Spicy Chicken Empanadas Paula Deen Food

PAULA DEEN'S SPICY CHICKEN EMPANADAS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Mix all ingredients (except the dough and egg) in a large bowl using rubber spatula.
• Roll out the pie crust dough and cut circles, about 5 inches in diameter.
• Spoon filling into the middle of the dough circles.
• Wet your finger and run it along the edge of the circle(this helps it stick shut) - fold circle in half and pierce the edges with a fork that has been dipped in flour (to prevent sticking to the dough).
• Beat the egg and brush over the empanadas.
• Bake at 400°F for 15 minutes.

SPICY CHICKEN EMPANADAS (PAULA DEEN)

Steps:

• Heat vegetable oil in a medium saute pan; add onions, green chiles, jalapenos, garlic and cumin and saute until onions are translucent.
• In large bowl combine chicken, lime juice and cilantro. Add the onion-chili mixture and mix. Stir in cheese and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Using a 4-inch ring mold (biscuit cutter), cut circles from prepared pie dough. Put about 1 tablespoon of the chicken mixture in center of dough. Brush egg wash around circumference of the dough. Fold top half over to form a half circle. Seal with the tines of a fork.
• Heat a deep-fryer to 325 degrees with peanut oil. Submerge a few empanadas into oil until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels.

SPICY CHICKEN EMPANADAS

Steps:

• For the empanada dough: Mix all empanada ingredients in a mixer. Let dough rest in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.
• For the filling: Bake the chicken breast until fully cooked. Put breast meat in a food processor and pulse until chopped (you don't want very small pieces). Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil. Add onions, green and red bell peppers, salt, black pepper, paprika, garlic powder, red pepper, oregano and basil. Cook until onions are soft, about 10 minutes. Pour in chipotle sauce and stir. Finally add tomato sauce. Allow filling to cool.
• To form the empanadas, knead the dough. Roll the dough out by hand or with a commercial sheeter. Cut out circles of dough. Place a dough circle in an empanada mold if you have one, but it's not necessary; fill with chicken mixture. Wet the edges of the dough with your fingers. Close the mold to seal, or fold dough over filling and use the tines of a fork to seal the edges. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Use a pastry brush to paint empanadas with an even coat of egg wash.
• Preheat a convection oven to 450 degrees F, or regular oven to 400 degrees F. Place empanadas on greased baking sheets. Bake for 3 minutes in convection oven or 10 to 15 minutes in regular oven.

CHEESEBURGER EMPANADAS

Steps:

• Position 2 racks in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment.
• Stir together the ketchup, mayonnaise, chopped pickles and mustard in a medium bowl. Season with salt and set the sauce aside.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When it starts to shimmer, add the ground beef, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cook, breaking the meat apart with a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula, until lightly browned in spots and just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the onion and cook, stirring constantly, until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Use a large slotted spoon to scoop the meat mixture into a medium bowl and stir in 1/3 cup of the sauce. Allow to cool slightly. Fold the American cheese into the cooled mixture.
• Lightly beat the egg with 1 tablespoon of water in a small bowl for the egg wash and set aside.
• Unfold 1 puff pastry sheet onto a lightly floured surface. Roll out into a 12-inch square. Cut out 9 rounds with a 4-inch round cookie cutter. Spoon 1 leveled tablespoon of the meat filling just off center on each round. Top the filling with 1 whole pickle chip. Brush the edge of each round with the egg wash and fold the puff pastry over the filling, slightly stretching if necessary. Press the edges together and crimp the edges with a fork. Transfer to one of the prepared baking sheets and brush each empanada with more egg wash. Repeat this process with the remaining sheet of puff pastry and filling. Bake until puffed and golden brown, about 15 minutes. Serve hot with the remaining sauce for dipping.

SPICY CHICKEN EMPANADAS WITH ORANGE SALSA VERDE

Steps:

• Heat vegetable oil in a medium saute pan, add onions, green chiles, jalapenos, garlic and cumin and saute until onions are translucent.
• In large bowl combine chicken, lime juice and cilantro. Add the onion-chili mixture and mix. Stir in cheese and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Using a 4-inch ring mold, cut circles from prepared pie dough. Put about 1 tablespoon of the chicken mixture in center of dough. Brush egg wash around circumference of the dough. Fold top half over to form a half circle. Seal with the tines of a fork.
• Heat a deep-fryer to 325 degrees F. with peanut oil. Submerge a few empanadas into oil until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels. Cool slightly and serve with Orange Salsa Verde dipping sauce.
• In a large bowl combine all ingredients.

CHICKEN EMPANADAS

Steps:

• Mix together first 8 ingredients, and refrigerate until ready to assemble empanadas.
• On a floured surface, roll out pie shells and cut into 4-inch circles (use all the pie dough by re-rolling scraps).
• Place approximately 2 tablespoons of chicken mixture in center of dough circles.
• Fold each circle in half and crimp edges with a fork.
• Place on a baking sheet and brush tops with egg yolks.
• Sprinkle top with mixed salt and chili powder.
• Bake 12-13 minutes at 400F degrees.
• Serve warm or at room temperature.
• Freezes well.

CHICKEN EMPANADAS

Steps:

• FILLING:.
• Sift the flour into a bowl. Stir in the salt and the sugar.
• Blend the butter and shortening into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter or with two knives, until fairly well blended.
• Whisk the egg yolks with 3/4 cups water. Stir in the 1/2 cup of water/egg mixture, a little at a time until the dough starts to come together smoothly. Keep kneading the dough, adding more water/egg a little bit at a time as necessary (you made need a few tablespoons extra of water), until the dough is smooth. The dough will seem a bit shaggy until it has thoroughly chilled.
• Cover the dough with saran wrap and refrigerate for about an hour. (Dough can also be kept overnight (or a couple of days) in the refrigerator) Dough should be soft and smooth, and not elastic - if you poke a hole in it with your finger, the indentation should remain.
• FILLING.
• Prepare empanada dough and chill.
• Poach the chicken: Place the chicken breasts in a pot with the bouillon and bay leaf, and cover with water or chicken broth.
• Bring to a boil, and simmer over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. Let cool in the broth.
• Shred chicken into small pieces, and moisten with 1 or 2 tablespoons of the broth. Set aside.
• Heat oil in a skillet. Add chopped onions, paprika, cumin, chile powder, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste.
• Cook over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until onions are soft and clear, and mixture is golden brown.
• Remove from heat and stir in the chicken. For best flavor, refrigerate filling until the next day.
• Stir chopped hard boiled egg and olives into filling mixture.
• Separate empanada dough into golf ball size pieces, and roll each one into a smooth ball. Let rest 5 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 220°C.
• On a floured surface, roll each ball of dough into a circle about 6 inches in diameter.
• Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of filling in the middle of the circle. Brush the edges of the dough along the bottom half of the circle lightly with water.
• Fold the top half of the circle of dough over the filling to form a semicircle, and press edges together firmly to seal.
• Brush the pressed edge with a little bit of water, and fold the edge over itself, pinching and crimping as you go to make a braid-like effect. Place empanadas on a baking sheet.
• Mix egg yolk with water and brush mixture lightly over entire surface of each empanada.
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown and slightly puffed.
• Serve warm or at room temperature.

SPICY CHICKEN EMPANADAS

Steps:

• Make filling: Place chicken breast, half the onion, and the bay leaf in a medium saucepan. Cover with cold water, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, and poach until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate; reserve 1 cup cooking liquid, and discard onion and bay leaf. When chicken is cool enough to handle, shred meat from the bone with a fork; set aside.
• Roast poblano chile directly over a gas flame, turning as each side blackens and blisters. (Alternatively, roast chile under the broiler.) Transfer to a bowl, and cover with plastic wrap; let steam 10 minutes. Remove plastic wrap; peel off and discard blackened chile skin. Remove stem, seeds, and ribs; discard. Slice chile into 1/4-inch strips; set aside.
• Finely chop remaining onion. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped onion and garlic; saute until soft and translucent. Stir in cumin and canela; cook 1 minute. Add shredded chicken, tomatoes, chipotle, poblano, and reserved cooking liquid. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until liquid has thickened, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper; stir in cilantro and pepitas. Set aside to cool.
• Make empanadas: Break off a 1 1/2-inch ball of empanada dough. On a clean work surface, roll dough into a circle about 1/8 inch thick. Using a 3 1/2-inch cookie cutter, cut out a round of dough. (Or use an inverted glass as a guide, cutting around it with a sharp paring knife.)
• Place 1 teaspoon filling in center of each round; sprinkle with cheese. Using a pastry brush, moisten edges of dough with water; fold dough over to seal, pressing gently. Crimp edges with a fork; set aside. Repeat with remaining dough. Gather scraps and reroll. (Only do this once, to avoid toughening the dough.)
• Pour remaining oil into a medium saucepan; oil should be 2 inches deep. Place over medium heat until oil reaches 375 degrees on a deep-fry thermometer. Working with a few empanadas at a time to avoid overcrowding, fry until golden, turning once, about 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to drain on a paper-towel lined baking sheet. While still hot, sprinkle tops with sugar. Serve immediately with crema pura or cream on the side, if desired.