Empanada also called pastel in Portuguese is a stuffed pastry or bread fried or baked. This stuffed goody is very popular in many countries such as Spain, Indonesia, Malaysia, Latin America, etc.
As I have said before, empanadas are popular in many countries the difference between their empanadas lies in the ingredients. In the Philippines, empanadas are usually filled with meats (pork, chicken and beef), potatoes, onions, carrots and cheese.
By the way, Empanadas in the Philippines also comes in several varieties. In the Northern part of Luzon, specifically in Ilocos the empanadas are different. The empanadas of Ilocos are savoury and oily.
The usual fillings are mung beans, papaya, sausage and eggyolk. The dough used is crisp and thin unlike the common dough in the tagalong region which is sweet and soft. The empanadas also coloured orange because of the annatto or achuete and deep fried. I went to Ilocos several years ago and I loved their empanadas especially with dipped in traditional Ilocanong suka or vinegar.
Anyway, back to the most common empanadas in the Philippines which is chicken empanada. This empanada is a classic recipe. Chicken empanada is probably the most popular and well loved recipe. This is a simple snack to make because it is really delicious and easy to eat.
I love empanadas from pork to chicken. As I have said earlier, there are many kinds of empanada such as pork, ham, fruits and vegetable. My favorite is chicken empanada. The best thing about empanadas is that you can fry or bake them. Anyway, I hope you will give my version of the infamous chicken empanada a try.
Here’s my version of the popular chicken empanada, please let me know what you think about my recipe.
Chicken Empanada
Ingredients:
- ½ ground chicken or minced chicken
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup potatoes, diced
- ½ cup carrots, diced
- 1 tbsp garlic, minced
- ½ cup raisins
- Salt and pepper
- Oil
For the Dough:
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ½ baking powder
- ½ cup margarine
- 4 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp sugar
How to Make Chicken Empanada
Direction:
For the Filling:
In a medium sized frying pan or skillet, heat oil over medium high heat and sauté onions and garlic.
Next, add the ground chicken or minced chicken.
Add the potatoes and carrots. Stir and cook for 2 minutes.
Add the rest of the ingredients and cook for further 5 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper then set aside.
Sift the flour, sugar and baking powder in a large bowl. Add the butter (cut into cubes) one by one then the water, little by little. Mix all the ingredients in the bowl till moistened until you have dough. Formed dough into a large ball then on a clean surface, flatten out the dough. Roll the dough into a rectangle or log, about ¼ thick.
Roll out the log once again and using a roller, flatten it out evenly. Next, using a large glass or cookie cutter, cut out each piece of dough.
Get a cut out circular dough then using a tablespoon get a spoonful of the chicken mixture or filling. Place at the center of the circular dough. Fold the dough over the filling or chicken mixture. Using a fork, seal the edges. Continue the process with the rest of the remaining dough.
Once all cut out dough have been used. Prepare the frying pan.
In a large pan, heat oil over medium high heat and deep fry the chicken empanadas until golden brown. Remove from heat and transfer to a plate with paper towel to get rid of excess oil.
Serve hot or cold with ketchup or hot sauce.
Thank you for dropping by and checking out my chicken empanada recipe. Please feel free to visit other recipes in this page. Have a nice day and happy cooking.