6 medium potatoes.
Seasonings: I like to use salt, cumin powder, chili powder, and ground black pepper.
Chicken: 1 lb skinless chicken breast tenders, cleaned.
Onion: I like to use a white or yellow onion.
Garlic: For best flavor, use fresh garlic.
Chicken Bouillon Powder: This adds a lot of flavor and my husband’s Puerto Rican family say you can’t skip it!
Empanada Wrappers made from empanada dough
Egg + Water: for the egg wash.
Water
Olive Oil
reheat the oven to 375°F and prepare two large baking sheets with parchment paper, silicone baking mats or spray with non-stick spray and set aside.
Add the potatoes to a deep pot and cover them with water. Bring them to a boil over high heat and let them boil for 6 minutes. Drain the water from the potatoes and set aside.
Mix the salt, cumin powder, chili powder and black pepper together until combined. Add the chicken to a large bowl and sprinkle the spice mix over top then toss to coat completely.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil and onion. Stir and sauté until translucent. Add in the garlic, stir and cook just until the garlic becomes fragrant.
Add the chicken and cook on both sides for about 3 minutes, or until cooked through and an internal temperature of 165°F. Remove the chicken from the pan and let it cool on a separate plate.
Add the potatoes to the pan and sprinkle the bouillon over the potatoes, stir to combine. Pour in the water and let it bubble for a few seconds then stir to loosen any crispy bits from the bottom of the pan
Stir to combine and continue cooking for 3-4 more minutes, stirring often to prevent burning. Remove the pan from the heat and lightly smash the potatoes so that there are still a few chunky pieces.
Shred the chicken then add it to the potatoes and stir to combine. Let the mixture cool for 10 minutes.
Once you have all of the components of the filling ready, you’re ready to stuff the empanada wrappers! It’s a really fun process that you might want to get the whole family in on.
Once cooled add 2 tablespoons of the filling to the center of an empanada wrapper and fold it in half. Pinch the edges together and using a fork, press the edges together or twist the edges to form a classic empanada look by hand. They also sell an empanada press to help form your empanadas if you are struggling to do it by hand.
Whisk the egg and two tablespoons of water together in a small bowl. Add empanadas to the prepared baking sheets, leaving a little room for them to spread as they bake and then brush the tops with the egg wash.
Bake for 25-27 minutes, or until the tops turn a light golden color. Remove from the oven and let them cool for 10 minutes before serving