After a busy week, you need to take a tasty trip to another place and time. Friday Night Empanadas are always the answer for an easy, delicious meal. Shredded chicken is surrounded with so much authentic flavor and then covered in a blanket of flaky dough and baked until golden. You can easily prepare Friday Night Empanadas a couple days ahead, so they are ready and waiting to pop in the oven when you crawl home after that crazy, end-of-the-week, just-trying-to-get-home traffic. Thank goodness for all the Friday nights!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup onion, minced
- 1 red bell pepper, minced
- 1 yellow or orange bell pepper, minced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons cilantro, finely minced
- 2 cups chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, cooked and shredded
- 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon
- 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon water, divided
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 10 dough discs, store-bought, such as Goya® Empanada Dough Discs, defrosted
Directions
Step 1 –Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Step 2 –Line an 18×26-inch baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step 3 –In a large skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil.
Step 4 –Add the onion, the red bell pepper, and the yellow bell pepper to the heated olive oil and sauté, stirring occasionally, until they have softened, about 5 minutes.
Step 5 –Add the garlic and the cilantro to the onion mixture and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Step 6 –Add the cooked chicken, the chicken bouillon, 1 cup of the water, the tomato paste, the onion powder, the garlic powder, and the salt to the onion mixture and cook until the liquid has evaporated but the mixture is not dry, about 5-8 minutes.
Step 7 –In a small bowl, add the egg and the remaining water and whisk to combine.
Step 8 –Add the dough discs to a flat surface.
Step 9 –Add a heaping 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture on one side of each of the dough discs.
Step 10 –Use a pastry brush to brush some of the egg wash on the inside 1/4-inch-edge of all the dough discs.
Step 11 –Fold the dough discs in half to meet the edges.
Step 12 –Use a fork to firmly press the edges together, then place the folded empanadas on the prepared baking sheet.
Step 13 –Use a pastry brush to coat the top and the sides of the empanadas with the remaining egg wash mixture.
Step 14 –Bake the empanadas until they are golden-brown, about 35 minutes.
Step 15 –Serve.
