Filipino Chicken Empanadas
I've had many-a-Empanada, immersing myself in different cultures, but Filipino Empanadas are definitely my favorite kind. Even some of the Pinoy bakeries have adapted the Frankenfood culture by selling Philly Cheesesteak Empanadas! I'm always iffy with Frankenfoods, but that actually sounds kinda' good. It's been all about baked vs. fried from the different adaptations of these lil'...ahem...hot pockets. Having them baked is the best way to go! The Argentinians know what we're talkin' about. A: it's healthier and B: it's just more delicious, because they're like mini, buttery flaky pot pies to-go! I grew up with some of them having raisins in them and to be honest: I hate them with them in it. I would always pick them out. I'm not even a picky person and usually eat everything, but I just never understood why they put them in there. There's another variety with ground beef and/or pork in them. Chicken is a personal fave.
The great thing about being a pastry chef, is that I have quite a few good dough recipes up my sleeve to pair these up with. Most recipes have shortening or margarine in them. Ew. I seriously try to refuse hydrogenated fats in any of my foods. Plus, using real butter and knowing how to make the perfect crust is the secret to making amazing Empanadas!
I hope you enjoy making these savory, delish lil' pockets of happiness. Be sure to tag me on social media, when you make these!
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Lil' Pie Pockets of Love x 1,000...
Greggy
Ingredients:
Dough:
4 sticks of cold, salted butter, diced small
5 cups flour
2/3 cups sugar
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. white pepper
1 cup ice cold water
Filling:
1 whole chicken, boiled or roasted
1 tsp. Pink Himalayan sea salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 cup of carrots, diced small
1 cup of frozen green peas
1 cup of onions, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
1 tbsp. fish sauce
3 tsbp. olive oil
Egg Wash:
3 yolks, beaten
1 tsp. milk
Tools:
5" round cutter
bench scraper
pastry brush
rolling pin
medium size ice cream scooper
Directions:
In a food processor, mix dry ingredients with couple pulses until combined. Stop the food processor and add diced, cold butter and pulse. Gradually add ice cold water, until the ingredients start to bind together and until the dough forms into a ball. If they dough seems too dry, feel free to add a tsp. of cold water, one at a time, until dough comes together.
Transfer dough unto a floured surface and shape into a smooth, round ball. Avoid overworking the dough and make sure that it stays cool. Divide into 3 separate balls of dough. Wrap each ball in plastic film and refrigerate and allow it to rest for at least 3-4 hours.
Roughly shred boiled chicken and set aside in a bowl.
On medium heat, saute onions in olive oil and 1 Tbsp. butter until translucent. Add diced carrots and cook until carrots are lightly browned and tender. They taste amazing when the carrots are brown and caramelized. You can add 1/4 cup of chicken stock (if you boiled the chicken) to thoroughly cook the carrots. Avoid it being too soft, but you want them to be tender. Add minced garlic.
Add shredded chicken, fish sauce, salt and pepper to taste. Turn off heat and add frozen peas and chopped green onions. Set filling aside to cool. Adding the frozen peas expedites the cooling process and avoids them from getting smashed.
Once the dough has rested and filling is cool, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface. Cut rounds of dough with a 5" cutter. These Empanadas can be different sizes; you can make mini ones as well. 5" is a generous size, but not too crazy huge.
Brush the bottom lip with egg wash and fill the dough rounds with an ice cream scooper. The scooper allows you to give consistent amounts of filling. Adjust amounts accordingly.
Bring the top flap down and seal the Empanada with tines of a fork. I finished off the edges with braided extra dough. I like to make things cuter, but feel free to let your creativity ensure or just keep it simple with just crimping with a fork.
Lay them out unto a sheet pan and brush the tops with egg wash.
Bake at 375F until tops and bottoms of the Empanadas are golden brown.
Serve and enjoy!
