EASY (YET AWESOME) CHICKEN EMPANADAS

Easy (Yet Awesome) Chicken Empanadas image

Provided by @MakeItYours

Number Of Ingredients 17

1 1/2-2 cups cooked chicken (I like to shred a rotisserie chicken)
1 cup Mexican blend cheese, shredded
1 (4 1/2 ounce) can green chilies, chopped (I use Old El Paso)
1 (14 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed well
1 small onion, chopped
2 -3 garlic cloves, chopped (can use more or less depending on your liking)
1/4 cup vegetable oil (should just coat the bottom of the pan)
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili flakes (can adjust to your liking)
salt (to taste)
pepper (to taste)
1/4 cup chicken stock
3 pie crusts, prepared (I use the Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crusts)
3 egg yolks, beaten
1 -2 teaspoon chili powder

Steps:

Preheat oven to 400F degrees. Heat oil over med-high heat in a large skillet. Saute onions and garlic about 4 minutes, until onions are translucent. Add cumin, cayenne pepper, chili flakes and dried oregano. Make sure to mix well and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add black beans, chicken and green chilies. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook for around 2 minutes until incorporated and heated through. Add chicken stock a little at a time, just to moisten the mixture. You may not need to use the entire 1/4 Cup. You want to make sure that the mixture is moist but not soupy. Simmer for about 5-7 minutes. Take mixture off burner and let cool to room temperature. Add cheese and mix thoroughly. Roll out dough onto floured surface. Cut 4" circles out of the dough (I like to use a medium sized cereal bowl to cut the circles, but you can make yours smaller or larger). Fill the middle of each circle with about 1.5 - 2 Tbl of the mixture. Don't overfill. Fold each circle in half (sealing in the mixture) and crimp the ends with a fork to close the dough. Brush tops with egg yolks and sprinkle with chili powder. Cook for 12-14 minutes at 400°F. Enjoy!