This weekend I barely left my house. The impending blizzard hitting the east coast gave me the perfect excuse to avoid the outdoors and spend most of my time in the kitchen. After watching the endless rotation of Christmas movies on television I was indescribably inspired to whip up some cheer for my family. In order to accentuate the cozy feel of staying in during a snow storm, I had to think of dishes that required the oven.
Empanadas are a perfect snack that I’ve been making a lot of recently, testing out various kinds, dough, and ingredients. When I was in Argentina I had an empanada every other day, so you can get an idea of my affinity for these stuffed dough pockets. In Argentina the empanadas are small, shall I say personal sized. Ever since I was little I had larger empanadas in Spain. In Spain they make the empanadas about the size of a large pizza, a Spanish pizza filled with typical ingredients such as meat, peppers, and onions, however you can play around with recipes and use any filling you desire.
Galician Chicken Empanadas
This empanada recipe is similar to the ones I had as a child in Galicia Spain, except with smaller empanada shells. Clearly I’ve been influenced by the empanadas in Latin America, in particular Argentina. In Galicia it is common to bring your own filling to the baker who will then put the filling in the dough and bake it for you. In a similar vain, I had my lovely brother go to our favorite pizza place and buy some of their dough, which we later rolled out to make the small circles. This recipe is inspired by my childhood recipes as well as José Andrés the host of Made in Spain, a wonderful Spanish cook with restaurants in Washington D.C.
Ingredients
3 lbs chicken breast or thigh shredded
1/2 cup olive oil
1 large Spanish onion chopped
4 cloves of garlic
1 green pepper sliced
1 red pepper sliced
1 cup of crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon sweet or hot pimenton
Dash of cumin
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 egg
You will need shredded chicken for these empanadas. You can use leftovers from previous dishes or cook some chicken and shred it yourself. For my empanadas I used chicken breast which I grilled with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and later shredded when it cooled down. Set your chicken to the side.
Next you will heat up 1/2 cup of olive oil in a frying pan before putting in your onions. Make sure that the onions weep and release some water before you add the garlic. You can cut the garlic very thinly or chop it. I have a garlic and parsley adobo (blended garlic, parsley, and olive oil) that I use often. I used the adobo instead of merely the garlic. Let it fry for a couple minutes before you toss in your red and green peppers. Keep it on a medium flame and wait for the onions and peppers to caramelize, which should take about 15 minutes. Check on the mixture to make sure it doesn’t burn.
Once the onions caramelize you can add the cup of tomatoes. Let it cook for another couple of minutes before you add the pimenton and cumin. I personally enjoy the taste of cumin in dishes, but it is not for everyone. Now it’s time to put in your chicken as well as the chicken stock. I used to extra juices from when I cooked the chicken breast earlier. Let the broth and tomato simmer for about 10 more minutes or so.
When the chicken is finished, turn off the fire and start to prepare your dough. It should be rolled out and cut into even circles. Take an egg and beat it in a small bowl. You will use this egg to coat the dough. Coat one side of your dough before you put your chicken mixture in the middle. I tend to like my empanadas overflowing with filling and internal goodness. If you want more perfectly shaped empanadas then you should put less filling. Remember you are going to be folding the dough in half in order to close the empanadas, so you need to make room. After putting the mixture in the middle of the dough, fold it over until all ends are touching, making the shape of a half moon. Press the side together. Use a fork to make the ridges along where the dough comes together. Coat the outside of the empanadas to give them some color. Cook the empanadas in the oven for around 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees F. Buen provecho!
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Yes these are to die for! Yum!