EASY PICADILLO EMPANADAS

Easy Picadillo Empanadas image

Go deep this Super Bowl Sunday: Serve empanadas. These turnovers are perfect 'finger food' -- no knife and fork required. And because the recipes use refrigerated biscuit dough, it's an easy score. All you have to do is make the fillings.

Provided by USA WEEKEND columnist Pam Anderson

Categories Appetizers and Snacks Meat and Poultry Chicken

Yield 20

Number Of Ingredients 15

Ingredients

2 (7.5 ounce) packages refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (not the layered varieties)
Cornmeal for rolling
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
½ medium Granny Smith apple, cut into small dice
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
2 cups shredded meat from a rotisserie chicken
1 (16 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
¼ cup seedless raisins
¼ cup chopped pimento-stuffed olives
2 large garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup toasted slivered almonds
Salt and pepper, to taste
Olive oil, for brushing

Steps:

Adjust oven rack to center; heat oven to 450 degrees.
Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Saute onion and apple until golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Add spices; saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in chicken, tomatoes, raisins and olives; simmer until filling is thick and moist but not too liquid, 5 to 7 minutes longer. Stir in garlic, almonds, salt and pepper. Transfer to a medium bowl; cool to room temperature.
Separate biscuits onto a cornmeal-coated work surface. Sprinkle with cornmeal as necessary, and roll each one into a 5 inch circle. Fill each one, using a scant 2 Tbs. filling and leaving a 1/2-inch border. Place on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. (At this point, can be frozen up to 2 weeks.)
Brush tops with oil. Bake until golden, 16 to 20 minutes (longer if frozen).

Nutrition Facts : Calories 139.8 calories, Carbohydrate 14.3 g, Cholesterol 12.7 mg, Fat 6.6 g, Fiber 1 g, Protein 6.4 g, SaturatedFat 1.4 g, Sodium 313.1 mg, Sugar 3.5 g