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Chicken Empanada

Chicken Empanadas

Keryn Means
This easy baked empanada dough will have you whipping up flaky pastry pouches once a week to feed your entire family. All you need to figure out is which filling to spoon into each circle of dough!
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Additional Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Course Recipes
Cuisine Dinner
Servings 25
Calories 82 kcal

Equipment

  • Colavita Aged White Wine Vinegar
  • King Arthur Flour, 100% Organic All-Purpose Flour Unbleached
  • King Arthur Flour, 100% Organic Whole Wheat Flour
  • Diamond Crystal Table Iodized Salt
  • Baking Trays Half Sheet (2 Pack)
  • Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Farberware Classic Wood Rolling Pin
  • Parchment Paper Baking Circles
  • 8 Inch Cast Iron Tortilla Press

Ingredients
  

  • 2 lbs chicken breast
  • 1.5 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 cup onion finely chopped
  • 1 Red pepper finely chopped
  • 1 Yellow pepper finely chopped (Orange works too)
  • 10 cloves of garlic minced (or 2 tbsp jarred garlic)
  • 2 cup chicken stock split in half
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1/4 cup cilantro optional

Instructions
 

  • Make the shredded chicken
  • Grab your Instapot or crockpot.
  • Place chicken into pot.
  • Add 1 cup of chicken stock.
  • Mix in 4 garlic cloves smashed (or 1 tbsp minced garlic).
  • Put the top on and cook in an Instapot for 20 minutes (or 6 hours in slow cooker).
  • Chicken Empanada Filling
  • In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
  • Add onions, 6 cloves of minced garlic (2 tbsps) and peppers, and sauté for about 5 minutes until softened.
  • Add chicken, cilantro, tomato paste, 1 cup of chicken stock, salt and pepper.
  • Simmer, stirring often, allowing some of the liquid to evaporate (about 10 minutes).
  • Allow to cool to room temperature or in the fridge for 2 hours (can chill overnight in the refrigerator too).
  • Add cilantro (optional), before adding empanada mixture to shells.
  • NOTE: you still may need to drain the chicken empanada mixture before you put it into your empanadas. You don't want a lot of juices seeping out. With clean hands, squeeze each measured out amount of filling before you put it into your empanada dough, to get out excess juices.
  • Making Chicken Empanadas
  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (you may need to drop down to 375 degrees F if you the tops are browning too fast in your oven)
  • Prepare two baking trays, lining each with parchment paper.
  • Take your baked empanada dough out of the fridge.
  • Measure out smaller dough balls (about 2-3 tbsps of dough). Roll each empanada dough ball with a rolling pin or use a tortilla press to make round empanada shells.
  • Place about 1 tbsp of chicken mixture in the center of your empanada wrapper. Don't forget to squeeze out any excess liquid.
  • Fold the dough in half to connect the sides, crimp the edges with a fork and place on your baking sheet.
  • Using a pastry brush, brush a bit of egg wash (whisk together 1 egg plus 1 tablespoon of water) on the top once you are ready to bake your chicken empanadas.
  • Bake for 23-25 minutes until tops are golden brown.
  • NOTE: you can use store bought empanada shells found in the freezer section, but we like to make our own homemade backed empanada dough.

Notes

Click for our Baked Empanada Dough Recipe
MORE FILLING IDEAS:

Freezing Chicken Empanadas

You can either bake your empanadas first or place your raw empanadas in a freezer bag, using parchment paper to separate raw chicken empanadas. If you are freezing raw empanadas, do NOT brush with the egg wash until you are ready to bake.
Keyword chicken, dinner, empanadas, entree, latin cooking, low-fat, puerto rican, savory, tacos