Kreplach is a Jewish dumpling hailing from Eastern Europe and often enjoyed in chicken soup or lightly pan-fried. It’s typically reserved for high holidays or Friday night dinners, but makes an excellent addition to any meal (especially when it’s freezing outside!). Kreplach are usually meat or cheese-filled (but not both at the same time!) with a simple filling that has only a few ingredients but impactful flavour. Traditionally people would combine leftovers for the filling, like leftover pieces of brisket, chicken or liver so that not a single piece of meat would go to waste. We don’t always cook that way anymore, although it’s amazing to aspire to no-waste cooking. In this recipe, we’re using leftover chicken, you can cook it yourself or buy a rotisserie chicken and use those pieces. Whatever you choose, you’ll enjoy this delightful and warming recipe.
ingredients
Dough:
Filling:
directions
For the dough, beat the eggs in a bowl, add the salt, water and one cup of flour. Lightly mix, then add the remaining flour.
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Knead the dough into a ball, if it’s too shaggy and dry, add one teaspoon of water at a time until it’s more flexible. If it’s too wet, add a bit more flour.
Let the dough rest for at least an hour by placing it in a bowl and covering it with a damp cloth.
While the dough is resting, make the filling. Add oil to a pan over medium heat, toss in the onion and sauté until golden. Set aside.
Cut up the leftover chicken and place it in the food processor with the cooked onion, salt, pepper and parsley, if using.
Blitz until a mixture forms, but do not over process so it becomes a paste. Set this aside, it’s now time to roll out the dough.
Place the dough on a floured surface and roll it out until it’s an ⅛-inch thick. This process can be quite lengthy.
Slice the dough into 3-inch squares and cover with a damp towel until ready to fill.
Place one heaping teaspoon of filling in the center of each square, water your fingertips first to help close into a triangle. (It’s best to have a little bowl of water nearby to continuously wet your fingers). If you like, close the loop of two ends of the triangle.
Bring chicken soup or salted water to a boil, carefully drop in your kreplach, separate with a spoon and simmer for 20 minutes.
Once boiled, if you like, you can pan-fry by placing a little bit of avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil over medium heat, add in the kreplach and cook for about 2-4 minutes per side, until golden. Alternatively, you can pan-fry the kreplach without boiling first – this is not traditional, but is equally delicious.
Love this Jewish dumpling recipe? Try this South Asian steamed dumpling recipe next!
