Chicken Empanadas

Name: Chicken Empanadas
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h 15 min
Total time: 1 h 45 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Spanish, Tex-Mex, Mexican
Ingredients: 3 cups All-Purpose Flour; 0.5 tsp Black Pepper; 1 pinch Cayenne Pepper; 1.5 tsp Chipotle Powder; 3 cups Diced Fully Cooked Chicken Breast; 2 cups Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies; 2 tbsp Dried Currant; 1 whole Eggs; 4 cloves Garlic; 0.5 tsp Ground Cumin; 0.25 tsp Mexican Oregano; 2 tbsp Olive Oil; 0.75 cup Pepper Jack Cheese; 0.5 cup Poblano Pepper; 1 tsp Salt; 1 tsp Sugar; 12 tbsp Unsalted Butter; 0.33 cup Water; 1 whole Yellow Onion

Appetizer 🧄Dinner 🍽️Lunch 🥪Snack 🍿 Spanish 🇪🇸Tex-Mex 🇺🇸🇲🇽Mexican High-Protein 💪Halal 🕌Kosher ✡️Comfort-Food

Chicken Empanadas feature a flaky, buttery crust filled with tender chicken simmered with tomatoes, poblano, chipotle, and warm spices for a gently smoky kick. A touch of pepper Jack melts inside for a gooey finish, with sweet currants adding balance. Ideal for game day, casual dinners, or make-ahead parties, these hand pies bake up golden and satisfying.

Prep30 mins
Cook1 hr 15 mins
Serves8
DifficultyMedium

1

Assemble all the ingredients.
2

Pour olive oil into a saucepan; add the onion, poblano, garlic, salt, pepper, chipotle, cumin, oregano, cayenne, and cooked chicken, pressing down as you add them. Add the currants.
3

Set the saucepan over high heat; cook until the onions start to soften slightly, about 3 minutes. Stir in the diced tomatoes with green chiles. Pour in 1/3 cup water and mix to combine.
4

Bring the mixture to a simmer; lower the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquids have reduced, 30 to 45 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Chill thoroughly before using, 1 to 2 hours.
5

While the filling simmers, mix the flour, salt, and sugar for the dough in a bowl with your hand. Grate in the cold butter, pausing as needed to combine.
6

Drizzle in the beaten egg and water. Mix with a fork until it begins to come together into a shaggy dough.
7

Use your hands to press the mixture into a lump of dough; move it to a work surface and knead into a ball, 10 to 15 seconds. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, up to overnight.
8

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Unwrap the chilled dough and place it on a lightly floured work surface. Use a bench scraper to divide it into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece into an 8-inch circle.
9

Drain any excess liquid from the filling. Place a rounded 1/2-cup of the chicken mixture on each dough circle. Sprinkle pepper Jack cheese on top.
10

Brush the edges of each dough circle with a little water to moisten; fold over and seal with your fingertips, making sure not to trap any air pockets. Crimp with your fingertips or a fork.
11

Stir together the beaten egg and 2 teaspoons water to make an egg wash. Place the empanadas on the prepared baking sheet and brush with the egg wash. Sprinkle with cayenne.
12

Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven until browned and crisp on the edges, about 35 minutes. Move to a wire rack and let cool for about 5 minutes before serving.
13

Serve warm and enjoy!