This savory hand pie is perfect for a main meal on the go or snacks for game day!
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❤️ Why you'll love it
- Perfect game day snack or lunch on the go
- Make ahead and freeze either baked or unbaked
- It's a great way to use up leftover chicken
This chicken empanada recipe is adjusted from a traditional recipe to be super easy and fast!
Chicken empanadas are pockets of light dough filled with a creamy, spicy, chicken and cheese mixture that's sure to be a hit with your favorite football fans! .
They're sure to be a hit with your favorite football fans!
You'll love these crispy oven baked chicken wings, too!
🧾 Ingredients
This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
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- Chicken breast
- Cream of chicken soup
- Cheddar cheese
- Chicken broth
- Onion
- Poblano or bell peppers
- Cilantro
- Cumin
- Butter
- Cheddar cheese biscuit dough or your favorite unbaked biscuits
🔪 Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page.
Although the traditional empanada is deep fried I prefer to bake mine. It's quicker, easier, and less messy. Plus it saves a few calories, right?
To Bake Empanadas in an Oven:
- Preheat the oven to 425F.
- Brush empanadas with melted butter.
- Bake for 10 to 15 minutes depending on the size of the empanadas.
- Brush with melted butter and bake 5 minutes more, until golden.
- Serve hot.
To Fry Empanadas
- Heat oil in a deep fryer to 375.
- Gently drop empanadas into the oil, a few at a time.
- Fry until crispy and golden.
- Drain on absorbent paper.
🥄 Equipment
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You'll need the following items to make this recipe successfully.
🥫 Storage
Unbaked empanadas can be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for a day or so before cooking. You can also freeze them in layers in an airtight container with parchment or wax paper between the layers.
Baked chicken empanadas can be stored in an airtight container or covered with plastic wrap for up to 4 days.
You can freeze them for up to 3 months.
📖 Variations
- You can use pie crust for the empanada dough if you prefer.
- Make beef empanadas with leftover bbq brisket, cooked ground beef, or taco meat.
- There are endless filling combinations: black beans, refried beans, various chicken mixtures, beef, pork, cheese...
- Use the tequila lime chicken as a filling.
💭 Tips
Expert Tip: To reheat cold empanadas just microwave for a few minutes. To baked from frozen place frozen empanadas on a silpat lined baking sheet and bake at 400F for 20 minutes or until done.
- Make these super easy by using refrigerated biscuit dough.
- Use a rotisserie chicken to speed up the process.
- Use pie dough if you prefer but it's a little more delicate
- Be sure to crimp edges together tightly to seal
- Keep chilled until ready to bake
- Don't overcrowd the fryer
- These freeze well baked or unbaked
- Keep leftovers refrigerated
👩🍳 FAQs
Chopped or shredded chicken mixed with peppers, cheese, onions, or whatever you like!
Well, there are so many different styles of dough for empanadas that the answer has to be yes. Puff pastry dough, pie dough, refrigerated biscuits, frozen bread dough, crescent roll dough, pizza dough... any of these can be used for empanadas.
📚 Related recipes
🍽️ Serve with...
- Queso or bbq sauce make good dipping sauces for homemade chicken empanadas.
- Chicken cream cheese crescent rolls and sausage balls for snacking.
- Chicken Pozole Verde for a main dish that can be spooned right out of the slow cooker whenever anyone is hungry.
- Jalapeno Poppers wrapped in crescent dough are unique and delicious.
📞 The last word
I love having these on hand for busy weekends but they really shine on game day when everyone is gathered around the TV shouting for their favorite team.
It uses up a lot of calories to be a dedicated football fan.
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Easy Chicken Empanadas
Print Pin Recipe SaveEquipment Needed
Ingredients
- ¼ cup butter, melted - divided use
- ¼ cup poblano pepper, diced (can use bell pepper)
- ½ cup onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
- 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
- 1 cup shredded Cheddar , or Pepper Jack Cheese
- 1-½ pounds chicken breast, cooked and shredded
- 1 recipe Cheddar cheese biscuits, unbaked or use canned biscuit dough
Instructions
- Add a little of the butter to a pan and heat until sizzling.
- Saute the poblano peppers and onion in the butter until tender and onion is translucent.
- Add the remaining ingredients, except the biscuit dough, and simmer until well blended and the cheese is melted.
- Pulse in a food processor until chicken is cut small.
- Set aside.
- Roll the biscuit dough out about ¼-inch thick.
- Cut with a small biscuit cutter.
- Add a teaspoon or so of the chicken mixture to the middle of the biscuit. More if you're using bigger biscuits.
- Fold half the dough over the filling to create a half moon and pinch edges to seal.
To Bake
- You may flash freeze at this point then store in a freezer container. When ready to bake continue as directed.
- Heat the oven to 425F.
- Use a pastry brush to coat the empanadas with melted butter.
- Bake for 10 minutes.
- Brush with more melted butter.
- Bake for 5 to 10 minutes more, or until golden.
- Serve hot.
To Fry
- Heat oil in a deep fryer to 375F.
- Gently drop in a few chicken empanadas at a time being careful not to overcrowd.
- Fry until golden.
- Drain on paper towel.
- Serve hot.
Notes
- Make these super easy by using refrigerated biscuit dough
- Use pie dough if you prefer but it's a little more delicate
- Be sure to pinch the edges together tightly to seal
- Keep chilled until ready to bake
- Vary the fillings
- Don't overcrowd the fryer
- These freeze well baked or unbaked
- Keep leftovers refrigerated
Nutrition Facts
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We'll never share your email or send you spam. Pinkie swear.First published October 11, 2017. Last updated January 28, 2022 for better readability and user experience.
Judy P
What does "flash freeze' mean? Can you do it in a regular freezer?
Marye
It just means to put it on a cookie sheet and freeze quickly before putting it in a storage container. Yes you can do it in a regular freezer.