Chicken Empanadas

Chicken Empanadas

In the Pantry Challenge video series, Lauren Braun Costello -- chef, author and food stylist -- shows busy moms how to make meals using ingredients they already have in their pantries, solving their unique cooking challenges. In this episode, Lauren shows Aimee R., a mother of two and a PR executive, how to transform leftover rotisserie chicken into tasty empanadas.

These empanadas look impressive, but they're actually very easy to make. Lauren starts the filling by sautéeing some thinly sliced onion and garlic in olive oil. When the onions are soft and fragrant, she adds them to a bowl with chicken she's pulled off a rotisserie chicken. (You can pull the chicken off with your hands, using a knife, or with a fork.) To the bowl, she adds canned chiles, cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper, then stirs to combine all of the ingredients in the filling.

To form the empanadas, she rolls out thawed puff pastry dough, then cuts rounds using a circular cookie cutter. She puts some filling in the center of each (be careful not to overfill them). To help seal them, she dips her finger in water and runs it around the edge of the empanadas, then folds them over (they'll resemble a half moon). She places them on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet, then brushes them with an egg wash to help them achieve a deep golden color while they bake.

Get the Recipe for Chicken Empanadas.

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