Cook’s notes
We’ve made empanadas countless times before — often baked but occasionally fried. We were aware that fried is better than baked but never has the crust of our fried empanada been this light and flaky. The secret? Lard to make the dough for the crust.
Chicken empanadas
Ingredients
Chicken picadillo
- ¼ cup cooking oil
- 150 grams potato (5.2 oz) peeled and cut into ¼-inch cubes
- 1 medium carrot peeled and cut into ¼-inch cubes
- ½ cup chopped onion
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- salt
- pepper
- 400 grams minced chicken (14.1 oz)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ¼ cup sweet peas
Empanada dough
- 3 cups all-purpose flour plus more for your work surface
- ¾ teaspoon rock salt
- ⅓ cup lard
To fry the empanadas
- cooking oil
Instructions
Make the filling
- Heat the oil in a frying pan.
- Spread the potato and carrot cubes in hot oil and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned around the edges.
- Scoop out the potato and carrot cubes and move to a plate lined with paper towels.
- Pour off the oil leaving only a tablespoonful and reheat.
- Saute the onion and oregano with half a teaspoon of salt and a pinch of pepper for a minute.
- Add the garlic and continue sauteeing for another 30 seconds.
- Stir in the minced chicken, sprinkle with a teaspoon of salt and quarter teaspoon of pepper, and cook, stirring often, until the meat is lightly browned.
- Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until absorbed by the chicken.
- Add the fried potato and carrot cubes, and sweet peas to the chicken.
- Cook, stirring, for another minute or two.
- Taste and add more salt or pepper, or both, as needed.
Make the empanada dough
- Dump the flour into the food processor.
- Dissolve the salt in ¾ cup of warm water.
- Add the lard to the flour and pulse several times until the flour looks mealy.
- With the motor running on LOW, pour the salty warm water through the funnel slowly.
- Process the dough until all the water has been absorbed.
- Sprinkle a little flour on your work surface, dump in the dough and form into a log (don’t worry if the dough doesn’t look smooth; it will smoothen after resting).
- Cut the dough into twelve equal portions.
- Roll each portion into a ball.
- Place the balls of dough on a plate, cover with cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
Make the empanadas
- Take a ball of dough and, with a rolling pin, flatten into a circle about five to six inches in diameter.
- Place two tablespoons of the prepared filling on one side of the flattened dough.
- Lift the empty half of the dough over the filling and press the edges to seal.
- Take the filled dough in your hand. Fold and twist the edges together, little by little, to form a rope-like pattern (note that folding this way is not a must; the important thing is to really seal the filling inside).
- Repeat with the rest of the dough balls and filling.
Fry the chicken empanadas
- Heat enough cooking oil in a frying pan to reach a depth of at least three inches.
- Fry the chicken empanadas in batches (two to four at a time depending on the size of your pan) for four to five minutes or until browned and puffed. Flip them over midway through the frying.
- Scoop out the chicken empanadas and serve while hot.
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