I enjoy repurposing food in the fridge. That’s what I call it, repurposing. It sounds more appealing than leftovers right? Well this recipe came from looking in the fridge and trying to make something delicious from what I already had in the house. Empanadas are delicious and the variety of fillings are endless. I didn’t use empanada dough for this recipe because again I was using what was in my house already but they came out amazing anyway. Give this recipe a try and let me know what you think.

Serving size: 14 (varies depending on the size you make them)

Active time: 1 hour

Inactive time: 10 minutes per batch in the air fryer

Ingredients:

2 T. cooking oil

1 onion, diced

2 C. cooled cooked chicken

1 C. cooled cooked sweet potato

1 t. granulated onion

1 t. granulated garlic

1 t. black pepper

1 t. salt

1 t. chili powder

1 t. cumin

1 t. crushed garlic

1/2 t. cinnamon

2 T. chipotle in adobo sauce.

Never-fail Pie Crust

Procedure:

1. Heat a medium size saute pan to medium heat. When the pan in heated add the oil and the onions. Sautee for 5 minutes then turn off the heat.

2. Add the chicken and the sweet potato to the onions then stir until combined.

3. Add the granulated onion, granulated garlic, salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, crushed garlic, cinnamon, and chipotle in adobo sauce. Stir together until combined. The filling can stay in the pan or be moved to a bowl.

4. Roll out the dough (I made the dough ahead of time and left it in the fridge until it was time to roll it out). Cut out circles of dough and stack them with flour between each layer until you have used all of the dough.

5. One by one add the filling the disks of dough (I used 1 T. of filling in each) then fold them in half, press the edges together, and crimp with a fork to seal the edges closed. Repeat these steps for all remaining dough.

6. When all of the empanadas are made you have some options for cooking them: they can be cooked for 10 minutes at 390 in an air fryer, baked in the traditional oven for 20 minutes at 350, or deep fried until golden brown. I chose to air fry because the air fryer makes all things delicious.

7. Allow the cooked empanadas to cool slightly on a rack so they maintain they stay crispy and enjoy!

Notes and Variations:

• I egg washed the empanadas prior to air frying them so they would be photo ready but it is not required for this recipe.
• I baked the chicken breast in the oven then pulsed it in the food processor, but the chicken can also be shredded or cubed.
• I baked the sweet potato in the oven, but the sweet potato can be cubed and sauteed as well.
• Empanada dough or defrosted pie crust can be used for this recipe as well.
• These are slightly smokey/spicy so add more or less spice to taste.
• Any of the seasonings and spices can be altered to fit your preference.
• Spinach, cooked collards, kale, or other greens can be added to the recipe.
• Beans can be substituted for the chicken in the recipe.
• C=cups
• T=tablespoons
• t=teaspoons