Spicy Chicken Empanadas Paula Deen Recipes

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.

Steps:

• In a large bowl place the buttermilk, hot sauce, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the seasoned salt and cut up chicken, cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours Drain and discard buttermilk mixture.
• In shallow dish combine flour, garlic salt, red pepper, onion powder and remaining 1/2 teaspoons seasoned salt. Dredge chicken in flour mixture and place on wire rack and let sit for 15 minutes.
• In a large (preferably) cast-iron skillet pour oil to a depth of 3 inches and heat to 350 degrees.
• Fry chicken pieces in batches, for 12 to 15 minutes per side or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken registers 165 degrees. Drain on a clean wire rack over paper towels.
• Enjoy!

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.

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.

Steps:

• To make the dough-.
• Cut the chilled lard into small pieces and mix into the flour with your fingers until it is lumpy and coarse.
• Don't overwork it.
• Add the ice water a tablespoon at a time, while stirring it with a fork or spoon until it forms a ball.
• You will have to pick it up and form the ball, but you will still see the lard in it, a bit like streaked marble.
• It should be a little sticky, but not too.
• Put it in the fridge for an hour to chill and then remove and let it come to room temperature for one hour before you roll it.
• When you are ready to fill the empanadas, roll the dough out to 1/8 inch.
• Cut 4 inch circles with a cookie cutter, or whatever you have on hand.
• A friend taught me the secret to puff pastry dough.
• It is this-2 parts flour to 1 part lard (butter has water in it and therefore will not be flakey like lard.) You can alter the amount of dough you need but keep this simple formula and you will have success.
• You can also use ready made dough to speed things up considerably.
• To make the filling-.
• Soak the raisins in the white wine until plump, about 20 minutes, do this before you start the rest.
• Cut the tomatoes in half and grate them (yes, GRATE them on your cheese grater) by pressing down hard right down to the skins.
• Discard the skins.
• Add the contents to a blender and add the reconstituted ancho and the chipotles, juice of 1 lime and ½ of the cumin.
• Blend until smooth.
• Brown the beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat until well browned, about 15 minutes.
• Drain off the excess fat and add the onions, stir until translucent, about 3-5 minutes.
• Add the diced Jalapeño, and the Serranos, stir until fragrant and a bit soft, about 3 minutes.
• Add the glass with the raisins, including the wine and stir, while scraping the brown bits from the bottom of the pan, until the wine is evaporated and the raisins are soft, about 5 minutes.
• Add the pressed garlic and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Add the rest of the cumin, nutmeg, coriander, cinnamon and salt and stir for about 30 seconds.
• Add the contents from the blender, bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for about 1 hour.
• Taste, and adjust the seasonings, if necessary.
• HINT- if you use chipotles in adobo, omit the tomatoes, and use a little low-sodium chicken broth to thin the sauce, if necessary.
• To fill them-.
• Have a fork, a glass of water, and some excess flour handy.
• Dip your finger in water, and run it around the bottom half of the dough circle, on the edge, like a smiley face.
• Take a tablespoon of filling, a pinch of cheese and then fold the dough over it and press down gently, so it stays in place.
• Take the tines of the fork, dip them in flour and press down around the edges of the empañada to seal.
• Poke a hole in the top and freeze immediately.
• Adjust the amount of filling so that the empanada is not over-filled, but plump.
• Your first ones will be ugly, but with a little practice, they will turn out perfectly, and well sealed.
• This will make about 30+ empañadas, depending on how much filling you put inside.

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.

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.