Easy Chicken Empanadas

Another day, another chicken recipe.

What can I say? I get bored with chicken dinner recipes easily!

This time, I’m taking the delicious flavors of a chicken taco and putting it in a pre-made pastry dough and baking it. These easy empanadas are great for a weeknight dinner idea, after school snack, or potluck recipe.

Let’s get cookin’!

2 tbsp Olive oil
½ cup Onion (petite diced)
1 Red bell pepper (petite diced)
1 Yellow or orange bell pepper (petite diced)
4 Garlic cloves (minced)
2 tbsp Cilantro (finely diced)
2 cups chicken breast (1.5 lbs raw) (chopped small)
2 tsp Chicken stock
1 cup Water
1 tbsp Tomato paste
1 tsp Onion powder
1 tsp Garlic powder
½ tsp Salt
1 Egg (for egg wash)
2 pre-made refrigerated pie crust doughs

Preheat oven to 375° F.
In a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and peppers and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cilantro and stir until fragrant, about one minute.
Add chicken, along with water, chicken bouillon, tomato paste, onion powder, garlic powder and salt. Bring liquid to a simmer, stirring often. Allow to cook until liquid has evaporated, but mixture is not dry, about 5-8 minutes.
Cut the pie crust in half – right down the center. Separate the filling into 4 equal amounts. Working with one prepared dough at a time add one equal part of the filling onto one side of the dough.
Wet a pastry brush with egg wash (1 beaten egg plus 1 tablespoon water) and dampen the inside ¼ inch edge of the filled dough. Fold the dough in half. Using a fork, firmly press the edges together. Repeat this process with remaining dough and filling and arrange on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Brush each empanada with egg wash. Bake for 35 min or until golden brown.

Freezer Instructions: Allow empanadas to completely cool. Add to a freezer bag in a single layer. Seal, removing as much air as possible. Store in the freezer for up to 6 months. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400°F and bake empanadas on a lined baking sheet for 20 minutes.

Note: Filling can be made ahead and stored for up to 4 days in the refrigerator. Empanada filling can also be frozen and stored in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

Main Course, Snack

American, Mexican

chicken, empanada