Chicken Empanada
User Reviews
4.9
Chicken Empanada
Description
This recipe breaks the preparation into two parts: the empanada dough and a cooked chicken vegetable filling. The dough is made from flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cold butter, blended to a coarse meal texture before adding cold water to form a pliable ball. It’s designed to produce a flaky pastry perfect for folding around the filling.
The filling is sautéed starting with onions and potatoes, cooking covered until potatoes are half tender. Shredded chicken, carrots, red bell peppers, and seasonings are added along with water to create a moist, richly flavored mixture. The liquid is simmered off so the filling is well concentrated before mixing in peas and optional raisins and cooling.
Once assembled, the empanadas can be baked or fried. The flaky, buttery dough complemented by the savory-slightly sweet filling creates a satisfying texture and taste. The recipe’s yield allows making many empanadas, adaptable in size.
For those without a mixer, incorporating butter by hand with a fork or pastry blender works well if you avoid warming the dough to keep it flaky. Frying is a valid alternative to baking for a crisper exterior.
Ingredients
Empanada Dough
- 3 cups flour
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter cut into small cubes, cold unsalted
- 6-10 tablespoons water cold
Chicken Filling
- 2 tablespoons neutral cooking oil generic cooking oil
- 1 medium onion - chopped
- 1 cup potato - cut into small cubes
- ½ pound chicken breast boiled and shredded or cut into small pieces, fillet
- 1 cup carrot cut into small cubes
- 1 cup red bell pepper - cut into small cubes
- ½ cup water
- 1 cup green peas
- ½ cup raisins (optional)
- ½ tablespoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper ground
Eggwash
- 1 egg and 1 tablespoon of water, beaten together
Instructions
- Heat oil in a wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Saute onions and add the potatoes then cook with cover until potatoes are half cooked.
- Add the shredded chicken, carrots, red bell pepper and stir several times. Add the water and season with salt and pepper. Let it simmer while stirring occasionally until almost all liquids are gone. Lastly, add the green peas and raisins and cook for another few minutes until all liquids are gone. Transfer the cooked filling in a colander to remove any excess liquid. Set aside to let cool before using.
- In a mixing bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Cut in butter using the mixer by pulsing until mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few pea-size pieces of butter remaining. Add water, a tablespoon at a time, pulsing until dough is no longer too crumbly and holds together when squeezed. Squeeze the dough together to form a ball. Cut the dough into 4 equal parts.
- Take a piece of the dough and roll it out to flatten to not more than half-centimeter thick. Cut out disks using a large cookie cutter or any round object with the desired size ( I use a small glass bowl). Do the same with the remaining dough. Gather all excess dough cuttings and press together and repeat the process until all dough is used.
- Place a dough disk on your palm and spoon enough empanada filling in the center. Fold in half towards the edges and pinch the sides to close. Use a fork to press and seal the sides tight.
- Place empanadas on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper in a single layer. Brush each empanada with the egg wash to make them shiny and brown after baking. Poke (3-5) small holes on each empanadas using a toothpick or fork to let the steam out and prevent them from bursting open while baking.
- Bake at 360°F/180°C for 18-20 minutes. Empanadas are done when they appear light brown and shiny.
Notes
- If a mixer is unavailable, use a pastry blender or fork to cut butter into the flour, then gently use your hands to combine, avoiding warming the dough to keep flakiness.
- This recipe yields about 16 large or 24 smaller empanadas depending on how you size them.
- Instead of baking, you can fry the empanadas to achieve a crispy exterior; omit the baking step if frying.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 16Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 308 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 308kcal | 15% |
| Carbohydrates | 33g | 11% |
| Protein | 8g | 16% |
| Fat | 16g | 25% |
| Saturated Fat | 8g | 40% |
| Cholesterol | 56mg | 19% |
| Sodium | 481mg | 20% |
| Potassium | 291mg | 6% |
| Fiber | 2g | 8% |
| Sugar | 5g | 10% |
| Vitamin A | 1900IU | 38% |
| Vitamin C | 17.5mg | 19% |
| Calcium | 29mg | 3% |
| Iron | 2.2mg | 12% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.9
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