This is a very special recipe for me, not only because it’s my Mom’s recipe, but because Chicken Empanadas is the first dish I cooked with my Mother-in-Law, Kathy.
Cooking with Kathy….
The day I made these with Kathy was my first time making this dish and we had a few problems along the way, especially with the dough. Getting it to the correct consistency was really hard and it took a few tries but Kathy was a really good sport and a major help. Not only did she help me chop the tomatoes and onion, which was a great help because according to my husband, I’m scary when I use knives. She also took charge of the stove and made sure the Empanadas had their beautiful golden brown color and didn’t burn. And even more importantly, she helped me feel better by supported me emotionally, telling me I was doing alright for it being my first time making this dish and that in the end what matters is it tasting good. I need the encouragement.
We made a pretty good team! It was a nice way to spend some time together just her and I. I can’t wait to cook with her again.
Also, it melted my heart when she called me her daughter!!
A little bit of info….
The hardest part of this recipe is getting the dough to the right consistency, everything else is pretty easy and straight forward. You have to add the water slowly, and knead the dough by hand. You’ll know the dough is the right consistency when it no longer sticks to the bowl. If it feels to wet add a little bit more flour and continue to knead.
We used an hechadora/ tortilla press to form the tortillas. These can be found in just about every Mexican Supermarket. You can, however, use two plates or containers as a press to form the tortillas. Simply line the bottom side of the plates with saran wrap, place the dough in the center of one plate and press the lined bottom of the other plate down on the dough.
We fried these on the stove but they can also be baked in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.
Chicken Empanadas Recipe Instructions
We start by gathering our ingredients.
Next we fry the tomatoes and onion, stirring occasionally until softened. Then add the shredded chicken and stir to mix. Remove from heat and let drain.
While the tomatoes and onion cooks while make the dough. We take the masa flour and slowly add water (as needed), kneading with our hands until well incorporated. Dough is ready when it no longer sticks to the bowl
Next, taking small handfuls of dough we form balls and place into hechadora lined with saran wrap and press to flatten and form “tortilla”. This step can be done using plates or plastic containers to press and flatten the dough.
Once tortilla is form we take our chicken mix and place about 1.5 tbsps onto one half of tortilla.
Using the saran wrap the tortilla is one, we fold the side without chicken onto the filled side. Uncover and use your fingers to press the side together to stop the chicken mix from falling out during our next step. You can also pinch the sides together if you prefer, for extra precaution.
Next, we fry out empanada until golden brown and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side.
Serve and enjoy!
Chicken Empanadas
Equipment
- Hechadora/Tortilla Press
Ingredients
- 1/2 cooked chicken breast, shredded boiled in water with salt to cook
- 2 tomatoes, chopped
- 1/4 white onion, chopped
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
Empanada Shell
- 2 cups Instant corn masa flour
- 1.5 cups water
- salt, to taste
Instructions
- Place chicken breast in boiling water and add salt to taste. Once cooked through, remove from heat and let cool. Shred.
- Fry tomatoes and onion in 1 tbsp of oil until softened, stir occasionally. Add shredded chicken and stir to mix well.
- Remove from heat and drain.
- . Slowly add water to flour, kneading by hand until well incorporated. Season with salt to taste as you knead. Dough is ready when it no longer sticks to the bowl.
- Form small balls of dough and place aside.
- Place one ball of dough on bottom side of tortilla press, press to form empanada shell. Fill bottom half of shell with 1.5 tbsps of chicken mixture. Fold top half over the bottom half and press sides of shell together to seal ingredients inside. Gently remove from tortilla press and set aside. Repeat for every ball of dough.
- Fry empanadas in 2 tbsps of oil over medium high heat until golden brown, 5 minutes per side.
- Set empanadas on plate lined with paper towel to drain excess oil.
- Serve and enjoy!