Easy chicken empanadas made with shredded chicken breasts, spices, and store-bought empanada dough. The crust is crispy and flaky while the filling is tender and loaded with flavor.
You can deep fry, bake, or air fry these delicious empanadas!
I love empanadas of any kind! Some of my favorites include these spicy beef and cheese empanadas and these air fryer beef empanadas. There’s just something about those flaky meat pockets that make parties and get-togethers extra special.
What Are Empanadas?
Empanadas are a popular Spanish or Latin-American pastry filled with meat, veggies, or cheese. They’re shaped into half-moons and then baked or fried to perfection.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- The meat filling is super flavorful and the exterior is super crunchy.
- It’s super easy to make, the meat filling cooks in under 30 minutes.
- You can serve these as an appetizer, snack, or lunch option.
- Empanadas are finger food so they’re perfect for a large crowd.
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken – I used boneless skinless chicken breasts but feel free to use boneless chicken thighs instead. You can also use store-bought rotisserie chicken.
- Empanada Dough – These can be found in the Hispanic frozen section at your local supermarket. Make sure to thaw completely.
- Sofrito – Store-bought or homemade works.
- Capers – Optional but adds great flavor!
Step-By-Step Instructions
- Start by preparing the filling. Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet with high sides. Add the onions and cook until translucent, that should take about 2 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic, sofrito, tomato paste, sazon, cumin, and oregano. Cook for 20 seconds then add the tomato sauce, cilantro, water, capers, cilantro, and bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add the chicken breasts to the skillet, cover, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook for 18-20 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked through.
- Remove the chicken from the skillet and shred it with two forks or an electric mixer. Place the shredded chicken back into the skillet, stir, cover, and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Check for seasoning. Add more salt if needed. Allow the chicken to cool for at least 15 minutes.
- Place each empanada disc on a lightly floured surface. Put about 2 tbsp of the chicken in the center of each disc. Wrap the dough around to form the empanada and press the edges together. Use a fork to press down on the edges.
- Fry the empanadas for 2 minutes on each side and then place them on a wire rack or paper towel-lined plate. Serve with hot sauce and enjoy!
Top Tips For The Perfect Chicken Empanadas
- The chicken filling shouldn’t be piping hot otherwise it can tear the empanada dough.
- Make sure to seal the empanada edges tightly so the filling doesn’t escape while it fries.
- The oil should be at at least 350 degrees F. Use an oil thermometer to ensure perfectly crispy empanadas.
- Feel free to add cheese to the meat mixture.
- Serve with hot sauce!
- Enjoy the empanadas while they’re hot and crispy. The empanadas will soften and lose their crunch the longer they sit.
Air Fryer Instructions
Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F. for 5 minutes. Spray the air fryer basket with cooking spray. Place the empanadas in the air fryer basket, brush the empanadas with egg wash and cook for 4 minutes. Once the 4 minutes are up, flip the empanadas, brush them with egg wash and cook for an additional 3 minutes.
Oven Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place the empanadas on a baking sheet, brush the empanadas with egg wash and cook for 18-20 minutes.
More Recipes You Might Enjoy
- Garlic Butter Chicken Bites
- Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
- Homemade Empanadas
- Honey Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
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Chicken Empanadas
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs chicken breasts
- 12 empanada discs thawed
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 onion finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves finely minced
- 1 tsp sazon
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tbsp capers optional
- 2 tbsp sofrito
- 1 cup water
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp cilantro
- salt and pepper to taste
- vegetable oil, for frying
Instructions
- Start by preparing the filling. Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet with high sides. Add the onions and cook until translucent, that should take about 2 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic, sofrito, tomato paste, sazon, cumin, and oregano. Cook for 20 seconds then add the tomato sauce, cilantro, water, capers, cilantro, and bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add the chicken breasts to the skillet, cover, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook for 18-20 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked through.
- Remove the chicken from the skillet and shred it with two forks or an electric mixer. Place the shredded chicken back into the skillet, stir, cover, and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Check for seasoning. Add more salt if needed. Allow the chicken to cool for at least 15 minutes.
- Place each empanada disc on a lightly floured surface. Put about 2 tbsp of the chicken in the center of each disc. Wrap the dough around to form the empanada and press the edges together. Use a fork to press down on the edges.
- Fry the empanadas for 2 minutes on each side and then place them on a wire rack or paper towel-lined plate. Serve with hot sauce and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- The chicken filling shouldn’t be piping hot otherwise it can tear the empanada dough.
- Make sure to seal the empanada edges tightly so the filling doesn’t escape while it fries.
- The oil should be at at least 350 degrees F. Use an oil thermometer to ensure perfectly crispy empanadas.
- Feel free to add cheese to the meat mixture.
- Serve with hot sauce!
- Enjoy the empanadas while they’re hot and crispy. The empanadas will soften and lose their crunch the longer they sit.
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