Spicy Chicken Empanadas Paula Deen Recipes

CHICKEN EMPANADAS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 °F. Lightly grease a baking sheet. In a large bowl, combine chicken and next 7 ingredients. Unroll 1 piecrust onto a lightly floured surface. Roll onto a 15-inch circle. Cut out rounds, using a 3-inch cookie cutter. Re-roll dough as needed. Repeat procedure with remaining piecrusts. Arrange 1 piecrust round on a clean, flat surface. Lightly brush edges of crust with water. Place 1 heaping teaspoon of chicken mixture in center of the round. Fold dough over filling, pressing edges with a fork to seal. Repeat with remaining rounds and chicken mixture. (Up to this point, the recipe can be made ahead and frozen for up to 1 month). Arrange empanadas on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes.

SPICY CHICKEN EMPANADAS

Steps:

• Make filling: Place chicken breast, half the onion, and the bay leaf in a medium saucepan. Cover with cold water, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, and poach until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate; reserve 1 cup cooking liquid, and discard onion and bay leaf. When chicken is cool enough to handle, shred meat from the bone with a fork; set aside.
• Roast poblano chile directly over a gas flame, turning as each side blackens and blisters. (Alternatively, roast chile under the broiler.) Transfer to a bowl, and cover with plastic wrap; let steam 10 minutes. Remove plastic wrap; peel off and discard blackened chile skin. Remove stem, seeds, and ribs; discard. Slice chile into 1/4-inch strips; set aside.
• Finely chop remaining onion. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped onion and garlic; saute until soft and translucent. Stir in cumin and canela; cook 1 minute. Add shredded chicken, tomatoes, chipotle, poblano, and reserved cooking liquid. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until liquid has thickened, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper; stir in cilantro and pepitas. Set aside to cool.
• Make empanadas: Break off a 1 1/2-inch ball of empanada dough. On a clean work surface, roll dough into a circle about 1/8 inch thick. Using a 3 1/2-inch cookie cutter, cut out a round of dough. (Or use an inverted glass as a guide, cutting around it with a sharp paring knife.)
• Place 1 teaspoon filling in center of each round; sprinkle with cheese. Using a pastry brush, moisten edges of dough with water; fold dough over to seal, pressing gently. Crimp edges with a fork; set aside. Repeat with remaining dough. Gather scraps and reroll. (Only do this once, to avoid toughening the dough.)
• Pour remaining oil into a medium saucepan; oil should be 2 inches deep. Place over medium heat until oil reaches 375 degrees on a deep-fry thermometer. Working with a few empanadas at a time to avoid overcrowding, fry until golden, turning once, about 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to drain on a paper-towel lined baking sheet. While still hot, sprinkle tops with sugar. Serve immediately with crema pura or cream on the side, if desired.

SPICY CHICKEN EMPANADAS (PAULA DEEN)

Steps:

• Heat vegetable oil in a medium saute pan; add onions, green chiles, jalapenos, garlic and cumin and saute until onions are translucent.
• In large bowl combine chicken, lime juice and cilantro. Add the onion-chili mixture and mix. Stir in cheese and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Using a 4-inch ring mold (biscuit cutter), cut circles from prepared pie dough. Put about 1 tablespoon of the chicken mixture in center of dough. Brush egg wash around circumference of the dough. Fold top half over to form a half circle. Seal with the tines of a fork.
• Heat a deep-fryer to 325 degrees with peanut oil. Submerge a few empanadas into oil until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels.

PAULA DEEN'S SPICY CHICKEN EMPANADAS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Mix all ingredients (except the dough and egg) in a large bowl using rubber spatula.
• Roll out the pie crust dough and cut circles, about 5 inches in diameter.
• Spoon filling into the middle of the dough circles.
• Wet your finger and run it along the edge of the circle(this helps it stick shut) - fold circle in half and pierce the edges with a fork that has been dipped in flour (to prevent sticking to the dough).
• Beat the egg and brush over the empanadas.
• Bake at 400°F for 15 minutes.

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.

SPICY EMPANADAS

Steps:

• To make the dough-.
• Cut the chilled lard into small pieces and mix into the flour with your fingers until it is lumpy and coarse.
• Don't overwork it.
• Add the ice water a tablespoon at a time, while stirring it with a fork or spoon until it forms a ball.
• You will have to pick it up and form the ball, but you will still see the lard in it, a bit like streaked marble.
• It should be a little sticky, but not too.
• Put it in the fridge for an hour to chill and then remove and let it come to room temperature for one hour before you roll it.
• When you are ready to fill the empanadas, roll the dough out to 1/8 inch.
• Cut 4 inch circles with a cookie cutter, or whatever you have on hand.
• A friend taught me the secret to puff pastry dough.
• It is this-2 parts flour to 1 part lard (butter has water in it and therefore will not be flakey like lard.) You can alter the amount of dough you need but keep this simple formula and you will have success.
• You can also use ready made dough to speed things up considerably.
• To make the filling-.
• Soak the raisins in the white wine until plump, about 20 minutes, do this before you start the rest.
• Cut the tomatoes in half and grate them (yes, GRATE them on your cheese grater) by pressing down hard right down to the skins.
• Discard the skins.
• Add the contents to a blender and add the reconstituted ancho and the chipotles, juice of 1 lime and ½ of the cumin.
• Blend until smooth.
• Brown the beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat until well browned, about 15 minutes.
• Drain off the excess fat and add the onions, stir until translucent, about 3-5 minutes.
• Add the diced Jalapeño, and the Serranos, stir until fragrant and a bit soft, about 3 minutes.
• Add the glass with the raisins, including the wine and stir, while scraping the brown bits from the bottom of the pan, until the wine is evaporated and the raisins are soft, about 5 minutes.
• Add the pressed garlic and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Add the rest of the cumin, nutmeg, coriander, cinnamon and salt and stir for about 30 seconds.
• Add the contents from the blender, bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for about 1 hour.
• Taste, and adjust the seasonings, if necessary.
• HINT- if you use chipotles in adobo, omit the tomatoes, and use a little low-sodium chicken broth to thin the sauce, if necessary.
• To fill them-.
• Have a fork, a glass of water, and some excess flour handy.
• Dip your finger in water, and run it around the bottom half of the dough circle, on the edge, like a smiley face.
• Take a tablespoon of filling, a pinch of cheese and then fold the dough over it and press down gently, so it stays in place.
• Take the tines of the fork, dip them in flour and press down around the edges of the empañada to seal.
• Poke a hole in the top and freeze immediately.
• Adjust the amount of filling so that the empanada is not over-filled, but plump.
• Your first ones will be ugly, but with a little practice, they will turn out perfectly, and well sealed.
• This will make about 30+ empañadas, depending on how much filling you put inside.