Chicken Empanada With Green Chile Recipe
Prep Time:
5 hours
Cook Time:
40 minutes
Servings:
14 Pieces
Ingredients
  • 1 bell pepper, roughly chopped
  • 1 small yellow onion, roughly chopped
  • 6 cloves garlic
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 small bunch cilantro‌
  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • ⅓ cup sofrito
  • 1 ½ teaspoons (1 packet) sazón seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 (4-ounce) can green chiles
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • ⅓ cup unsalted butter, cubed
  • ⅓ cup vegetable shortening
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons (1 packet) sazón seasoning
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • vegetable oil for frying
Directions
  1. Make the sofrito by pulsing the bell pepper, onion, garlic, salt, olive oil, and cilantro in a food processor until finely chopped.
  2. Cut the chicken thighs into large pieces.
  3. Season the chicken with a mixture of sazón, salt, olive oil, green chiles, dried oregano, and ⅓ cup sofrito.
  4. Cover the chicken with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 4 hours or up to overnight.
  5. Pulse the butter, vegetable shortening, flour, remaining sazón packet, and salt in a food processor until fine crumbs form.
  6. Slowly pour in ice water a tablespoon at a time, pulsing until a ball of dough forms. (You should end up using 4 to 8 tablespoons of water.)
  7. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest for at least 20 minutes or up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
  8. Divide the dough into 14 equal pieces, each weighing about 1 ounce.
  9. Roll each piece of dough into a ball, then press it into a flat disk.
  10. Dust each disk with flour.
  11. Sauté the chicken over medium-high heat until it reaches 165 F inside.
  12. Let the chicken cool slightly, then shred it in the food processor.
  13. Put ¼ cup of filling in the center of each dough disk.
  14. Wet the outer edges of the dough with water and fold the dough over into a half-moon shape.
  15. Press the edges of the dough to seal them together, then crimp them with a fork.
  16. Refrigerate each empanada as you finish filling it.
  17. Fill a pot 3 inches deep with oil and heat it to 360 F.
  18. Fry 3 to 4 empanadas at a time for 2 minutes per side until golden brown.
  19. Drain the cooked empanadas on paper towels.
  20. Empanadas can be eaten hot or at room temperature accompanied by your choice of sauce.