The Toriwaka (鳥若) is a traditional Japanese dish, a type of gyoza that uses chicken skin instead of the traditional dough, stuffed with chicken and vegetables.
The dish seems to have originated as a kind of culinary innovation in Japan, combining the Japanese tradition of gyoza with a unique preparation using chicken skin instead of the traditional dough skin.
The idea of using chicken skin in Japanese cuisine is not so rare, in fact, chicken skin is a popular ingredient in dishes such as yakitori (grilled chicken skewers) and in other regional recipes.
However, using chicken skin as a wrapper for the filling, just like gyoza, is a modern innovation that might have been influenced by fusion cuisine, particularly in the post-war period, when Japan began to adopt many Western and international influences in its dishes.
“Tori” (鳥) means “chicken” in Japanese.
“Waka” (若) can be translated as “young” or “youthful.” In the context of the dish, it is more likely that “waka” refers to a concept of freshness and youth, which could mean that the dish is intended to be fresh, young, and innovative.
In some interpretations, “waka” might also refer to the more tender or fresh part of the chicken, the skin, which is used in this dish.
Toriwaka is often prepared and served in izakayas as we found it during our trip to Okinawa in March 2025.
- Difficulty: Difficult
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 2People
- Cooking methods: Steaming, Stovetop
- Cuisine: Japanese
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 4 chicken skins
- 7 oz ground chicken
- 3.5 oz cabbage (finely chopped)
- 1 clove garlic (chopped)
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger (grated)
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sake (optional)
- to taste salt and pepper
- to taste sesame oil
- 1.75 oz leeks (chopped)
Steps
Meat preparation:
Take the chicken skin and remove any fat or thick skin residues. Gather the ground chicken and mix it with the ingredients: chopped cabbage, leeks, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sake, sesame oil, salt, and pepper.
Shaping the gyoza:
Once the meat is ready, take the chicken skin and, if it’s very large, divide it into small squares. Place a bit of filling in the center of each chicken skin square.
Gently fold the skin around the filling as if preparing a gyoza (see recipe on the blog). Seal the edges well to prevent the filling from leaking out during cooking.
Heat the sesame oil in a pan and arrange the chicken skin gyoza close to each other. Cook them over medium-high heat until golden and crispy on both sides.
Add some water to the pan (about 1/4 cup) and cover with a lid to allow the gyoza to steam for 5-7 minutes until they are cooked through.
Serve hot with a light soy sauce or sweet and sour sauce for dipping.
You can also use the Magic Cooker lid for the steaming phase.
You can also use the Magic Cooker lid for the steaming phase.
The recipe with 200 g of chicken and 4 chicken skin sheets is generally intended for 1-2 people, depending on portion sizes and whether the dish is served as an appetizer or main course.
If Toriwaka is served as an appetizer, it might be enough for 2 people, while if it is a main course, it is more likely to serve 1 person.
