• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Katie's Cucina
  • Home
  • About
    • Contact Me
    • FAQS
    • Privacy Policy
    • Accessibility Statement
    • Collaborate
  • Recipes
    • Appetizer
    • Asian
    • Breakfast
    • Bread
    • Comfort Food
    • Dairy Free
    • Dessert
      • Cookies
      • Ice Cream
    • Drinks
      • Smoothie
    • gluten free
    • Greek
    • Grilling
    • Holiday
      • Christmas
      • Halloween
    • Instant Pot
    • Italian
    • Katie Original
    • Main Dish
      • Beef
      • Chicken
      • Pork
      • Sausage
      • Turkey
      • Pizza
    • Mexican
    • One Pot Meal
    • Polish
    • Salad
      • Dressing
    • Sandwich
    • Seafood
      • Shrimp
    • Side Dish
    • Slow Cooker
    • Soups and Stews
    • Vegetarian
  • Travel
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • Recipe Index
  • About Me
  • Contact
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Recipe Index
  • About Me
  • Contact
×

Katie's Cucina » Recipes » Appetizer

Chicken Empanadas

Published: Sep 17, 2014 · Modified: May 12, 2021 by Katie · This post may contain affiliate links

Sharing is caring!

443 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Juicy and flavorful chicken and green olive filling make these homemade chicken empanadas irresistible!

Chicken Empanadas

I love a good empanada! I just started eating empanadas over the past decade. Whenever I go to Whole Foods or even the grocery store (yes, they sell them in our warm food case at the bakery) I typically grab a chicken and spinach empanada! I’ve never made them at home; however, my mother in-law has made beef empanada’s a few times. When we were planning my brother in-laws birthday last month we decided we would server chicken and ground beef empanadas for a light lunch as well as my homemade salsa and a seven layer dip. The empanadas made for  a perfect lunch and we happened to have quite a few leftover. We made 3 dozen. Two dozen beef and one dozen of the chicken empanadas. I was tasked with making the filling. I grabbed cooked rotisserie chicken meat (there I go again with the rotisserie. If your not embracing the rotisserie chicken you need too!), some of my favorite spanish spices, and a few large green olives. I just so happened to make enough filling for one dozen empanadas. It was fate. And boy were they flavorful!

In case you’ve never made chicken empanadas I have a few pictures on how to make them. They are so easy to make and best of all you can prep them ahead of time and fry them right before your about to eat.

Chicken Empanadas

I use pre-made empanada dough found in the freezer section. You will want to defrost them in the fridge the day before. Place 1-2 tablespoons of chicken filling in the middle of the empanada dough disc.

Chicken Empanadas Then fold the empanada in half like the photo above. (My mother in-law, Linda, is my hand model for these photos!)

Chicken Empanadas

Then, use a fork and seal the dough shut by pressing the tines of the fork into the dough. Set them in a covered container until your ready to fry them. Then once your ready to fry, in a deep skillet, heat 1-inch of canola oil to 375°. Of course, if you have a deep fryer then you can use that. Fry a few empanadas at a time (try not to over crowd the skillet), turning once, until browned and crisp, about 3-5 minutes. Place the fried empanadas on a paper towel. While your waiting for the rest to cook you can transfer the cooked empanadas to a baking sheet, and place in the oven on low to keep warm! 

Chicken Empanadas

The cilantro cream sauce is awesome and compliments the chicken empanada perfectly. It’s a sauce that my mother in-law has been making with her empanadas over the past few years and I love it. It’s fresh and full of flavor and of course just a few ingredients. If you don’t have sour cream or don’t want to use sour cream you could always sub greek yogurt instead. You will still achieve the same great taste. Whether you are hosting a party or just want a fun new lunch I would highly recommend you try your hand at making homemade chicken empanadas!

Chicken Empanadas

Chicken Empanadas

Chicken Empanadas

Juicy and flavorful chicken and green olive filling make these homemade chicken empanadas irresistible.
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 135kcal
Author: Katie

Ingredients

Empanadas:

  • 1 cup Vegetable Oil
  • 10 Empanada Discos pastry dough found in freezer section
  • 2 cups Shredded Cooked Rotisserie Chicken
  • ¼ cup Tomato Sauce
  • 2 tablespoon Jarred Sofrito
  • 1 package Sazon Coriander & Arnatto)
  • 4 Super Colossal Spanish Queen Olives Pimento Stuffed diced (about â…“ cup)
  • ½ cup Shredded Mexican Cheese

Cilantro Cream Sauce:

  • 1 cup Sour cream
  • ¼ cup fresh cilantro minced
  • ½ lime juiced
  • salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

Empanadas:

  • In a large bowl combine, shredded cooked rotisserie chicken, tomato sauce, jarred sofrito, sazon seasoning, diced Super Colossal Spanish Queen Olives Pimento Stuffed, and shredded Mexican cheese. Mix until well combined and set to the side.
  • Place empanada disc on a flat surface. Place 1-2 tablespoons of filling in the center of the disc (make sure to not over-fill). Fold empanada in half (moon shape), Seal the edges with a little water and crimp with a fork. Keep filled empanadas covered with parchment paper until ready to fry. (You can refrigerate up to a few hours before frying).
  • Preheat a large skillet with vegetable oil on medium-high heat. Oil needs to be at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place a few empanadas at a time in the pan (make sure to not over crowd the pan) Fry, turning halfway through, until evenly golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and place empanadas on a paper towel to drain off excess oil. To keep empanadas warm while others are frying, place in the oven on low.

Cilantro Cream Sauce:

  • In a bowl, combine, sour cream, minced cilantro, lime juice, and salt and pepper. Mix until well incorporated. Refrigerate until ready to serve empanadas.

Notes

  • Make the empanadas a few hours ahead of time - just cover and chill. Then you can fry when it's time to eat.
  • Try using Greek yogurt instead of sour cream.

Nutrition

Calories: 135kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 39mg | Sodium: 207mg | Potassium: 123mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 271IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 67mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @KatieJasiewicz or tag #katiescucina!
« Chicken and Stars Soup
Grilled Asian Green Beans and Red Bell Peppers »

About Katie

Katie is a busy mom of 2 children who loves to feed her family delicious meals that don't take hours to cook! She started her blog 10 years ago as a way to help others get cooking in the kitchen.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kathy Ann Jones

    April 03, 2020 at 9:20 pm

    I’m not a fan of cilantro so the sauce for the chicken empanadas won’t work. Is there a different sauce that would work just as well? Ty

    Reply
    • Katie

      April 10, 2020 at 2:37 pm

      Hi Kathy. Sorry for the delayed response. Hmmm… you could use a ranch with a little hot sauce in it or even salsa. It’s all up to your own preference.

  2. Penny

    May 09, 2018 at 4:22 pm

    Can you bake these my pans are not deep enough for lots of oil ?

    Reply
    • Katie

      May 09, 2018 at 9:30 pm

      Hi Penny, thank you for your inquiry. I believe you could, but I’ve never tried to bake them!

  3. Mary @ Healthy Food Recipes

    October 30, 2017 at 9:24 pm

    Love these! Great idea for my dinner!

    Reply
  4. Carol at Wild Goose Tea

    September 17, 2014 at 7:20 pm

    Empanadas are such a TREAT for me. I don’t know why I don’t make them or even order them in a restaurant. What is MY problem? Don’t answer that! I guess I will have to fix that.

    Reply
    • Katie

      September 22, 2014 at 9:30 pm

      LOL they are actually super easy to make at home… so go make some! 😉

  5. Meagan @ A Zesty Bite

    September 17, 2014 at 4:34 pm

    I love homemade empanadas at home. This filling is perfect for my next batch.

    Reply
    • Katie

      September 22, 2014 at 9:30 pm

      Thanks Meagan, me too!

  6. danielle

    September 17, 2014 at 9:27 am

    I love empanadas, I bake mine so I dont feel as guilty about eating them but Hubby fries his and of course they taste better.

    Reply
    • Katie

      September 22, 2014 at 9:30 pm

      I’ll probably bake them too when I make them at home. But since my mother in-law was already frying her empanadas I let her fry mine too! 🙂

  7. Rachel @ Baked by Rachel

    September 17, 2014 at 8:40 am

    Love these! Such a fun game day recipe 🙂

    Reply
    • Katie

      September 22, 2014 at 9:31 pm

      Agree–perfect one handed meal!

Did you make this recipe? Let me know! Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

I'm Katie Jasiewicz: home cook, food blogger, and recipe developer. A busy mom of two children who loves to feed her family delicious meals that don’t take hours to cook! My mission is to create easy-to-make modern comfort food for the busy family. (more)

Featured On

brand logos in collaage; food network, MSN, kitchenaid, country living, world market, etc

Most Popular Recipes

  • Broccoli Casserole with Ritz Crackers
  • Homemade White Gravy
  • Mashed Potato Soup
  • KitchenAid Pasta Recipe

Game Day Eats

  • Slow Cooker Chili Cheese Dip
  • Chili Cheese Nachos
  • Buffalo Chicken Dip
  • Instant Pot Chicken Wings from Frozen

Footer

logos of places Katie's Cucina has been featured on; food network, KitchenAid, Stonyfield, Country LIving, Women's Health, etc.

COPYRIGHT © KATIE'S CUCINA 2009-2022
AS AN AMAZON ASSOCIATE I EARN FROM QUALIFYING PURCHASES.
PRIVACY POLICY Â· ACCESSIBILITY STATEMENT Â· DESIGN BY GRACE + VINE STUDIOS

443 shares