Chicken Empanada Recipe

Try this easy and unique chicken empanada recipe. It will become your favorite!

Ingredients

• Whole chicken legs, including thighs
• Spanish chorizo
• Reduced-sodium chicken broth
• Pitted green olives
• Spanish smoked paprika
• Dry white wine
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Large onions
• Garlic cloves
• Bay leaf
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Refrigerated pie crust (or substitute with puff pastry)

(Scroll down to the bottom for the printable recipe card with exact measurements and recipe instructions.)

How to Make Chicken Empanadas

Pat the chicken dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper while heating olive in a 12-inch heavy skillet. Brown the chicken and transfer to a plate.

Sauté onions, garlic, and bay leaf in fat remaining in a skillet, stirring frequently, until onions are softened. Add chorizo and paprika and cook. Add olives, raisins, wine, and broth and bring to a boil.

Return the chicken to the skillet along with any juices accumulated on plate, then reduce heat to moderately low and simmer chicken, covered, turning over once, until tender.

Transfer chicken to a clean plate and when chicken is cool enough to handle, discard skin and bones and coarsely chop meat. Stir chicken into sauce and discard bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper, then cool filling, uncovered, about 30 minutes.

Using 4-inch round cutters (I used mini tart pans with a scalloped edge), cut out circles and place a tablespoon or two of filling in center. Fold over and seal edges with a fork. Deep-fry empanadas at 375F for 1- minutes per side until golden brown.

Note: These keep really well up to 24 hours before frying. Just keep them in a single layer on a baking sheet tightly sealed.

Empanada Sauces & Dips

These empanadas are great as is but adding your favorite dipping sauce can add extra bit of deliciousness. Here are a few suggestions for inspiration.

• Marinara sauce
• Red pepper sauce
• Gruyere cheese Sauce
• Avocado sauce
• Chimichurri sauce
• Cilantro dipping sauce
• Cilantro lime sauce
• Ranch dressing
• Garlic aioli
• Chipotle dipping sauce
• Sweet & sour sauce
• Soy ginger sauce
• Mango dipping sauce
• Greek yogurt
• Blue cheese sauce
• Salsa verde
• Mango chili sauce
• Buffalo sauce

Continue to Content

Easy Chicken Empanadas (Empanadas de Pollo)

Yield: 24

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Additional Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes

Empanadas are tasty little hand held pies.  These empanadas are filled with chicken, chorizo and seasoned with smoked paprika, garlic cloves, bay leaf, salt and black pepper.  They are addicting and perfect for any occasion. 

Print

Ingredients

• 3 whole chicken legs, including thighs (2 to 2 1/4 pounds total)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 large onions, halved lengthwise, then cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-wide strips
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/3 cup finely diced Spanish chorizo
• 1/2 teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika (not hot)
• 1/2 cup chopped pitted green olives
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 15oz refrigerated pie crust

Instructions

1. Pat chicken dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown chicken, turning over once, about 6 minutes total, and transfer to a plate.
3. Sauté onions, garlic, and bay leaf in fat remaining in skillet, stirring frequently, until onions are softened, 4 to 5 minutes.
4. Add chorizo and paprika and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add olives, raisins, wine, and broth and bring to a boil, stirring and scraping up any brown bits.
5. Return chicken to skillet along with any juices accumulated on plate, then reduce heat to moderately low and simmer chicken, covered, turning over once, until tender, 25 to 30 minutes total.
   Transfer chicken to a clean plate. (Sauce in skillet should be the consistency of heavy cream; if it's not, briskly simmer until reduced).
6. When chicken is cool enough to handle, discard skin and bones and coarsely chop meat. Stir chicken into sauce and discard bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper, then cool filling, uncovered, about 30 minutes.
7. Using 4-inch round cutters (I used mini tart pans with a scalloped edge), cut out circles and place a tablespoon or two of filling in center. Fold over and seal edges with a fork.
8. Deep-fry empanadas at 375F for 1-2 minutes per side until golden brown.

Notes

Instead of deep frying use an air fryer.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 362Total Fat: 23gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 81mgSodium: 444mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 25g

This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix.

• Author
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Kristy Bernardo

Kristy Bernardo is the recipe creator behind The Wicked Noodle. She's a five-time cookbook author, has taught cooking classes to both kids and adults, and has been creating recipes for nationwide brands since 2009. She learned most of her cooking skills from her mom and grandmother, then honed those skills at boot camp at the Culinary Institute of America.

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