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Easy Chicken Empanadas with Garlic Mojo Sauce

January 7, 2015
Easy chicken empanadas made wrapped in store-bought puff pastry so you don't have to make the dough. Serve with a garlic mojo sauce for a weeknight dinner!
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Chicken empanadas on a colorful napkin sitting on a wooden table with text overlay.

I am absolutely thrilled to be over on Dula Notes today sharing my recipe for an easy, delectable weeknight dinner. I have been a huge fan of Nicole’s site, mainly for her mouth-watering recipes but also the gorgeous photography and excellent writing. I especially love all the seasonal produce she uses and writes about. What is available in Michigan is pretty darn close to what we can get here in North Dakota, so I’m always excited to get a peek in her CSA box.

Chicken Empanadas on a baking sheet with parchment paper underneath.

I’ve been dreaming about empanadas for weeks now, ever since we came back from Miami where I had a steady intake of them. I knew I would never be able to replicate the ones I had there, but thought I could make my own, slightly easier version that would at least satisfy my cravings.

The crust is little more than store-bought puff pastry, which if you get the all-butter kind, bakes up nice and flaky. As for the chicken I used boneless, skinless thighs to maximize the flavor. I gently poached them then cooked the poached, shredded chicken with a one-two punch of chipotle chiles and saffron. I tried to keep the mojo sauce as true as possible, I mean there really is no substitute for it’s citrus and garlic flavors.

Poached Chicken for Empanadas in a pan with onion and bay leaf.

Circles of puff pastry on a counter with chicken filling on top.

These empanadas with a little salad make a scrumptious dinner and if there are leftovers you can reheat one or two in the oven the next day for lunch. You can find the recipe for the empanadas over on Dula Notes.

Chicken hand pies on colorful napkins sitting on a wooden counter.

And here are a few more weeknight dinner ideas:

  • Green Chile Cheeseburgers with Cayenne-Lime Mayo
  • Easy Squash and Black Bean Enchiladas
  • Baked Penne with Zucchini and Kalamata Olives
  • Simple Roasted Lime Chicken Thighs

What To Serve With Chicken Empanadas

Mexican Potato Soup with Melty Cheese and tortilla chips on a red napkin.

Mexican Potato Soup with Melty Cheese

Mango Cucumber Salad with Cayenne Dressing and Lime Basil

Mango Cucumber Salad with Cayenne Dressing and Lime Basil

Black beans in a copper pot with a potato masher sitting on a wooden table. The Best Ever Canned Black Beans

Print

Easy Chicken Empanadas with Garlic Mojo Sauce

Chicken empanadas on a colorful napkin sitting on a wooden table with text overlay.

Easy chicken empanadas wrapped in store-bought puff pastry so you don’t have to make the dough. Serve with a garlic mojo sauce for a weeknight dinner!

  • Author: Kate Ramos
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 45 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Yield: 10 1x
  • Category: main
  • Method: bake
  • Cuisine: Mexican
  • Diet: Low Lactose

Ingredients

Scale

FOR EMPANADAS

20 ounces boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1 large onion, thinly sliced

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon black peppercorns

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 chipotles en adobo, chopped

½ teaspoon saffron threads

all purpose flour, for dusting

17.3 ounce package all-butter puff pastry

1 large egg

FOR GARLIC MOJO SAUCE

1/3 cup olive oil

6 cloves garlic, chopped

½ cup fresh squeezed orange juice (about 2 oranges)

½ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (about 4 lemons)

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

If puff pastry is frozen remove from the box, and unroll onto the counter. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let thaw while you prepare the chicken.

Place chicken, half the onion slices, bay leaf, salt, and peppercorns in a large, deep frying pan. Cover with 3 cups of water and bring to a simmer. Simmer gently until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes.

Remove chicken from poaching liquid to cool. Strain liquid into a heatproof container and set aside. Discard solids.

While chicken is cooling make the Mojo sauce; heat olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add garlic, and cook gently until just starting to brown. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer. Simmer 2-3 minutes, cover and keep warm.

Once chicken is cool enough to handle, shred into bite-sized pieces.

Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add remaining onion slices and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and starting to brown, about 10 minutes.

Add chicken, chipotles, saffron, and ½ cup of the poaching liquid. Bring to a simmer and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated and ingredients have combined, about 2 minutes.

Heat oven to 400°F and arrange rack in the middle. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out puff pastry sheets to about ¼-inch thickness. Using a 6-inch plate, cut out as many circles as possible in one sheet. Repeat with other sheet of puff pastry. Gather any scraps and re-roll until you have 10 (6-inch) circles, lightly dusting with flour as needed.

Place about ¼ cup of filling in the middle of each circle and fold dough over to cover. Seal with tines of a fork and place the empanadas on the baking sheets.

Beat egg with 1 tablespoon water and brush the tops and sides of empanadas with the egg wash. Bake empanadas until golden brown and crisp, about 15 minutes. Remove and serve immediately with Mojo sauce.

Keywords: chicken empanadas

Did you make this recipe?

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Photo montage of chicken empanadas being prepped and the finished dish with text overlay.

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chickendinner tonightweeknight dinnerwinter
Kate Ramos
Kate Ramos

 

14 Comments

  • Avatar
    Reply Nicole January 7, 2015 at 3:11 pm

    Yay! Thank you for the kind words and for sharing your wonderful recipe on Dula Notes 🙂 I’m pretty sure I have empanada fever right now!

    • Avatar
      Reply Kate Ramos January 9, 2015 at 3:44 pm

      Absolutely Nicole! So great working with such wonderful people! Thank you for spreading the word!!

      • Avatar
        Reply Ada Zuluaga January 31, 2020 at 2:48 pm

        Me super encanto, gracias por compartir estas ricas y facies recetas, amo las empanadas ????

        • Avatar
          Reply Kate Ramos February 3, 2020 at 12:59 pm

          De nada Ada! Me amo las empanadas también!

  • Avatar
    Reply Enriqueta E Lemoine January 31, 2020 at 11:40 am

    I’m not a chicken person but I know somebody at home that will kill for this empanadas!

  • Avatar
    Reply Laura Rodriguez January 31, 2020 at 1:45 pm

    Nosotros preparamos las empanadas de pollo diferente pero me ha gustado mucho tu receta, super sabrosa!! Gracias por los detalles así es como aprendo mejor.

  • Avatar
    Reply Pilar Reyes January 31, 2020 at 2:43 pm

    Wow! Loos fantastic, i need to try this mojo!!!

  • Avatar
    Reply Jenny January 31, 2020 at 3:57 pm

    Oh Wow these Empanadas look delicious. I tried to make empanadas once but they didn’t turned out perfect. But this is an easy to make recipe. I’ll try to make these Empanadas this weekend dear.

    • Avatar
      Reply Kate Ramos February 3, 2020 at 12:59 pm

      Yes, using the puff pastry makes them so much easier!

  • Avatar
    Reply S. Yissele Gallo February 1, 2020 at 8:54 am

    Looks delicious, I love empanadas! Yummy! Thanks you so much for your recipe, tengo que prepararlo ????????????

    • Avatar
      Reply Kate Ramos February 3, 2020 at 12:58 pm

      Yay!! I’m so happy you like them!

  • Avatar
    Reply Morena February 1, 2020 at 9:58 am

    Yum! Qué ricas empanadas! Sabes que en Perú las amamos y las podemos comer a cualquier hora, principalmente entre comidas, como un delicioso snack. Voy a preparar tu receta, me la guardo ahora mismo

    • Avatar
      Reply Kate Ramos February 3, 2020 at 12:57 pm

      Muchisimas Gracias Morena! Ellas de hecho hacen el aperitivo perfecto!

  • Avatar
    Reply Estefania February 25, 2020 at 2:32 pm

    The recipe sounds amazing (I’m an empanada fan In general!) the puff pastry must be great in this recipe and store bought makes it easy and quick

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