Chicken Enchilada Empanadas with Homemade Empanada Dough
An easy recipe for baked chicken enchilada empanadas using from empanada dough from scratch. You can freeze the empanadas for meal prepping and for later use, or you can bake them immediately for dinner.
Servings 8 large empanadas
Ingredients
For the Empanada Dough
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup cold water
- 1 tbsp distilled white vinegar
For the Chicken Enchilada Filling
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion, chopped
- 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 1 tsp taco seasoning
- 1 can (10 oz) enchilada sauce
- 1 cup shredded cooked chicken
- 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese
- 1 cup queso fresco cheese, grated or crumbled
For the Egg Wash
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp water
Instructions
First, Make the Empanada Dough
- Sift flour with salt. Using a stand mixer, add butter to the sifted flour. Mix until there are small, pea-size clumps of butter. (You can also use a pastry blender to cut the butter into flour.)
- In a bowl, whisk together the egg, cold water, and vinegar.
- Add the egg mixture into the flour and blend until it forms a sticky dough.
- Lightly flour a cutting board. Gather all the dough and turn it out on the floured board. Knead gently and form a ball. The dough is now ready to be used.If you're making the empanada dough in advance, wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate. The dough will be good for 1-2 days.
Next, Make the Chicken Enchilada Filling
- In a skillet or frying pan, heat oil over medium-high heat.
- Add the chopped onions, green bell pepper, and celery. Saute until the onion is soft and translucent, and the vegetables are soft.
- Stir in the taco seasoning until well combined.
- Add the enchilada sauce and stir to incorporate it into the vegetable mix.
- Mix in the shredded chicken and Mexican cheese. Stir until the Mexican cheese is melted, then remove from heat.
Assemble the Empanadas
- Separate the empanada dough into 8 equally sized balls.
- Flour the rolling pin. Roll the dough balls flat until they're about 1/4" thick.
- Place a spoonful of the queso fresco cheese in the middle.
- Add a spoonful of the chicken enchilada mix on top.
- Fold the dough in half and use a fork to crimp the edges together.
- You can now either freeze the prepared empanadas in a ziplog bag or freezer-safe tupperware for later use, or you can bake them now!
Bake the Chicken Enchilada Empanadas
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, crack one egg and mix with 1 tablespoon of water. This is your egg wash.
- Place the empanadas on the baking sheet. Brush the egg wash on the top of the empanadas.
- Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown. Enjoy!
