BEST Chicken Empanadas Recipe | Latin American Recipes (2024)

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This chicken empanada recipe requires a bit more work, but believe me when I say that it is worth the effort! This meal is not something you prepare every day, especially when you are in a hurry. It is a great choice for special occasions, picnics, or when some friends come over and you want to surprise them with something truly special and delicious. There are many types of chicken empanadas recipes, but I did my research and I am confident that the chicken empanadas recipe that I am going to share with you below will win your heart. Not to mention that I prepared this recipe many times and it was always a huge success!

Chicken Empanadas Recipe

BEST Chicken Empanadas Recipe | Latin American Recipes (1)

But before we dive deeper into this chicken empanada recipe, let’s see where this amazing food comes from. If you have been to Spain or any Latin country, you most likely came across empanadas. You can find many types, from veggie varieties to empanadas stuffed with all kinds of meat. From Spain to Ecuador empanadas are a big hit and there is nothing surprising about it, as empanadas are delicious things that you can enjoy any time of the day! The most popular is undoubtedly chicken empanadas, but there are also empanadas with beef, pork, ham, fish, shrimp, avocado, beans, spinach, or mushrooms. And the list is not complete.

Story of the chicken empanadas recipe

Many think that the first and original chicken empanada recipes come from South America, more exactly Argentina. Undoubtedly, you can find empanadas everywhere on the South American continents, but the very first appearance of empanadas originates from Medieval Iberia, which included Portugal and Galicia (Spain). However, my chicken empanada recipe is inspired by Argentinian recipes. I really like how people think of empanadas in Argentina. Nowadays you can find these hand-sized pockets filled with meat on all corners.

Earlier empanadas were known as the working men’s meal. Made of dough and filled with meat, empanadas were easy to carry to work and eat during the day. If you think about it, not much has changed about them. Also, in case you’re wondering, you can also find empanadas made of maize or corn flour, but for this recipe, we will use all-purpose white flour.

What do you need for a chicken empanada recipe

Now let’s see what you need to prepare this chicken empanadas recipe. While the bad news is that it will take some time to prepare the dough and the filling, the good news is that this food has very simple ingredients. The basic ingredients are flour, eggs, and chicken, the rest are things you most likely have at home. What you will 100% need is a big tray to bake your empanadas in the oven. So before you do anything else, cover a tray with baking paper. Then get ready to get your hands dirty!

BEST Chicken Empanadas Recipe | Latin American Recipes (2)

Chicken Empanada Recipe

If you are looking for chicken empanada recipes, stop here right now! Get ready to get your hands dirty, as you are going to learn how to create your own empanada dough and filling for the best chicken empanadas ever!

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Ingredients

  • 400 g chicken
  • 300 g flour
  • 80 g butter
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 bell pepper
  • 1 onion
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 2 bay leaves
  • salt, pepper
  • chilli

Instructions

  • As with all chicken empanadas recipes, this one also starts with making the dough. Mix 350 g flour with 60 g melted butter, two drops of olive oil, and salt. Once done, put the dough in the freezer for about 40 minutes.

  • In the meantime, chop all the veggies into small pieces, and cook them together in a pan. At this point, you can add the chili as well if you would like to.

  • In a separate bowl, cook the chicken in broth until tender. Add the bay leaf to the chicken.

  • Once the chicken is done, use two forks to tear the meat apart into small pieces.

  • Cook the 3 eggs, clean them, and cut them into small cubes.

  • Mix the chicken with the eggs and chopped vegetables.

  • Take the dough out of the freezer and start to stretch it. Once you stretch the dough, try to cut circles of the size of a smoothie bowl. You can actually use one to do so.

  • Put one tbsp of filling in each circle.

  • Fold the dough in two. Use egg white to make the sides stick together. You can also press it together as hard as you can, so it won't open while in the oven.

  • To make your empanadas look even more nice, you can start and fold the sides piece by piece. Do not forget to cover the top of empanadas with egg yolk.

  • Place them side by side on a tray that is covered with baking paper. In a preheated oven bake them at 200 degrees for about 15-20 minutes.

Wrapping up the chicken empanadas recipe

When you need a quick snack while you are running errands or completing task after task at work, empanadas are the best thing that can happen to you. So why not prepare your own homemade empanadas? If you have spare time during the weekend, do not hesitate to try out this recipe! You surely won’t regret it! Chicken empanada is a simple, yet special dish that can be prepared in any variety you like. If you are vegetarian or just want to avoid meat, prepare it with spinach and cheese, mushrooms, or avocado. Believe me, once you know how to make the dough, you cannot go wrong with the filling! Don’t miss our Chicken Quesadilla recipe either!

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BEST Chicken Empanadas Recipe | Latin American Recipes (3)
BEST Chicken Empanadas Recipe | Latin American Recipes (4)

Chicken Empanadas Recipe

BEST Chicken Empanadas Recipe | Latin American Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What are the unique components of empanadas? ›

Here, a typical empanada consists of a flour-based dough with various forms of meat fillings, including cubed or ground beef, ham, or chicken. You can also find hard-boiled eggs, olives, peppers, and onions folded into the mixture. Across the country, different regions take their own approach to the cooking process.

What side dish goes well with empanadas? ›

Side Dishes
  • Instant Pot Mexican Rice. Are you on the hunt for an easy-to-make, spicy rice dish that pairs perfectly with meat-based empanadas? ...
  • Black Beans And Rice. ...
  • Authentic Homemade Refried Beans. ...
  • Plantain Chips. ...
  • Mexican Black Beans. ...
  • Cilantro Lime Rice. ...
  • Oven Roasted Corn On The Cob. ...
  • Mexican Sweet Corn Cakes.
Mar 9, 2024

What do Americans call empanadas? ›

These are a few of the known names: Meat Pies (American) Empanadas (Latin/Spanish) Pastelillos (Latin/Spanish)

What country did empanadas originate from? ›

Empanadas have their origins in Galicia (Spain) and Portugal. They first appeared in Medieval Iberia during the time of the Moorish invasions. A cookbook published in Catalan in 1520 mentions empanadas filled with seafood among its recipes of Catalan, Italian, French, and Arabian food.

Which dough is best for empanadas? ›

As mentioned above many people will use their favorite pre-made pie dough to make empanadas. This is because the ingredients for most dough recipes are very similar. Most pie doughs use flour, butter, salt, water, and sometimes egg; an ingredient list almost identical to those needed for this recipe!

What nationality makes the best empanadas? ›

Argentina has become world-famous for their empanadas which are widely available in Buenos Aires and across the country as fast-food options and restaurant staples. As with many recipes, that of empanadas was shared through generations and carried to many other nations.

How many empanadas per meal? ›

When the empanada is served us as an appetizer before a meal, it is usual to calculate one or two normal sized empanadas per person. If it is to be the main player in a meal, five or six are considered normal. With a genuine regional empanada from an Estancia in Buenos Aires, it is essential to wrap a napkin.

What drink goes well with empanadas? ›

A chilled glass of either a full-bodied Tempranillo or red Rhône wine also works well with both ground and hand-sliced beef empanadas. Consider a white wine with good structure to go along with our Pollo Saltado Spicy empanada.

What is the most common empanada? ›

The most iconic variety being the oven-baked empanada de pino, which is filled with ground beef, minced onion, half or a quarter of a hard-boiled egg, and a single unpitted black olive. Empanadas in Chile are eaten year-round and are either oven-baked or deep-fried; the latter is a popular street food.

Are empanadas deep fried or baked? ›

Both cooking methods produce delicious empanadas. If you want a healthier merienda, bake them in the oven. If you're working with less time, frying them is the way to go. Try both and ask your loved ones to vote on their favorite.

What are 3 types of empanadas? ›

Argentine empanadas with beef, cheese, or chicken. Chilean empanadas with beef, cheese, or seafood. Mexican empanadas with spicy beef, potato, or pumpkin.

What is empanada in English slang? ›

Colloquial. empanada mental [f] mental confusion.

What is the difference between Spanish empanadas and Mexican empanadas? ›

The Spanish recipe was made with bread dough, the Mexican recipe with corn masa dough. This is where Mexican empanada history takes over. Each region in Mexico has their own version of the empanada.

Are empanadas healthy? ›

While it's quite tasty, it isn't the healthiest meal you can consume. The great news is you can still get your empanada fix with all the flavor, but less calories, fat, and more nutrition with healthier versions.

What's the difference between empanadas and panades? ›

Panades is a Belizean version of an empanada, consisting of a deep-fried, crescent-shaped corn flour dough filled with either white fish or beans, which can be red or black. These tasty, crunchy snacks are traditionally paired with a delicious salsa topping made from cabbage, peppers, and onions.

What is unique about empanadas? ›

Defining characteristics include the dough being folded over the stuffing to make a half-moon shape, and they're typically rather small. Five or six bites of yumminess for most— or one or two bites if you're my dad. Most of all, they're known for being one of the few savory pastry options in the world.

What are traditional empanadas made of? ›

Empanadas have their origin in the Spanish action Empanar connoting “wrap in bread.” Traditional empanadas hence are simply beef stuffing wrapped in pastry dough. Beef empanadas are small palm-sized meat pockets. They resemble the Arabian Samosas and Italian calzones.

What are some variations of empanadas? ›

Worldwide Variations on the Empanada
  • Jiaozi: Chinese. ...
  • Gyoza: Japanese. ...
  • Egg rolls: American Chinese. ...
  • Pierogi: Polish. ...
  • Pazcki: Polish. ...
  • Pasty: United Kingdom. ...
  • Panzerotti: Italian. ...
  • DelSur Empanadas.

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