Freezer friendly, juicy, cheesy, shortcut Chipotle Chicken Empanadas doused in refreshing Avocado Dip make the best crowd pleasing appetizers, dinners or snacks and can be made ahead of time and frozen for later!
This Chipotle Chicken Empanada recipe is loaded with smoky chipotle chicken, hearty black beans, crisp bell peppers and gooey cheese for a to live for filling and the store bought puff pastry dough makes an easy shortcut for the buttery, flaky golden pastry!
What are Empanadas?
I looooove empanadas. Empanadas are pastries most often stuffed with savory fillings such as seafood, meat, cheese and vegetables and are very popular in South America but are thought to have originated in Spain, The word “empanada” comes from the Latin word, “empanar” which means “to bread.” In fact, I’ve heard “empanadas are to South Americans what sandwiches are to Americans,” meaning, empanadas are as common as sandwiches and equally as versatile with endless filling combinations and styles of dough! And once you try these Chipotle Chicken Empanadas you’ll understand why. These Chipotle Chicken Empanadas are wonderfully satisfying with their golden, flaky dough giving way to the hearty, fiestalicious cheesy filling. But what you will love almost as much as the taste is just how easy this recipe is because we use store bought puff pastry for the dough and you can prep the chicken (or the entire filling) days in advance for easy assembly. That being said, these chicken empanadas do take some time to make, but it is simple prep with a huge flavor payoff. To make the chicken filling, we start with my favorite recipe for chipotle chicken. This chipotle chicken recipe yields incredibly juicy, richly smoky, slightly spicy chicken that flavors the entire pastry and elevates these chicken empanadas far above those that use precooked or even braised chicken.
LOOKING FOR MORE RECIPES WITH CHIPOTLE CHICKEN?
Chipotle Chicken Empanadas with Avocado DipSouthwest Salad with Creamy Avocado Salsa DressingChipotle Chicken Salad with Mango DressingChipotle BBQ Chicken Salad with Tomatillo Avocado RanchChipotle Ranch Chicken FlatbreadBBQ Chipotle Chicken SandwichesTexMex Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Pasta with Chipotle Chicken
How To make Empanadas with Chicken
- Next to make the empanada filling, we sauté diced red bell peppers and black beans for just a couple minutes. Then, we add some enchilada sauce and our diced chipotle chicken back to the pan and heat through. How easy was that?! At this point you can refrigerator your filling to assemble later or proceed to make your chicken empanadas.
Shortcut Empanada Dough
For our empanada dough, we use glorious store-bought puff pastry dough. If you have never used puff pastry dough, it is located in the freezer section of your grocery store and is wonderfully easy to work with. When baked, it emerges beautifully puffy, flaky and golden – the perfect cocoon for our irresistible filling. I love it so much I’ve used it in my Artichoke Dip Bites, Cannoli Cones, and Baked Brie. Puff Pastry dough is located in the freezer section of your grocery store. I use Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry (not a paid endorsement, just fact). Each package comes with two sheets – and take care to purchase the puff pastry sheets and not the squares (I learned that by mistake). Puff pastry typically takes 30 minutes to thaw, but just follow the thawing instructions on the back of the box.
What is good to eat with Empanadas?
Last but not least, the lick-your-blender-clean Avocado Dip. Its refreshing creaminess is the ideal companion to the flaky pastry and smoky chipotle chicken filling. Together, worlds of deliciousness combine for can’t-stop-eating, don’t-ever-want-to-stop eating Chipotle Chicken Empanadas. You can serve the Chicken Empanadas with the Avocado Dip as an appetizer with chips and guac or to make it a meal, add a side of Cilantro Lime Rice with Black Beans and a simple salad or my Southwest Salad, and/or Corn on the Cob with Chipotle Honey Lime Butter.
Can Empanadas be frozen?
YES! I love that Chipotle Chicken Empanadas can be made and devoured in one sitting or you can freeze them before baking and store them until your cravings strike. When it’s empanada time, all you have to do is move as many empanadas as your heart desires straight from the freezer to the oven for the perfect prep-ahead appetizer, meal or snack!
How to Freeze Empanadas
Looking for more Favorite Mexican Recipes?
Southwest Egg RollsMexican RiceTaco SoupSlow Cooker Mexican ChickenChicken FajitasAl PastorCarne AsadaCalifornia BurritosChicken Tortilla SoupOne Pot Pepper Jack Chicken Fajita and Rice Soup
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