Chicken empanadas with green olives
20 min
for 20 people
pastry
| 120 g | Butter, cold, diced |
| ½ | Lemons, juiced |
| 3 cups | Plain flour (Main) |
| 1 | Egg |
| 1 | Egg, whisked with 1 tsp milk, for egg wash |
| 2 Tbsp | Water |
Filling
| 1 Tbsp | Olive oil |
| 2 tsp | Brown sugar |
| 400 g | Chicken breasts, or thigh, finely diced (Main) |
| 1 | Onion |
| 1 Tbsp | Pine nuts, chopped |
| 2 tsp | Sherry vinegar |
| 2 Tbsp | Dry sherry |
| 2 cloves | Garlic, finely chopped |
| 1 Tbsp | Tomato paste |
| ¼ cup | Raisins, chopped |
| ½ cup | Pitted green olives, chopped |
| ½ cup | Chicken stock |
| 1 to taste | Salt & freshly ground pepper |
Directions
- To make the pastry put the flour and butter in a food processor. Pulse until it resembles breadcrumbs, then stop. Whisk the lemon and egg together, then add. Continue to pulse while drizzling in the water.
- As soon as the pastry comes together, stop the motor, then wrap the pastry and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Slice the onion while heating the fry pan. Add the olive oil, onion, brown sugar and vinegar.
- Add the pinenuts and cook slowly, stirring occasionally for approximately 30 minutes or until soft and golden. Remove from the pan and cool.
- Put the chicken in the pan with the tomato paste, sherry, garlic, raisins and olives. Add the stock and let simmer for 15 minutes. Taste for seasoning and adjust, then let cool.
- Remove the pastry from the fridge. Preheat the oven to 200C and either grease trays or line with baking paper.
- Flour a work surface, then roll out the pastry until 3mm thick.
- Using a 10cm cutter or a saucer and cut rounds from the pastry. Place spoonfuls of the mixture on one side of each circle.
- Moisten the edge with a little water, fold over and seal with fingertips or a fork. Transfer to the baking trays, then brush with the eggwash.
- Snip the top of each empanada to allow the steam to escape, then bake for 20 minutes or until golden.