Chicken Empanadas

Posted on August 6, 2015 by Cooking for Students

Who doesn’t like chicken empanadas? That crispy crust paired with a meaty, flavorful filling makes you want to eat an entire platter of them. Although they are often fried, baking them makes these savory treats much healthier and using pie crust along with rotisserie chicken ensures that you have delicious empanadas to eat in a flash. Once you bite into one, all you are going to get is melted cheese, tender chicken and a lot of great flavors as well as some heat. You will really appreciate these when you are pulling an all-nighter to finish a paper. They hold up really well in the refrigerator.

What’s in it?

How’s it made?

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
2. Pull about ½ cup of meat from the rotisserie chicken. You can shred the rest up and use it for burritos or salads.
3. Add the chicken, shredded cheese, salsa and cilantro to a bowl.
4. Add the chili powder, garlic powder and season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Add a dollop of cream cheese and mix. This helps bring the filling together and adds creaminess. Set the filling aside.
6. Unroll the pie crust and use a cup or cookie cutter with a 3-4 inch diameter. Use it to cut the pie crust in circles. You will get about 8-10 circles. Place the circles on the baking sheet.
7. Spoon filling into the center of each circle. Pull dough over the filling and seal the edges with a fork.
8. Add a little water to the beaten egg.
9. Brush this over the empanadas.
10. Place them into the oven to bake for about 20 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
11. Finish with a sprinkling of salt and black pepper. Serve with more salsa or pico de gallo if desired.

These empanadas are amazing and the filling is the shining star of the plate. The ingredients are pretty basic but the final product is anything but. They have spice, elements of freshness, good flavor and nice texture. What more can you ask for?