Filipino Chicken Empanada/ Chicken Puffs

Photo: Anonymous

Ingredients

Crust

300 grams • (2 ½ cups) flour, plus extra for dusting

3 tablespoons • sugar

1/2 teaspoon • baking powder

1/2 teaspoon • salt

65 grams • (⅓ cup) chilled solid vegetable shortening

125 grams • (½ cup) butter

7 tablespoons • iced water

1 • egg, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon • water

Filling

1 tablespoon • oil

1 tablespoon • butter

1/2 • medium onion, minced

4 cloves • garlic, minced

450 grams • (1 lb) chicken breast or thigh meat, deboned and cubed

1 • small potato, diced

1 small • carrot, diced

250 milliliters • (1 cup) water or chicken broth

100 grams • (1 cup) green peas (thawed, if frozen)

100 grams • (½ cup) raisins, I like (optional) empanada with raisins so with the hubby and kids

2 teaspoons • salt

1/2 teaspoon • pepper

Preparation

To make the Crust, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl.

Cut in the butter and shortening with a knife or pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Stir in the iced water, a little at a time while gathering the mixture to form a soft dough.

Form the dough into a ball. Sprinkle some flour onto a sheet of waxed paper and wrap dough in the waxed paper. Chill 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

To make the Filling, heat the oil and butter in a skillet. Add onions and saute about 1 minute, then add garlic and saute a further 1 minute. Add the cubed chicken meat and stir-fry until the chicken browns.

Add potatoes and carrots and cook 2-3 minutes. Stir in water or broth and simmer until potatoes and carrots are tender and chicken is fully cooked.

Add peas and raisins and simmer a further 2–3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. With a slotted spoon, drain ingredients and transfer to a bowl, letting excess liquid drip. Set aside for 30 minutes to cool.

Final Steps:

Preheat oven to 200° C (400° F). Remove chilled dough from refrigerator. Lightly flour a pastry board or clean table top. Using a rolling pin, roll out dough on a pastry board until it is 3 mm (1/8 in) thick. Don’t roll it too thin or it will break when baked. Cut 10 cm (4 in) circles using a cutter and a small bowl. As you can see in the pictures, I was not precise in measurements or shapes.

Gather the scraps and re-roll them so they can be used again. You should get about 20 pastry circles. I did not...

Spoon about 1-2 teaspoons Filling into the middle of each pastry circle. Fold the circle so the edges meet and filling is sealed. Press the edges of the pastry with the tines of a fork.

Combine lightly beaten egg with 1 tablespoon of water. Brush surface of each folded puff with egg mixture. Arrange on a greased baking sheet. With a knife make 2-3 slits on the surface of each puff to allow steam to escape while baking.

Bake puffs in preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Set aside for a few minutes to cool before serving.