Green Chile Chicken and Queso Empanadas

Show: Episode:

Rated 4 stars out of 5
  • Rate This Recipe
  • Read 30 Reviews
Total Time:
3 hr 10 min
Prep
55 min
Inactive
1 hr 30 min
Cook
45 min
Yield:
20 empanadas
Level:
Intermediate
x

Save To My Recipe Box

Please limit to 20 characters

Saving Recipe

Adding Recipe

Or Do Not Add

Success

This recipe was saved to your Folder_Name folder.

x

Save To My Recipe Box

Please sign in to save this recipe to your Recipe Box!!

25 Characters Max

Enter Time:

:
:

You can create up to five timers

Ingredients

  • 8 medium tomatillos (about 1 1/2 pounds), husked and rinsed
  • 1 to 2 jalapenos, stemmed
  • 1 Spanish onion, quartered
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1 handful fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • Salt
  • 2 cups finely shredded, cooked chicken, preferably dark meat
  • 1 cup crumbled queso fresco
  • 1 recipe empanada dough, recipe follows

Directions

Bring a pot of water to a boil; add the tomatillos, jalapeno, onion, and garlic. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until the tomatillos are soft. Drain and cool slightly. Combine the tomatillos, jalapeno, onion, garlic, cilantro, and lime juice in a blender. Add 1/4 cup of water and process to a coarse puree; season with a generous pinch of salt. You should have about 3 cups of this salsa verde.

Combine the shredded chicken and queso fresco in a large mixing bowl. Pour in 1 1/2cups of the salsa verde and fold the ingredients together to moisten. Use as a filling for empanadas. Serve the remaining salsa verde on the side.

Empanada Dough:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup masa harina

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash

Butter, for greasing the pans

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, masa harina, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the melted butter. Gradually add 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of water, working it in with your hands to incorporate; the dough should be easy to handle and not sticky. Form the dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic, and chill for 30 minutes.

Lightly flour your rolling pin and counter. Divide the dough in 1/2 so it will be easier to work with and roll it out to 1/8-inch thickness. Using a 4-inch cookie or biscuit cutter, cut out 10 circles of dough; repeat with the other 1/2.

Spoon 2 generous tablespoons of filling into the center of each pastry circle, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Brush the edges with the egg wash and then fold the dough over in 1/2 to enclose the filling and form a semi-circle. Tightly seal the edges by crimping with the tines of a fork. Chill at least 30 minutes before baking.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place the empanadas on a buttered baking sheet and brush the tops with additional egg wash. Using a fork, prick a few holes in the top of the empanadas for steam to escape. Bake for 30 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown.

Print Recipe

Browse Reviews by Keywordnew!

Loading review filters...

COMMENT ON THIS PROJECT

    

Sign in

All fields are required.

E-mail Address:

Password:

Remember me on this computer

Signing in

Please enter your email address and we will send your password

E-mail Address

Your password has been sent and should arrive in your mailbox very soon.

Not a member?

Sign up for My Food Network to share photos, show off your style, and connect to an enthusiastic and helpful community.

It's free and easy.

Review This Recipe

You must be logged in to review this recipe.

Newest Ratings and Reviews

Read all 30 reviews

  • on October 22, 2011

    Flag

    I luv this recipe....I actually used pre-made pie crust from the store....
    They came out light, fluffy and so yummy.
    The other thing that I had to change was the sauce you add to the chicken.
    The first one I made came out too soggy and it fell apart. So i just drained the
    excess sauce it fit perfectly after that.
    I would definitely make them again.

    people found this review Helpful.
    Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No
  • on March 13, 2011

    Flag

    I don't know what to say about these - I had very high expectations due to the reviews - and I think because of that I was a little dissapointed with the end result. I made exactly as stated. 2 generous tablespoons DOES NOT fit into a 4 inch round peice of dough! 1 tablespoons barely fit into my circles without coming out when I crimped together. I will say that my circles were just at 4 inches. My empanadas looked pretty (some more than others! and came out a nice golden brown, but were lacking in flavor. (I used white & dark meat And I don't know if I overhandled the dough, but it was not light, kind of heavy. I just thought these were "okay" and nothing special. I served these to friends and they seemed to like them and they got eaten, but I didn't hear enough ooohs and aaaahs to justify putting in all the work to make these again. :-(

    people found this review Helpful.
    Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No
  • on January 02, 2011

    Flag

    I made the dough and followed the cooking methods in this recipe. I love Tyler's recipes and think that he's one of the best on the food network. I would have done the filling as he does it, but I had an idea of what I wanted to fill it with, and needed to give it a shot. I've made this dough twice for empanadas and it's been great both times. Thanks.

    people found this review Helpful.
    Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No

Next Recipe

Advertisement

Free Recipe of the Day Newsletter

Let Food Network chefs plan what's for dinner, with quick and easy recipes delivered to your inbox daily.

Ads by Google

© 2013 Television Food Network G.P. All rights reserved.