Chicken Empanda Filling

I’ve taken the liberty of modifying the recipe slightly, since we don’t usually have achiote or balsalmic vinegar. I replaced the former with some paprika and pepper (the Internet said that was okay) and the latter with some red or cider vinegar with sugar.

If you need to cook shredded chicken relatively quickly:

  • Heat a pan to medium-high heat.
  • Drizzle about 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil into the pan.
  • Apply salt and pepper to two chicken breasts, then sear on both sides (about 3-5 minutes per side)
  • Add about 1 cup chicken broth, reduce heat, and cover. Add more chicken broth if necessary, and let cook for 10-15 minutes, until the breasts reach at least 165˚F.
  • Shred chicken breasts and use for the recipe.
  • Save the broth in the pan to mix with butter later instead of the gravy.

For a dipping sauce, checkout Layla’s Quick chimichurri sauce.

Yields: 4-6

Preparation time: 45

Cooking time: 15

Ingredients

  • 12-15 medium sized empanadas discs, using homemade dough or store-bought empanada discs. Alternative, use this pretzel dough recipe which is pictured above, and is awesome.
  • 2 tbs butter
  • 1/2 white onion, sliced thinly
  • 1/2 bell pepper, sliced thinly
  • 4 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 2 tomatoes, diced
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp ground pepper
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 2 cups shredded turkey or chicken
  • 2 tbs turkey gravy – you can replace this with a combination of broth and butter
  • 2 tbs balsamic vinegar (or 2tbs of red or cider vinegar and 2 tsp of white sugar mixed)
  • 1/2 tbs fresh oregano – can be replaced with 1 tsp dried oregano
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 egg, yolk and white separated

Directions

  • Melt the butter in a medium size frying pan.
  • Add the onions, tomatoes, bell pepper, garlic, paprika, pepper, and cumin.
  • Cook for 10 minutes over medium low heat, stirring occasionally.
  • Mix in the shredded chicken turkey and stir well.
  • Add the gravy (or equivalent amount of broth and butter) and vinegar
  • Continue cooking over low heat for another 5 minutes.
  • Let the turkey filling cool down, and then add in the chopped oregano.
  • To assemble the empanadas spoon the turkey mixture on to the center of the each empanada disc.
  • If needed, brush the edges of the empanada discs with the egg whites, you can also use water but the egg white acts as a natural “glue” that helps seal the empanada.
  • Fold the empanada disc and seal the edges gently with your fingers, twist and fold the edges of the empanadas with your fingers. To seal the edges further you can use a fork to press down and finish sealing the empanadas (or if you’re lazy like me, just use a fork to seal the whole thing).
  • Let the empanadas rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or until ready to bake, this will help them seal better and prevent leaks.
  • Lightly brush the top of the empanadas with the egg yolk; this will give them a nice golden glow when they bake.
  • Pre-heat the oven to 400 F and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden, exact time will depend on the size of the empanadas, the dough used, and your oven. If there are conflicts in instructions here and with the dough recipe, follow the dough instructions.
  • Serve warm.

Category: Entree

Cuisine: South american

Tags: Fun