Chicken Shu Mai

TJ’s Chicken Shu Mai are bite-sized Asian chicken and vegetable dumplings, perfect for an appetizer or hors d’oeuvre. The box contains 18 dumplings and a packet of soy sauce-based dipping sauce. Preparation couldn’t be simpler. You rinse the dumplings, cover them in plastic wrap, and microwave for 1-2 minutes. Because of the water from rinsing, the dumplings steam and the wrappers remain moist. The filling is a mixture of chicken, onions, carrots, green onions, and seasonings. If you don’t like onions, these are not for you; I found that the prominent flavor was the onion and green onion. The sauce that comes with the package is salty, but it’s also tangy and goes well with the dumplings. I think most of TJ’s Asian sauces would work nicely as a dipping sauce for these, if you would prefer another option. A serving consists of 6 dumplings and 1/3 of the sauce packet (3 total servings in the box). Each serving has 160 calories, 5 grams of fat, and 910 mg of sodium. If you’re watching your sodium intake, the sodium can be reduced by simply using a different dipping sauce, or only using a small amount of the included sauce. These would be a great first course in an Asian-themed meal. I will definitely be buying them again.