Empanadas de Pollo (Chicken Turnovers)
By Gaby MelianPublished on January 4, 2023
Time
1¼ hours, plus 55 minutes chilling and cooling time
Yield
Makes 12 empanadas
WHAT KIDS ARE SAYING
"Very yummy and very worth it. The flavor was perfect. The folding was very fun to do." —Delaney, recipe tester, age 12
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Ingredients
Before You Begin
If you can’t find hojaldradas-style dough rounds, look for packages labeled “para hornear” (“for the oven”).
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat for about 1 minute (the oil should be hot but not smoking). Add the onion, bell pepper, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring often with a wooden spoon, until the onions just start to brown and peppers are crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook, stirring and scraping the bottom of the saucepan, until the tomato paste gets darker in color, about 1 minute.
- Add the shredded chicken, chicken broth, paprika, and cumin and gently stir to combine. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, cover the saucepan with a lid, and cook for 6 minutes.
- Use oven mitts to remove the lid. Gently stir in the olives. Turn off the heat and slide the saucepan to a cool burner. Season with salt to taste. Transfer the chicken mixture to a medium bowl and place it in the refrigerator to cool completely, about 45 minutes.
- While the filling is cooling, adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Fill a small bowl with water. In the second small bowl, lightly beat the egg with a fork. When the filling is cool, fill and shape the empanadas following the photos, “Cómo rellenar y formar las empanadas (How to Fill and Shape Empanadas),” below.
- Use a pastry brush to paint the tops and sides of the empanadas lightly with the beaten egg. Place the baking sheet in the oven. Bake until the empanadas are golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes.
- Use oven mitts to transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack (ask a grown-up for help). Let the empanadas cool for 10 minutes. Serve. (The chicken filling can be frozen for up to 3 months. When you are ready to try your luck with the empanadas, thaw the filling in the refrigerator overnight.)
/SFS_Empenadas_de_Pollo_29474_1)
Time
1¼ hours, plus 55 minutes chilling and cooling timeYield
Makes 12 empanadasWHAT KIDS ARE SAYING
"Very yummy and very worth it. The flavor was perfect. The folding was very fun to do." —Delaney, recipe tester, age 12Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
This recipe was originally published in Gaby's Latin American Kitchen. From Gaby Melian: I grew up eating savory empanadas—pastries filled with different meats, vegetables, and spices; sometimes fried and sometimes baked— made by my family. Each relative used different flavors and ingredient combinations. But the real differentiator between empanada makers was the way they closed the empanadas. Before baking, you need to crimp the dough to keep the filling contained. In Argentina this crimping is called “repulgue,” which translates to “hem” or “crimp.” My abuela showed me her way of crimping when I was about 8 years old. It wasn’t hard, but I suddenly started doing my own style of repulgue. And not to brag, but I was really good at it! I worked really fast, and the empanadas never burst in the oven. From then on, I was always in charge of crimping. This recipe is my own twist on my mom’s version of empanadas de pollo! I simplify things by using frozen empanada dough and rotisserie chicken.
Before You Begin
If you can’t find hojaldradas-style dough rounds, look for packages labeled “para hornear” (“for the oven”).
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat for about 1 minute (the oil should be hot but not smoking). Add the onion, bell pepper, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring often with a wooden spoon, until the onions just start to brown and peppers are crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook, stirring and scraping the bottom of the saucepan, until the tomato paste gets darker in color, about 1 minute.
- Add the shredded chicken, chicken broth, paprika, and cumin and gently stir to combine. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, cover the saucepan with a lid, and cook for 6 minutes.
- Use oven mitts to remove the lid. Gently stir in the olives. Turn off the heat and slide the saucepan to a cool burner. Season with salt to taste. Transfer the chicken mixture to a medium bowl and place it in the refrigerator to cool completely, about 45 minutes.
- While the filling is cooling, adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Fill a small bowl with water. In the second small bowl, lightly beat the egg with a fork. When the filling is cool, fill and shape the empanadas following the photos, “Cómo rellenar y formar las empanadas (How to Fill and Shape Empanadas),” below.
- Use a pastry brush to paint the tops and sides of the empanadas lightly with the beaten egg. Place the baking sheet in the oven. Bake until the empanadas are golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes.
- Use oven mitts to transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack (ask a grown-up for help). Let the empanadas cool for 10 minutes. Serve. (The chicken filling can be frozen for up to 3 months. When you are ready to try your luck with the empanadas, thaw the filling in the refrigerator overnight.)
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