These irresistible chicken empanadas are deliciously crisp and absolutely loaded with flavour! Featuring a perfectly spiced chicken and chorizo filling encased in a golden homemade pastry, they are oven-baked to perfection.
These gorgeous savoury hand-pies are perfect for a dinner, as a comforting grab-and-go lunch, for entertaining or as an easy snack! But be warned, you won’t be able to stop at one!
If you are looking for a tasty appetiser recipe or an easy weeknight dinner that can be made ahead of time and stored in the freezer, then look no further than these easy empanadas! With a hearty ground chicken and chorizo mixture tucked into a deliciously crunchy crust, they are always a crowd-pleaser.
Along with other snacks such as chicken, bacon and cheese sausage rolls and ham and cheese pinwheels, these chicken empanadas make a great hand-held finger food to serve at parties (keeping the other hand free for a cheeky glass of bubbles!), but are also perfect to re-heat for a simple and comforting dinner - just add some veggies or salad on the side.
This recipe makes about 18-20 empanadas, which is perfect if you’re having a party! But when you're not having to feed a crowd, you can always pop any leftovers in the freezer to reheat when you need a quick and easy dinner or snack.
They are so irresistible that I highly recommend you make a double batch as they will disappear - FAST!
Why You're Going To Love This Recipe
- Hand-held appetisers that are perfect for parties and snacking.
- A flavour-packed, savoury filling with just enough spice to be completely irresistible.
- Easy to make ahead for a simple freezer meal.
- Oven baked instead of fried so less oil and calories.
- Crisp homemade pastry that is incredibly easy to make.
- Serve them with any of your favourite dipping sauces - something to tempt everyone!
- Did I mention how completely and utterly delicious they are?!
- Conventional and Thermomix - these chicken empanadas can be made conventionally or in a Thermomix. You will find both the conventional and Thermomix methods in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
What You Need
These flavour-packed empanadas are the perfect party food or Friday night 'fake-away' dinner.
Note: Please scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for ingredient quantities and the full detailed method.
For The Empanada Filling
- Olive oil.
- Onion - one medium brown onion, finely chopped.
- Chorizo – choose your favourite, good-quality chorizo sausage from the supermarket or butchers.
- Chicken mince – ground chicken is used to make the empanada filling. I recommend using full-fat/regular mince rather than lean chicken mince, as the lean version will not be as moist.
- Spices – a mix of paprika, cumin and garlic adds the base flavour to the chicken filling.
- Sun-dried tomatoes – are used to add flavour and texture. I recommend using the store-bought deli or jarred version to keep it simple. Alternatively, you can add 1-2 tablespoons of tomato paste.
- Chicken stock – liquid chicken stock adds moisture and flavour to the filling mixture. Store bought stock (or stock made from powder) will work just fine.
For The Pastry
- Plain flour – the structure of the pie crust. Use white, all-purpose flour.
- Olive oil – is used instead of butter and gives the pastry its flavour and flaky texture.
- Baking powder – to give the pastry a little puff!
- Egg – is used for brushing over the pastry before baking, to give it a lovely sheen and golden colour.
Alternatively, you can skip the homemade pastry in favour of store-bought pizza dough, shortcrust or puff pastry. A great option when you are short on time.
Equipment Required
There is no fancy kitchen equipment required here! A frying pan and a baking tray are all you need. The filling can also be made in a Thermomix - see recipe card below.
Step by Step Instructions
Note: Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for the ingredients quantities and full detailed method!
Step 1 - Make The Chicken Filling
Cook the onion, chorizo and garlic in a little olive oil and for for 1-2 minutes.
Add the chicken mince, paprika, cumin, sun-dried tomatoes and chicken stock and fry until cooked through. Set the mixture aside in a bowl to cool completely.
Step 2 - Make The Pastry
Place the plain flour, olive oil, baking powder, salt and water in to a food processor, and mix until combiined.
Knead on a lightly floured surface for 2 minutes or until it comes together in a bowl. Allow the pastry to rest for 30 minutes.
Step 3 - Make The Empanadas
Roll the pastry until it's 2mm thick. Cut out 12cm diameter circles and set aside.
Place a heaped tablespoon of the chicken mixture into the middle of each one of the pastry circles.
Brush the visible pastry around the edges with water. Fold the pastry over to make a half-circle shape. Use a fork to crimp the edges together.
Place onto a flat baking tray and continue with the remaining pastry circles and mixture. Brush the pastry with a lightly beaten egg.
Bake for 20 minutes or until golden.
Expert Tips
- Make sure the filling is not too moist or it will make the pastry soggy.
- Let the filling cool completely before enclosing in the pastry. The steam from a hot filling can cause the pastry to be soggy and fall apart.
- Don’t overload the chicken empanadas with too much filling. You don't want them to burst open while baking!
- Cut the onion, chorizo and sun-dried tomatoes finely for a consistent smooth texture. Also, since there is only a small amount of filling in each, you want the flavours to be evenly distributed so you have a little taste of everything in each bite.
- Serve these spicy empanadas with any of your favourite dipping sauces like guacamole, smoky BBQ sauce, hot sauce, chutneys... they work with just about anything!
FAQ's
Store the chicken empanadas in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat until the filling is steaming hot.
Yes! There are a couple of ways to freeze them.
You can freeze already-baked chicken empanadas, or you can freeze the filled and un-baked empanadas.
Either way, lay the empanadas flat on a lined baking tray and freeze until solid. Then, transfer them to an airtight container or freezer bag. Freezing them flat first ensures that they won’t stick together or get squashed.
To bake the frozen uncooked empanadas, add a few extra minutes to the baking time and bake until golden and heated through. To reheat already-cooked empanadas, place them into the oven at 180 C for around 8 minutes, or until the pastry is crisp and the mixture is steaming and thoroughly heated through.
Yes! Follow the steps to assemble the empanadas as normal and pre-heat your air fryer to 200 C. Place the empanadas in a single layer in your air fryer basket (you may need to cook in batches depending on the size and brand of your air fryer) and cook for 5 minutes. Flip the empanadas and cook for a further 5 minutes, or until crisp, golden and heated through. Repeat with remaining empanadas. To cook from frozen, add a few extra minutes to the cooking time.
Related Recipes
Need some more delicious finger food ideas? Give these recipes a try!
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Baked Chicken Empanadas with Chorizo
Ingredients
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 chorizo chopped into small pieces
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 350 g chicken mince
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 100 g sun-dried tomatoes finely chopped
- 1 tbs chicken stock
For the pastry
- 750 g (6 cups) plain flour
- 150 g olive oil
- 1 tsp baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 300 g cold water
- 1 egg for brushing the pastry
Instructions
Conventional Method
- Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
- Add the onion, chorizo and garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant.
- Add the chicken mince, paprika, cumin, sun-dried tomatoes and chicken stock and cook for 3-4 minutes or until cooked through.
- Set the mixture aside in a bowl to cool completely.
- To make the pastry, place the plain flour, olive oil, baking powder, salt and water into a food processor and mix until combined.
- Knead on a lightly floured surface for 2 minutes or until it comes together in a bowl. Allow the pastry to rest for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius (fan-forced).
- Roll the pastry out until it's 2mm thick. Cut out 12cm diameter circles and set aside.
- Place a heaped tablespoon of the mixture into the middle of each one of the pastry circles.
- Brush the visible pastry around the edges with water.
- Fold the pastry over to make a half-circle shape. Use a fork to crimp the edges together.
- Place onto a flat baking tray and continue with the remaining pastry circles and mixture.
- Brush the pastry with a lightly beaten egg.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until golden.
- Serve with condiments such as chutney, guacamole or spicy sauce.
Thermomix Method
- Place the onion and chorizo sausage into the Thermomix bowl and finely chop for 5 seconds on Speed 8.
- Add the olive oil and the minced garlic and cook for 2 minutes on 90 degrees, Reverse, Speed Soft.
- Add the chicken mince, paprika, cumin and cook for 8 minutes on 100 degrees, Reverse, Speed Soft.
- Add the chopped sun-dried tomatoes and chicken stock and mix for 1 minutes 100 degrees, Reverse, Speed Soft. Set the mixture aside to cool completely.
- To make the pastry, place the flour, baking powder and salt into a clean and dry Thermomix bowl and set the machine to Knead (Interval function), 1 minute and 30 seconds. While the machine is kneading, slowly add the olive oil through the hole in the lid. Continue mixing until the dough resembles crumbs. Knead for a further minute while adding the water through the hole.
- Place the dough onto a lightly floured board and knead into a ball. Set aside for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius (fan-forced).
- Roll the pastry out until it's 2mm thick. Cut out 12cm diameter circles and set aside.
- Place a heaped tablespoon of the mixture into the middle of each one of the pastry circles.
- Brush the visible pastry around the edges with water. Fold the pastry over to make a half-circle shape. Use a fork to crimp the edges together.
- Place onto a flat baking tray and continue with the remaining pastry circles and mixture.
- Brush the pastry with a lightly beaten egg. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden.
- Serve with condiments such as chutney, guacamole or spicy sauce.
Notes
- Make sure the filling is not too moist or it will make the pastry soggy.
- Let the filling cool before enclosing in the pastry. The steam from a hot filling can cause the pastry to be soggy and fall apart.
- Don’t overload the empanadas with too much filling. You don't want them to burst open while baking!
- Cut the onion, chorizo and sun-dried tomatoes finely for a consistent texture. Since there is only a small amount of filling in each, you want flavours to be evenly distributed so you have a little taste of everything in each bite.
- Storage - store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- Freezing - there are a couple of ways to freeze them. You can freeze already-baked empanadas, or you can freeze the filled and un-baked empanadas. Either way, lay the empanadas flat on a lined baking tray and freeze until solid. Then, transfer them to an airtight container or freezer bag. Freezing them flat first ensures that they won’t stick together or get squashed. To bake the frozen empanadas, add a few extra minutes to the baking time and bake until golden and heated through. To reheat already-cooked empanadas, place them into the oven at 180 C for around 8 minutes, or until crisp and heated through.
- Air frying - to cook these empanadas in the air fryer, follow the steps to assemble the empanadas and pre-heat your air fryer to 200 C. Place the empanadas in a single layer in your air fryer basket (you may need to cook in batches depending on the size and brand of your air fryer) and cook for 5 minutes. Flip the empanadas and cook for a further 5 minutes, or until crisp, golden and heated through. Repeat with remaining empanadas. To cook from frozen, add a few extra minutes to the cooking time.
kjp
has anyone tried these cold? Thinking they might be a nice addition to the kids lunchboxes?
Ash
These were easy, super tasty and both my kids ate (1 & 4)! Would say, I did need to add quite a bit more water to get the pastry to come together but once it did it was so easy to work with. Thank you for the recipe!
Lucy Mathieson
So glad you all liked them Ash! Thanks for the lovely comment! xx
Odette
When you say chicken stiovj, do you mean powder or liquid or the TM stock? Thanks
Lucy Mathieson
Chicken stock powder. xx