The BEST Flaky Chicken Empanada’s Made with Homemade Empanada Dough

Scrumptious chicken empanadas with a hearty stew-like filling consisting of shredded chicken, cheese, sauce, and sautéed vegetables enclosed in a buttery, flaky crust that will have your toes curling.

These chicken empanadas will be a fan favorite. They have a unique taste to them because I switched things up and put my own spin on it. But they’re savory, cheesy, saucy, with a flaky buttery crust to die for. 

So this is one chicken empanada recipe worth trying. Perfect as an appetizer for cocktail parties and other social gatherings, and makes for the perfect finger food for children, no forks or spoons required for this delight.

My mom and sister inspired this recipe.

This recipe was inspired by my mom and sister, who live together. My sister, four years younger, is always trying out different recipes, particularly those from foreign countries, and she always shares them with my mom, which my mom loves because she hates to cook.

My sister and I are always either cooking for her or buying her something to eat. She just got lazy over the years. Haha! Anyway… my sister made some tasty beef empanadas and let’s just say my mom fail in love with them.

I was talking to her about some new recipe ideas, and she said she would be interested in seeing my take and version of empanadas because she knows I always put my own twist and spin on things. I told her that if I were to try making empanadas for the first time, I would rather make chicken empanadas and want her to help me.

So she came over to my crib and helped me experiment and create this recipe. Let’s just say it came out really well the first time around, and I had many people taste it, and was told not to make any changes. Lol!

So here it is… phillyboyjay style chicken empanadas… let me get into all the ingredients we’ll be using to make both the homemade empanada dough and the filling…

Recipe Ingredients

• Fat: Vegetable Oil is what we’ll be using to fry the chicken empanadas; about 3 cups.

Empanada Homemade Flaky Dough Ingredients

• Crust: You need 4 cups of All-purpose Flour for the dough and an additional 1/2 cup of flour for the surface we’ll be rolling the dough on.
• Liquid: Use Ice Cold Water
• Dairy: 2 large eggs
• Fat: Use 2 sticks of frozen Unsalted Butter, which is equivalent to 1 cup.
• Seasonings: Salt is a must for making empanada dough; turmeric is used for color, and Cayenne pepper adds a pinch of heat.

Empanada Filling Ingredients

• Meat: 2 lbs of Boneless Chicken Breast is needed for this recipe. Dark meat can also be used.
• Cheese: Shredded Colby Jack and Mexican Cheese Style Blend
• Vegetables: Yellow onions, green Peppers, Diced Tomatoes, and minced garlic, for chunkiness and depth of flavor. The corn is to add a hint of sweetness to the filling.
• Paste: Tomato Paste is used to thicken the sauce, to give it a red color, and to add a hint of tomato flavor to the filling.
• Liquids: Chicken Broth is what we use to boil the chicken in. Use a low-sodium chicken broth
• Thickener: Cornstarch is used to thicken the broth, resulting in a rich sauce.
• Fat: Vegetable oil and unsalted butter are used to sear the chicken and sauté the vegetables.

Creamy Sriracha Empanada Dipping Sauce Ingredients

• Condiments: Mayo and Sriracha Sauce. We want it to be more creamy than hot, so however much you make, use a 2:1 mayonnaise-to-sriracha ratio; twice as much mayonnaise as sriracha.

Cookware & Utensils You’ll Need:

• Large Pot: To sear and sauté the vegetables and to boil the chicken in.
• Large Skillet: For frying the empanadas.
• Large Mixing bowl: To combine the dough ingredients
• Blender: To mix the frozen butter into the flour.
• Baking Sheet: To rest the empanadas on after they’re done frying.
• Rolling Pin: To roll out and flatten the empanada dough.
• Round Dough Cutter: To cut out a circular shape of dough.
• Spatulas: Use 2 spatulas to flip the empanadas.
• Measuring Cups: Use measuring cups to accurately measure ingredients like the oil, broth, and cheese.
• Measuring spoons: Use to measure the seasonings and other ingredients accurately.

Empanada Facts

• What are empanadas? Empanadas are a pastry with a half-moon shape, with a flaky or chewy crust, and a filling that’s savory and filled with vegetables like onions, peppers, garlic, and tomatoes and meat like chicken or ground beef. The filling sometimes contains cheese and sauce.
• Origin of empanadas: They are believed to have originated in the Mediterranean region and during trade and colonization, spread throughout and became popular in Latin America, where it’s made with different fillings and types of doughs.
• How should they taste? Chicken empanadas should be savory and well seasoned with spices like cumin, chili, or chipotle or paprika. It should be encased in a flaky, crispy, or sort of chewy crust, depending on how the dough was prepared and whether it was baked or fried.

How to Make Homemade Flaky Empanada Dough

1. Get 3/4 cup of cool water and place it in the freezer to chill it to a very cold temperature.
2. Add 4 cups of all-purpose flour to a large mixing bowl.
3. Stir in the salt, turmeric, and cayenne pepper.
4. Chop up two sticks of cold, hard, unsalted butter.
5. Add half of the flour and half of the butter to a blender and pulse until well blended, leaving a buttery crumb consistency.
6. Repeat until all the flour and cold butter are combined, and then add back to the large mixing bowl.
7. Crack two eggs into a small mixing bowl and beat them well with a fork.
8. Add them to the bowl of flour and butter, and work them in with your hands.
9. Then add the water, using a little at a time, and bring the dough together to form a large ball.
   Make sure not to overwork the dough.
10. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

^^^This is when you begin working on the filling^^^

Tips for making a flaky crust

• Don’t use a lot of water: Rely on the moisture from the fat aka butter, to bring the flour and butter together, and just use a little water to help make things a little sticky to hold the dough together.
• Don’t overwork the dough: Overworking the dough can result in dense tough chewy crust. This happens when the gluten has been overworked causing the gluten strands to become too tight and strong, making it difficult for the dough to rise and expand.
• Make sure to close Empanadas fully: Properly enclosing the filling and sealing the ends of the empanadas ensures they will fry without opening, causing the hot oil to get inside and burn parts of the filling.

How to make Flaky Chicken Empanada Filling

1. Season the boneless chicken breast with all the seasonings.
2. Chop up the onions and peppers into small pieces.
3. Drain the juice from the can of diced tomatoes.
4. Place a large pot over medium-high heat and add 3 tablespoons of oil.
5. After a minute, add the chicken and sear on each side for 3 minutes, then remove it.
6. Add the butter, and once it melts, add in the onions, peppers, diced tomatoes, and minced garlic, then stir well.
7. Sautee for 2 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium.
8. Stir in the tomato paste and cornstarch.
9. Add the chicken back to the pot and pour in the broth.
10. Cover with a lid, leaving a crack on the side, and simmer for 35-40 minutes.
    Stir periodically.
11. Add filling to a large mixing bowl and shred the chicken.
12. Stir in the corn and cheese while it’s hot.

Adding the filling to the dough

1. Coat a flat surface with as much of the remaining 1/2 cup of flour as needed.
2. Slice the dough in half, then slice it into as many pieces as you desire.
   This depends on how many empanadas you want and the size you prefer.
3. Roll the pieces of dough, then press them against the surface.
4. Flatten them out with a rolling pin.
5. Using a circular bowl or a round dough cutter, cut out a circular piece of dough to your preferred size.
6. Add the filling to the empanada dough, fold, and close ends together with a fork.
7. Place a large skillet over medium heat and add in the oil.
8. After about 10 minutes, or once hot, add in the empanadas.
9. Fry for 3 to 4 minutes per side, then set on a baking rack.
10. For a creamy spicy dipping sauce, combine the mayo and sriracha, then stir well.

How to make Flaky Chicken Empanadas Video

Tips for success

• Make sure to preheat oil: It’s very important to ensure the oil is very hot so the empanadas fry immediately and don’t sit in cold oil absorbing grease. This is one of the most important steps to frying all foods, to add it to hot oil.
• Fry a few at a time: Avoid overcrowding the skillet by frying only a few empanadas at a time. This lowers the oil temperature, making it hard for them to crisp up, and can cause them to stick due to little space and separation.
• Use 2 Spatula’s: Using 2 spatulas makes it easy to flip the empanadas as they’re frying.

Storage and reheating

• How to store empanadas: You can place them in a ziploc bag or wrap them in aluminum foil and store them in the refrigerator.
• Can you freeze empanadas? You can place them in a ziploc bag. Make sure they’re sealed to prevent freezer burn. Freezing them will keep them fresh longer.
• How to reheat empanadas? Place them in a microwave and heat them up on high heat for one minute or two.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Can I bake them instead? Yes! The only things you will do differently is, brush the top of the empanadas with melted butter and battered eggs. Crack the eggs into a small bowl and beat well, then stir in melted butter, and brush over empanadas before placing them on a baking sheet and baking them.
• How to bake them? Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange the empanadas on it. Preheat oven to 400°F and bake for 20 minutes.

That’s it for now. Give this recipe a shot, and if you enjoy it, leave a 5-star rating, share, and comment below letting readers know how you liked it. Also, subscribe to receive email notifications every time I post a new recipe.

Also, follow me on other social media platforms to stay updated on everything Philly Jay Cooking related. I can be found on Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

Enjoy, later!

Pbj~

Print