in or to celebrate the Chinese New Year, here are a few of our favorites to try.

• Lucky Lunar New Year Fried Cherry Pie "Wontons"
• Homemade Chinese Soup Dumplings Xiaolongbao (小笼包) (100% From Scratch)
• Easy Egg Drop Soup with Crispy Fried Wonton Strips (Danhuatang 蛋花湯)
• Fluffy-Soft Homemade Pork Buns (Momofuku & Ippudo-Style)
• Easy Homemade 2-Ingredient Chinese Dumpling Dough
• Takeout Style Pork and Green Bean Stir-Fry w/Glass Noodles
• Easy Pork and Chive Potstickers w/Sautéed Napa Cabbage & Carrots (Jiaozi)
• 20-Minute Singapore Mei Fun Noodles (Shrimp Mei Fun)
• Best Ever Chicken Dumplings Recipe (Plump & Juicy Jiaozi)
• Easy Shrimp and Vegetable Stir Fry (w/Cantonese Style White Sauce)
• Easy and Delicious Pork Potsticker Recipe (Cantonese Style Jiaozi)
• Crispy Pork and Chive Spring Rolls w/Glass Noodles & Vegetables
• Steamed Pork & Chive Money Bag Dumplings (Beggar's Purse Dumplings)
• Vivian's Spicy Sichuan Chili Oil Wontons w/Crispy Pork (Hóng Yoú Chāo Shǒu)
• Pork & Vegetable Xiaolongbao Soup Dumplings (小笼包) (w/Short Rib Aspic)
• Chinese Special Fried Rice 扬州炒饭 (Yangzhou Fried Rice)

Let's get started!

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