Chicken Empanadas
Ingredients
- DOUGH ⓘ
- 4 cups flour ⓘ
- 1 teaspoon salt ⓘ
- 2 tablespoons sugar ⓘ
- 2 tablespoons butter, chilled ⓘ
- 12 tablespoons vegetable shortening, chilled ⓘ
- 3/4 - 1 cup water ⓘ
- 2 egg yolks ⓘ
- FILLING ⓘ
- 2 -3 chicken breasts, makes around 3 cups of shredded chicken ⓘ
- 1 bay leaf ⓘ
- 1 chicken bouillon cube ⓘ
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil ⓘ
- 2 large onions, chopped ⓘ
- 1 tablespoon paprika ⓘ
- 1 teaspoon cumin ⓘ
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder ⓘ
- 1 tablespoon sugar ⓘ
- salt and pepper ⓘ
Instructions
- FILLING:
- Sift the flour into a bowl. Stir in the salt and the sugar.
- Blend the butter and shortening into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter or with two knives, until fairly well blended.
- Whisk the egg yolks with 3/4 cups water. Stir in the 1/2 cup of water/egg mixture, a little at a time until the dough starts to come together smoothly. Keep kneading the dough, adding more water/egg a little bit at a time as necessary (you made need a few tablespoons extra of water), until the dough is smooth. The dough will seem a bit shaggy until it has thoroughly chilled.
- Cover the dough with saran wrap and refrigerate for about an hour. (Dough can also be kept overnight (or a couple of days) in the refrigerator) Dough should be soft and smooth, and not elastic - if you poke a hole in it with your finger, the indentation should remain.
- FILLING.
- Prepare empanada dough and chill.
- Poach the chicken: Place the chicken breasts in a pot with the bouillon and bay leaf, and cover with water or chicken broth.
- Bring to a boil, and simmer over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. Let cool in the broth.
- Shred chicken into small pieces, and moisten with 1 or 2 tablespoons of the broth. Set aside.
- Heat oil in a skillet. Add chopped onions, paprika, cumin, chile powder, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Cook over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until onions are soft and clear, and mixture is golden brown.
- Remove from heat and stir in the chicken. For best flavor, refrigerate filling until the next day.
- Stir chopped hard boiled egg and olives into filling mixture.
- Separate empanada dough into golf ball size pieces, and roll each one into a smooth ball. Let rest 5 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 220°C.
- On a floured surface, roll each ball of dough into a circle about 6 inches in diameter.
- Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of filling in the middle of the circle. Brush the edges of the dough along the bottom half of the circle lightly with water.
- Fold the top half of the circle of dough over the filling to form a semicircle, and press edges together firmly to seal.
- Brush the pressed edge with a little bit of water, and fold the edge over itself, pinching and crimping as you go to make a braid-like effect. Place empanadas on a baking sheet.
- Mix egg yolk with water and brush mixture lightly over entire surface of each empanada.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown and slightly puffed.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
Nutrition & Diet Analysis (per serving)
1799
kcal
90% DV
Protein
Fat
Carbs
* % Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet (FDA 2020).