Argentinian Chicken Empanadas

A few days ago, the World Cup hoopla was at a fever pitch. Mind you, I’m not a sports fan but everyone else around me seems to be one. All I heard for days was about Argentina and Germany, and who’s going to win. I didn’t become a soccer fan, but I did begin to obsess over Argentinian empanadas. I had the tasty treats for the first time in San Francisco from a food truck called Tanguito. It was baked to perfection with the most impeccable crust and a wonderfully delicious filling.

The World Cup made me crave Tanguito’s empanadas, but I’m half a world away with no access to Argentinian food. So I did my research and created my own version of chicken empanadas. You can certainly play around with the filling and add or subtract whatever ingredients you want. Some recipes call for olives and hard boiled eggs, but I find their flavors to be too overwhelming so I left them out. I’m very pleased with the end result. They’re not the prettiest of empanadas but they certainly tasted delicioso! Viva Argentina!

Argentinian World Cup Empanadas Recipe

Makes 20-25 small empanadas

Dough Recipe:

I’m no expert in making dough and had to look for a recipe to help me. Laylita has the perfect savory dough recipe for baked empanadas. I did vary in the amount of water I put in my dough. Instead of four to five tablespoons, I checked the consistency of the dough and stopped at three. For a much easier time, just buy the ready-made dough at your local grocery store if they’re available.

Ingredients for filling:

• 3 chicken breasts (makes 3.5 cups shredded chicken)
• 3 smashed whole garlic cloves
• 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 Tablespoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1.5 teaspoons ancho chili powder (regular chili powder can be a substitute)
• ¾ Tablespoons sugar
• Salt and pepper to taste

Other ingredients:

1 egg, beaten

Method

Make your dough and refrigerate it for 30 minutes to an hour.

Place the chicken breasts in a medium pot and fill it with water. Add the garlic cloves and salt. Bring the water to a boil and lower the heat to a simmer. Poach the chicken breasts for 8-10 minutes, remove from the pot and let them cool down. When they have cooled down, shred the meat with a fork. Reserve the broth.

In a large pan, heat up vegetable oil and add diced onion and red bell pepper. Then add the paprika, cumin, ancho chili powder, sugar and salt. Sauté until the vegetables are soft and then add the shredded chicken. If the mixture is too dry, add a few tablespoons of the chicken broth to incorporate all the spices. Taste for seasoning and add more salt if needed.

IMPORTANT: let the mixture cool down to room temperature or else it will melt the buttery dough. The filling can be made a day before and refrigerated.

If your kitchen is as warm as mine is, I suggest bringing your dough to a cooler room to work in. It kept melting on me! It also helped to put the dough between two pieces of cling wrap before rolling it out.

Prepare two cookie sheets lined with parchment papers. When the dough is all rolled out, use a 4 inch round lid or cookie cutter to cut out circles. Place a tablespoon (more or less) of the filling onto the middle of the circle and press the sides together. The first empanada will help you gauge if you have put too much or too little filling. Seal the sides and then curl the edges. You can also use a fork to press indentations on the edges.

Place all the prepared empanadas onto the cookie sheets and refrigerate them for around 30 minutes. When they are ready, brush an egg wash over the top of each empanada before baking them.

Preheat your oven at 375°F (190°C). Bake them for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. If you’re using a forced fan oven, lower the temperature by 20 degrees.

Dip these tasty empanadas in some fresh chimichurri sauce.

Although Argentina didn’t win the World Cup, their empanadas have certainly won my heart!