Description
My husband and I returned recently from a wonderful trip to Puerto Rico. While there we fell in love with “empanadas de pollo” (chicken pies), that we found at roadside stands along Route 3. Here is a version we came up with once we returned–delicious!
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup warm water
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 pound shredded, cooked chicken
- ½ medium onion, diced
- ½ green bell pepper, diced
- ⅛ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- ⅛ cup sliced green olives
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 (1.41 ounce) package sazon seasoning with annato (such as Goya®)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 1 cup vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Mix flour
- salt
- baking powder
- and baking soda together in a large bowl. Add water and 1/4 cup vegetable oil; mix with an electric mixer until well combined and a dough begins to form
- about 3 minutes. Remove dough and knead on a lightly floured surface for about 3 minutes. Wrap in plastic wrap and set aside for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile
- heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shredded chicken and saute until heated through
- about 2 minutes. Add onion
- bell pepper
- cilantro
- olives
- garlic
- sazon seasoning
- tomato paste
- salt
- and pepper and cook
- stirring occasionally
- until vegetables have softened
- about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
- Divide empanada dough into 12 pieces and form each one into a 4-inch circle. Place about 2 tablespoons filling in the center of each circle
- fold in half
- and press down on the edges with a fork to seal.
- Heat 1 cup oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add empanadas
- working in batches
- and fry until golden brown
- about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
Prep Time: 35 mins
Cook Time: 35 mins
Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins
Servings: 12