Who doesn’t love a hand-held meat pie? They can be made in advance, you can freeze them then bake them off when you’re ready. My Chicken And Poblano Empanadas are so delicious, tender, and flaky pie crust filled with bold flavorful ingredients, YUM!

In this post, I’m taking some help from my local grocery store. I’m using a rotisserie chicken and store-bought pie dough. Rotisserie chicken is one of the best items available at the grocery store. The possibilities are endless.

Now when it comes to pie crust, making your own is always the way to go but if you’re short on time there are great store-bought pie doughs available in the refrigerated section of your grocery store. I’ve posted a link at the bottom for my Homemade Pie Crust which can be made in advance and a link for my Pico de Gallo.

Prep Time: 45 minutes (time includes cooking vegetables and making the empanadas)
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 47 minutes
Yields: 16 Empanadas
Equipment: 1 (10-cup) food processor, 3 rimmed baking sheet pans, pastry brush, mesh sieve, chefs knife

Ingredients:
1 whole rotisserie chicken, deboned and skin removed
2 boxes of store-bought pie dough, cut into 6-inch round circles
4 tomatillos, peeled
2 Poblano peppers, tops removed and seeded
1 large Spanish onion, peeled
3 cloves of garlic, peeled
2 Fresno chilies
1 quart of chicken stock, unsalted
2 cups of water
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped (reserve stems for stock)
2 tablespoons Kosher salt
1 lime, juiced
1 ladle of the reserved cooking liquid
*egg wash

Directions:
In a large stockpot, add the tomatillos, Fresno chilis, tied cilantro stems, seeded Poblanos, peeled onion, whole peeled garlic cloves. Cover the vegetables with chicken stock and water. Over medium-high heat, bring the vegetables up to a boil, add 1 tabespoon of Kosher salt (lower the heat) reduce to a simmer, cook for 20 minutes.

In the meantime go ahead and debone the rotisserie chicken. Using your hands, shred all the chicken then transfer into a large mixing bowl.

Moving back to the (stock) cooking liquid:
The tomatillos will have turned olive in color and the peppers should be fork-tender. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the onion, Poblano pepper, garlic cloves, and tomatillos to a food processor. Fish out the cilantro stems, discard. Take out the  Fresno chilies, cut in half lenghthwise, remove the tops, seeds, and ribs before adding them to the food processor.

Add 1 tablespoon of Kosher salt, cilantro, lime juice, and a ladle of the cooking liquid (add more if needed). Process until smooth. Pour the Poblano pepper mixture into the bowl containing the shredded chicken.

Note: The leftover cooking liquid, allow to cool completely, place into a labeled sealed container(s). Store in the freezer.

Preheat the oven to 450-degrees F.
Here I’m using a plate that measures around 6-inches in diameter. Cut 6-inch circles out of the pie dough. Each circle of dough yields 4 circles. Next, take the scraps of dough that are left and roll that out to 1/4-inch in thickness. The leftover dough will yield another 4 circles. When it comes to Empanadas, you want to make as many as you can because they will get eaten.

Place a good tablespoon in the center each circle, brush around the outsides of the circle with the *egg wash. Fold the pastry over to form half-moons. Press the edges firmly (overfilling will cause dought to tear and not seal.) Crimp the edges with a fork. Lay the empanada onto a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat this process until all the filling or the dough circles are used up. Brush the outsides of the Empanadas with more *egg wash.

Bake for around 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

I like to serve my Empanadas with a side of Pico de Gallo. The Pico works well to cut through the richness of the Empanada.

There you have it, my Chicken And Poblano Empanadas.

Tip: Unbaked empanadas may be frozen. Freeze on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper until hard. Store in resealable freezer bags.
Bake Frozen: Add an additional 5 minutes for baking time.
*egg wash:  A mixture of 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon of water or milk.

https://lindalouhamel.com/2014/09/04/conquering-the-crust/

https://lindalouhamel.com/2014/08/05/pico-de-gallo-two-ways/

https://lindalouhamel.com/2019/07/10/summer-time-flowers-and-herbs/