This recipe for Chicken Empanadas combines shredded chicken, peppers, and California Ripe Olives in a guajillo chile sauce all tucked into flaky pastry. Serve as savory appetizers or as the main course with black beans and salsa.
Empanadas span the Latin world and show up in many forms across Latin America. The ones we are making today are filled with a flavorful chicken mixture studded with ripe California olives. We bake these until the tender pastry is golden brown and toasted.
This chicken empanada recipe makes excellent (if not downright fancy) appetizers or a lovely main course served with black beans, salsa, and of course some guacamole for spooning on top.
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What Are Chicken Empanadas Made Of?
Well chicken, of course. You could use rotisserie chicken or cooked chicken breasts but I opt for chicken thighs because they are tastier. To the chicken we add a delicious sauce made from guajillo chiles and cubes of fluffy potato.
But the key to a good chicken empanada are the tangy zip of olives. For this chicken empanada filling we are using ripe green California olives. The next time you’re at the store with olives on your grocery list, look for the California or USA origin on the can. California produces almost all the olives grown in the US (95% to be exact). California ripe olives are low in acid, buttery, and add the perfect brininess to this empanada recipe.
We are making these empanadas in celebration of California Farmer and Farmworker Month in collaboration with our good friends at California Grown. Every October we highlight the hardworking men and women who fill our plates with fresh, nutritious produce. Did you know 2/3rds of all produce sold in the United States comes from California? None of that would be possible without the dedication and commitment of our farmers and farmworkers.
Ingredients To Make These Chicken Empanadas
- Chicken thighs
- Garlic
- White onions
- Kosher salt
- Dried guajillo chiles
- Tomato
- Potatoes
- Red bell pepper
- California Ripe Green Olives
- Italian parsley
- Olive oil
- All purpose flour
- Dried marjoram
- Vegetable shortening or lard
- Tequila
- Egg
- Sesame seeds
How To Make Them (Step-By-Step Instructions)
step one
Start the dough. Before you begin, place the vegetable shortening (I use Crisco) or lard in the freezer for at least 30 minutes. You want it hard enough that it can be cut into small pieces and stay cold while you mix the dough together.
step two
Combine the dry ingredients. Make the dough by combing all the dry ingredients in a large glass bowl. Whisk to combine.
step three
Add the fat and liquid. Toss the pieces of vegetable shortening with the flour mixture to coat then use your fingers or a pastry cutter to blend the shortening into the flour until it is a sand-like mixture with a few larger pieces. Drizzle the tequila all over the flour then add 1/2 of the ice water. Begin tossing the mixture together and continue adding more ice water, a little at a time, until the dough easily holds together when you squeeze a handful.
step four
Chill dough. Divide dough into three equal pieces, shape into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Place dough in the refrigerator for at least an hour and up to a day in advance to chill.
step five
Cook chicken. Begin making the filling by combining the chicken, chiles, onion, salt, tomato, and garlic in a large pot. Fill with water.
step six
Simmer. Bring to a boil over high heat then lower to medium heat or lower to achieve a gentle simmer. Skim the foam off the top and let cook until chicken is very tender, cooked through, and almost falling apart, about 30 minutes.
step seven
Shred. Remove chicken to a baking sheet with tongs and shred into bite-sized pieces.
step eight
Blend guajillo sauce. Drain broth into a heatproof container (reserve broth for soup or another use) and transfer all the dried chiles and vegetables to a blender. Add 1/2 cup of the reserved broth to the blender and blend on high until smooth.
step nine
Sauté the vegetables. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet (large enough to hold all the filling) over medium-high heat. Add the onion, potato, and bell pepper. Add the measured 1 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt and cook until onions and peppers are soft, about 5-6 minutes.
step ten
Add sauce. Pour the guajillo sauce into the vegetable mixture. Then add the chicken, olives, and parsley. Stir to combine then remove from the heat and let cool while you roll our the empanada dough. It’s okay if the potatoes aren’t completely cooked, they will soften in the oven.
step eleven
Roll out dough. First, heat oven to 350°F and arrange the oven racks on the top and the bottom of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
On a lightly floured surface roll out one of the pieces of dough into 1/4-inch thick circle. Cut into 4-inch circles with a biscuit cutter. Gather up the scraps and return to the refrigerator. Repeat with remaining dough pieces then re-roll all the scraps until all the dough is used.
step twelve
Fill empanadas. Add 1 tablespoon of filling to the center of each circle. Press the edges together to seal.
step thirteen
Decorate the edge. You can either use a fork and press the tines gently along the edge of each empanada to create a line pattern or create a rope look by folding the bottom up over the top and then fold the pieces together with a pinch. Check out the video to see how I did it.
step fourteen
Bake. Lay the empanadas on the baking sheets, about an inch apart. Brush the tops with egg wash (aka the beaten egg) and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake until golden and crisp, about 30 minutes.
step fifteen
Enjoy! Serve warm with homemade salsa or let cool and keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Rewarm in a 350°F oven for 15 minutes.
More Recipes With California Olives To Try!
- Spicy Marinated Olives with Roasted Garlic and Herbs (ready in minutes)
- Grilled Asparagus Salad with Olive-Chile Dressing (beautiful produce on display)
- Marinated Olive Wreath (the perfect holiday appetizer)
- Baked Penne with Zucchini and Olives (an amazing little feast)
- Roasted Beet and Green Olive Salad (a fresh salad served simply)
- Cherry Tomato and Olive Bruschetta (seasonal tomatoes, olives, and crunchy toast)
Chicken Empanadas with Incredible Flavor
You are really going to love this recipe. Please let me know if you make it by snapping a pic and tag me on Instagram @holajalapeno and #holajalapeno so I can see or leave me a comment below (don’t forget to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating)!
Chicken Empanadas with California Olives
This recipe for Chicken Empanadas combines shredded chicken, peppers, and California Ripe Olives in a guajillo chile sauce all tucked into flaky pastry. Serve as savory appetizers or as the main course with black beans and salsa.
Ingredients
For the Empanada Dough
- 1 cup vegetable shortening or lard
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon dried marjoram
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/4 cup tequila
- 1 1/2 cups ice water
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 2 tablespoons white sesame seeds
For The Empanada Filling
- 1 large white onion
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 2 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 1 fat garlic clove, peeled
- 1 medium tomato, cored and halved
- 1 tablespoon + 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
- 2 medium red potatoes (about 8 ounces), peeled and diced
- 1/2 cup sliced California Ripe Green Olives
- 3 tablespoons chopped parsley
Instructions
For the Empanada Dough
- Chill the fat. Whether you are using shortening or lard, measure it then pop in the freezer for at least 30 minutes before starting the dough.
- Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk together the flour, marjoram, and salt.
- Cut the vegetable shortening or lard into small cubes and toss the cubes in the flour mixture to coat. Use a pasty blender or your fingers to blend the fat into the dry ingredients until it looks like coarse sand with a few larger pea-sized pieces.
- Add the tequila and about 1/2 of the ice water. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry by lifting the flour from the bottom with your hands and squeezing gently letting the mixture fall through your fingers. Keep adding more ice water a little at a time until it easily holds together but is not sticky.
- Form into 3 equal pieces fltten into disks, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 3 days in advance.
For the filling
1. Divide the onion in half cut one half into small dice and quarter the other half.
2. Combine the chicken, the quartered onion, guajillo chiles, garlic, tomato, and tablespoon of salt in a large soup pot and fill with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower to a simmer and skim any foam off the top. Cook until chicken is fall-apart tender, about 30 minutes.
3. Remove chicken to a baking sheet with tongs and let cool. Once cool enought to handle, shred into bite-sized pieces.
4. Strain broth into a large heat-proof container. Transfer all the vegetables and dried chiles to a blender. Add 1/2 cup of the reserved broth to the blender. Save remaining broth for a soup or another use. Blend mixture until smooth.
5. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan (one big enough to hold all the filling) over high heat. Add the diced onion, bell pepper, and potato. Add the 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt and cook until onions and peppers are soft, about 5-6 minutes.
6. Add the chicken and olives then the pureed guajillo sauce and parsley. Stir to coat everything in the sauce then set aside to cool. The potatoes won't be completely soft, but they will soften in the oven.
7. Heat oven to 350°F. Arrange the racks in the top and bottom of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
8. Roll one piece of dough into 1/4-inch thick circle. Cut into 4-inch circles using a biscuit cutter. Fill with 1 tablespoon of the filling.
9. Seal to close pressing the two sides together then create a decorative edge by pressing with the tines of a fork or pulling the bottom of the dough up and over the top to create a rope look (see video).
10. Lay the empanadas on a baking sheet about an inch apart. Brush with the egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Repeat with remaining dough and filling, re-rolling the scraps of dough until you've used all of it.
11. Bake empanadas until crust is firm and is lightly golden on top and darker on the bottom, about 30 minutes.
12. Let cool about 10 minutes before serving with guacamole or your favorite salsa.
Notes
To make the filling process go faster you can roll and cut the dough into circles all at once and then fill and seal the empanadas after. Chill the dough in the refrigerator if it starts to get warm.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 772Total Fat: 44gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 28gCholesterol: 143mgSodium: 1163mgCarbohydrates: 62gFiber: 4gSugar: 3gProtein: 30g
In support of this small business, ¡Hola! Jalapeño earns revenue in a few different ways. Several sponsored posts are published each month, such as this one here which was sponsored by California Grown. I also earn an affiliate commission on the sales of products I link to— there are a few of those links in this post. I only feature items I genuinely love and personally use on a regular basis. This commission is an arrangement between the retailer and ¡Hola! Jalapeño (readers never pay more for products). This income allows me to run the site. Thank you for reading!
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