Healthy Chicken Empanadas
Everyone’s favorite Latin American treat gets a healthy makeover! My chicken empanadas may lack fat and calories but they certainly don’t lack flavor.
Healthy Chicken Empanadas
I'm definitely an empanada addict. It's one of my favorite little treats mostly because you can fill it with so many different things and it's always delicious. It has some protein in it, it's the perfect on the go snack and you can find healthy variations! Win win. The only problem? Most are fried and made with really high fats such as margarine or lard making it a not so healthy snack. I always ask for the baked ones in an effort to stay semi healthy but you still don't know what is in their mixture. I once saw that a chicken empanada had mayo and honey mustard mixed into it which I thought was equally strange and gross. So I decided to start making my own in an effort to keep them nice and light. I played around with the dough a lot. As you know, this blog is big on practicality so it was imperative that I use pre-made dough because who has time for that?! I experimented with all types of dough. However, the most delicious ones aren't for healthy living so keep on scrolling if you want guilt free empanadas!
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs Chicken Breast
- 1 Red Bell Pepper
- 1 Yellow Bell Pepper
- 1 Yellow Onion
- 4 oz Tomato Paste
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 Minced Cloves of Garlic
- 1/2 cup Chicken Broth
- 1 Egg (for egg wash)
- 1 Package of Empanada Disc Dough, Thawed (Found in the freezer section; I recommend El Sembrador)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375. Steam or slow cook your plain chicken breasts and shred the meat once its done. (Hack: If you want to skip this step, buy a rotisserie chicken and shred it. It likely wont yield as much chicken though!)
- Dice your red pepper, yellow pepper and onion. The smaller the pieces the better.
- Spray a skillet with non stick and add your chopped goodies on medium heat. You want these to cook down until they are translucent. Depending on the size of your pieces and stove top, this could take up to 20 minutes. If you find that they are sticking or drying up, add in the chicken broth little at a time. Make sure to scrape the pan for all those yummy black bits.
- Once you have cooked down your veggies, add in the salt, garlic and tomato paste. Mix well.
- Remove pan from heat and add in your shredded chicken to the veggie mixture. Let it cool down for 20 min.
- Line a sheet pan with parchment paper to start filling your empanadas. Grab an empanada disc and place about 2 TBS of filling in the center. It's easier if you kind of cup your hand.
- Fold dough over and crimp the sides with a fork to seal it.
- Grab your egg and whisk it in a bowl. Brush the top of the empanada with your egg wash so it has a nice yellow hue to it
- Bake at 375 for 35 minutes
