Spanish Chicken Empanada Recipes

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.

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.

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.

CHICKEN EMPANADA WITH CHORIZO, RAISINS, AND OLIVES

Steps:

• Make filling:
• Pat chicken dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown chicken, turning over once, about 6 minutes total, and transfer to a plate. Sauté onions, garlic, and bay leaves in fat remaining in skillet, stirring frequently, until onions are softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add chorizo and paprika and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add olives, raisins, wine, and broth and bring to a boil, stirring and scraping up any brown bits. Return chicken to skillet along with any juices accumulated on plate, then reduce heat to moderately low and simmer chicken, covered, turning over once, until tender, 25 to 30 minutes total.
• Transfer chicken to a clean plate. (Sauce in skillet should be the consistency of heavy cream; if it's not, briskly simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.) When chicken is cool enough to handle, discard skin and bones and coarsely chop meat. Stir chicken into sauce and discard bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper, then cool filling, uncovered, about 30 minutes.
• Form and bake empanada:
• Form dough into a ball, then wrap in oiled plastic wrap (oiled side in) and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a 15- by 10-inch shallow baking pan (1 inch deep) with 1 tablespoon oil.
• Divide dough in half, then roll out 1 half (keep remaining dough covered with plastic wrap) on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin into a 15- by 10-inch rectangle and transfer to baking pan. Spread filling evenly over dough, leaving a 1-inch border, and moisten border with water. Roll out remaining dough in same manner, then arrange over filling and press edges together to seal. Roll edges in and press to form a decorative rim. Make a 1-inch hole (a steam vent) in center of empanada.
• Bake empanada 15 minutes, then brush crust with 3/4 tablespoon oil and bake until crust is golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes more. Remove from oven and brush empanada with remaining 3/4 tablespoon oil. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a rack, then slide empanada onto rack using a wide metal spatula and cool to warm.
• Cut empanada into squares and serve warm or at room temperature.

EASY CHICKEN EMPANADAS

Steps:

• For filling 1)Take a shallow pan and a cooking oil.Then add cumin seeds to it. 2)Now add onion and fry it for few seconds then add all the spices. 3)Next add chicken and peas. 4)Fry them altogether for 5-6 min.Then keep them aside.
• For Outer cover 1)Take one bowl add flour,oil,salt and add water as per the ingredients. 2)Next start kneading.And make round circles with the rolling pin. 3)Now place 1 tbsp of filling in the center. 4)Next,start start closing it like the picture below. 5)Brush the cover with beaten egg. 6)Start frying in sahllow pan in medium heat for few minutes until color change to brown. 7)Serve hot with any sauce or chutney .

SPANISH RICE EMPANADAS

Steps:

• Prepare Spanish rice according to package directions, omitting the butter or oil. In a large bowl, combine the chicken, cheese, onions and olives. Stir in prepared rice. , Roll each sheet of pastry into a 12-in. circle; place on greased baking sheets. Spoon rice mixture over half of each circle; spread to within 1 in. of edges. Fold pastry over filling; crimp edges to seal. Beat egg yolk and water; brush over tops. , Bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cut empanadas in half to serve.

CHICKEN CHORIZO SPANISH EMPANADA

Steps:

• Make the dough. Whisk the dry ingredients together, then mix in the eggs and shortening until you get crumbs the size of peas (or dipping dots). You can use an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, or use your hands.
• Place a large piece of plastic wrap on your work surface. Dump the dough crumbles onto the plastic wrap and knead into a cylinder. Tightly cover with another piece of plastic wrap, maintaining the cylindrical shape. Refrigerate for an hour or so.
• While the dough cools, make the filling. Heat a large pot over medium. Once it's hot, add the olive oil, onions, green pepper, garlic and tomatoes. Saute for 10 minutes, or until the onions are soft and translucent. Add the chicken and ham and continue to saute until the chicken is almost cooked through.
• Add the wine and deglaze the bottom of the pot. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 20 minutes. Add the chorizo, piquillo peppers and green olives. Cover and continue simmering for another 14 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest until it comes to room temperature.
• Preheat the oven to 400°.
• Roll the dough out between two pieces of plastic wrap intil it's about 1/4-inch thick. Once your dough is rolled out, transfer it into an ungreased casserole dish (we used a large, 8″ by 11″ and 3″ deep dish). Cover the bottom and sides with dough, pushing it up the sides with your fingers if needed.
• Bake the bottom and sides for 15 minutes, then remove from oven and let come to room temperature. Reduce oven temperature to 350°.
• Add the filling to the casserole dish, then cover the top with the remaining dough (like a pie). Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes. Slice and serve with a big green salad.