Chicken Empanadas Recipe With Three Cooking Methods

SPICY CHICKEN EMPANADAS

Steps:

• For the empanada dough: Mix all empanada ingredients in a mixer. Let dough rest in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.
• For the filling: Bake the chicken breast until fully cooked. Put breast meat in a food processor and pulse until chopped (you don't want very small pieces). Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil. Add onions, green and red bell peppers, salt, black pepper, paprika, garlic powder, red pepper, oregano and basil. Cook until onions are soft, about 10 minutes. Pour in chipotle sauce and stir. Finally add tomato sauce. Allow filling to cool.
• To form the empanadas, knead the dough. Roll the dough out by hand or with a commercial sheeter. Cut out circles of dough. Place a dough circle in an empanada mold if you have one, but it's not necessary; fill with chicken mixture. Wet the edges of the dough with your fingers. Close the mold to seal, or fold dough over filling and use the tines of a fork to seal the edges. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Use a pastry brush to paint empanadas with an even coat of egg wash.
• Preheat a convection oven to 450 degrees F, or regular oven to 400 degrees F. Place empanadas on greased baking sheets. Bake for 3 minutes in convection oven or 10 to 15 minutes in regular oven.

EMPANADAS DE POLLO (CHICKEN EMPANADAS)

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Place the flour in a medium bowl and stir in the salt and sugar.
• Add the chilled lard and butter, and with the help of 2 knives or a pastry cutter, cut the fats into the flour until you have a sandy mixture.
• In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks with 3/4 of the cup of water.
• Stir 1/2 cup of the water-egg mixture into the flour, a little bit at a time, until the dough starts to come together.
• Knead the dough, adding more of the water-egg mixture as needed, until the dough is smooth. If the dough feels dry, add the remaining 1/4 cup of water 1 tablespoon at a time. The dough might feel shaggy but will be pliable yet firm once thoroughly chilled.
• Add an additional pinch of salt if you'd like savory crusts.
• Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• When ready to use, the dough should be soft and smooth, not elastic. If you poke a hole in the dough with your finger, the indentation should remain.
• Gather the ingredients.
• Place the chicken in a medium saucepan. Crumble the bouillon on top and add the bay leaf. Cover with water and bring it to a boil.
• Once the liquid is boiling, lower to a simmer and cook until the chicken is cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes, Remove from heat and let the chicken breasts cool in the broth.
• Shred chicken into small pieces.
• Moisten the shredded chicken with 2 tablespoons of the cooking liquid. Set aside.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add the onions, paprika, cumin, chili powder, sugar, and salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
• Cook over low heat until the onions are soft and transparent, and the mixture has a lively orange color, 15 to 20 minutes. Taste and add more chili powder if desired.
• Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the chicken. Let the filling cool for at least 30 minutes. Some cooks choose to refrigerate overnight, but as long as the filling is not too hot, you can proceed to finish the filling and assemble the empanadas.
• Add the hard-boiled eggs and olives to the filling.
• Mix the egg yolk with the water. Set aside.
• Divide the empanada dough into 10 to 15 golf ball-sized pieces. Roll each one into a smooth ball.
• Let the divided dough rest for 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 425 F. On a lightly floured surface, roll each ball of dough into a circular shape of about 6 inches in diameter.
• Spoon 2 to 3 tablespoons of filling into the middle of the circle. You want a good amount of chicken but not enough to overfill the disc of dough.
• Lightly brush the edges of the dough along the bottom half of the circle with water.
• Fold the top half of the circle over the filling to form a semicircle. Firmly press the edges together to seal.
• Brush the pressed edge with water and fold the edge over itself, pinching and crimping as you go to make a braid-like effect.
• Place empanadas on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Brush each empanada with the egg yolk and water mixture.
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown and slightly puffed. Serve warm or at room temperature.

AUTHENTIC CHICKEN EMPANADAS (EMPANADAS DE POLLO)

Steps:

• Mix flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together in a large bowl. Add water and 1/4 cup vegetable oil; mix with an electric mixer until well combined and a dough begins to form, about 3 minutes. Remove dough and knead on a lightly floured surface for about 3 minutes. Wrap in plastic wrap and set aside for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shredded chicken and saute until heated through, about 2 minutes. Add onion, bell pepper, cilantro, olives, garlic, sazon seasoning, tomato paste, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables have softened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
• Divide empanada dough into 12 pieces and form each one into a 4-inch circle. Place about 2 tablespoons filling in the center of each circle, fold in half, and press down on the edges with a fork to seal.
• Heat 1 cup oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add empanadas, working in batches, and fry until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.

CHEESY CHICKEN EMPANADAS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a baking sheet with nonstick spray.
• Place a large saute pan over medium heat and add oil. Once the oil is hot, add the onion, jalapeno, garlic, green onions and saute until tender, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• In a large bowl, combine the chicken, cheese, cream cheese, sauteed mixture and hot sauce together.
• Whisk the egg in a small bowl. Set aside. Sprinkle flour on your work surface and unroll the pie dough.
• Roll out each round to a 13-inch circle. Cut each crust into eight 4-inch circles with a biscuit cutter. You can knead the scraps and then roll out, if necessary. Spoon about 1 heaping tablespoon of the chicken mixture into the center of each round. Brush the edges with the egg wash and fold each circle in half. Gently press on the top of the empanada to release any air. Seal the edges with a fork and brush the top with the remaining egg wash. Sprinkle with chile powder. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.
• Serve the chicken empanadas with the Chili Lime Dipping Sauce.
• Combine the yogurt, chipotle and lime zest and juice in a bowl.

CHICKEN EMPANADAS

Steps:

• Pour olive oil into a saucepan; add onion, poblano, garlic, salt, pepper, chipotle, cumin, oregano, cayenne, and cooked chicken, pressing down as you go. Add currants.
• Place saucepan over high heat; cook until onions begin to soften slightly, about 3 minutes. Stir in diced tomatoes with green chiles. Pour in 1/3 cup water and mix to combine.
• Bring mixture to a simmer; reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquids are cooked down, 30 to 45 minutes.
• Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Chill thoroughly before use, 1 to 2 hours.
• While filling simmers, combine flour, salt, and sugar for dough in a bowl with your hand. Grate in cold butter, pausing as needed to combine. Drizzle in beaten egg and water. Mix with a fork until it starts to form a shaggy dough.
• Use your hands to squeeze mixture into a lump of dough; transfer to a work surface and knead into a ball of dough, 10 to 15 seconds.
• Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, up to overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Unwrap chilled dough and transfer to a lightly floured work surface. Use a bench scraper to divide into 8 equal pieces.
• Roll each dough piece into an 8-inch circle.
• Drain any excess juice from filling. Top each dough circle with a rounded 1/2-cup measure of the chicken mixture. Sprinkle some pepper Jack cheese over top.
• Brush edges of each dough circle with a small amount of water to dampen; fold over and seal with fingertips, making sure to not trap in any pockets of air. Crimp using your fingertips or a fork.
• Combine beaten egg and 2 teaspoons water for egg wash. Transfer empanadas to the prepared baking sheet and brush over egg wash. Sprinkle with cayenne.
• Bake in the center of the preheated oven until browned and crispy on the edges, about 35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for about 5 minutes before serving.

CHICKEN EMPANADAS

Steps:

• Mix together first 8 ingredients, and refrigerate until ready to assemble empanadas.
• On a floured surface, roll out pie shells and cut into 4-inch circles (use all the pie dough by re-rolling scraps).
• Place approximately 2 tablespoons of chicken mixture in center of dough circles.
• Fold each circle in half and crimp edges with a fork.
• Place on a baking sheet and brush tops with egg yolks.
• Sprinkle top with mixed salt and chili powder.
• Bake 12-13 minutes at 400F degrees.
• Serve warm or at room temperature.
• Freezes well.