Best Spicy Empanadas Tapas Recipes

SPICY CHICKEN EMPANADAS

Steps:

• For the empanada dough: Mix all empanada ingredients in a mixer. Let dough rest in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.
• For the filling: Bake the chicken breast until fully cooked. Put breast meat in a food processor and pulse until chopped (you don't want very small pieces). Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil. Add onions, green and red bell peppers, salt, black pepper, paprika, garlic powder, red pepper, oregano and basil. Cook until onions are soft, about 10 minutes. Pour in chipotle sauce and stir. Finally add tomato sauce. Allow filling to cool.
• To form the empanadas, knead the dough. Roll the dough out by hand or with a commercial sheeter. Cut out circles of dough. Place a dough circle in an empanada mold if you have one, but it's not necessary; fill with chicken mixture. Wet the edges of the dough with your fingers. Close the mold to seal, or fold dough over filling and use the tines of a fork to seal the edges. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Use a pastry brush to paint empanadas with an even coat of egg wash.
• Preheat a convection oven to 450 degrees F, or regular oven to 400 degrees F. Place empanadas on greased baking sheets. Bake for 3 minutes in convection oven or 10 to 15 minutes in regular oven.

BEEF AND CHEESE EMPANADAS

Steps:

• Start by mixing 1.5 teaspoons of salt into 3 1/4 cups of flour. Dice up 6 oz. of butter (1.5 sticks) into small 1/2" chunks and plop them into the flour. Use your fingers to disintegrate some of the butter into the mixture but don't worry about getting all of the butter dissolved. Mix it in just enough to make the mixture crumbly with a few chunks of butter laying about.
• In a bowl, combine 2 small eggs, 1.5 tablespoons vinegar, and 1/2 cup ice cold water. Add this mixture to the flour and use a fork or spatula to roughly combine.
• Dump onto a work surface but resist the temptation to knead! Just combine it enough to form a cohesive ball. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours.
• For the beef mixture, saute 1/2 onion in a dollop of oil over medium-high heat for a few minutes. Add ground beef and cook until browned. Drain any fat if you want. Add 2 cloves minced garlic and saute briefly. Add 2-3 minced chipotles, 1 Tablespoon adobo sauce, 1-2 Tablespoons chili powder (I used New Mexican), 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and freshly cracked pepper. Add a splash of water and let simmer over medium heat, stirring well.
• Once the dough has been chilled you can roll it out. If using a cutting board roll out 1/4 of the dough at a time. Sprinkle your work surface and rolling pin with flour before starting. Roll the dough down to 1/4" thickness or less.
• Use a biscuit cutter or bowl to cut out circles of empanada dough. Fill each round with 1-2 Tablespoons of beef mixture and plenty of cheese chunks. Lift both edges of the round and seal the edges using your fingers. Use a fork to seal the edges further.
• For the eggwash, crack an egg in a bowl, add a splash of water and whisk. Brush the empanadas with the eggwash.
• Bake at 400F for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.

SPICY BEEF EMPANADAS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Heat 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; add beef, onion, pepper flakes and 1/2 teaspoon salt, stirring to break up meat. Cook 5 to 6 minutes or until beef is no longer pink. Remove from heat; drain and return to pan. Stir in vinegar and cilantro.
• Separate dough into 8 biscuits. Press or roll each to form 6-inch round. Scoop 1/4 cup beef mixture on center of each round; top each with 2 tablespoons cheese.
• Fold each in half; gently stretching dough over filling, pressing seal.
• Using fork, press seams to seal. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 24 to 26 minutes or until golden brown.

SPICY EMPANADAS TAPAS

Steps:

• Remove casings and chop linguica.
• Sauté onion and garlic in a large skillet over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Add all remaining ingredients except pie crust and egg; cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes more and set aside.
• Unroll pie crust and cut into circles with a 3-inch cutter.
• Gather scraps, then reroll and cut into circles on a lightly floured board. Preheat oven to 400°F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Place a small spoonful of meat mixture onto half of each dough circle.
• Moisten edges with water and fold over to enclose filling; pinch edges to seal. Place on baking sheets and brush with beaten egg. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.

SPICY SAUSAGE EMPANADAS

Steps:

• Heat 2 tbsp oil in a skillet.
• When the oil is heated, add the onions and saute until they are softened.
• Add the sausage meat and pepper flakes and cook making sure to break the sausage into pieces while stirring so that it isn't one big clump of meat.
• Once the sausage is cooked, taste and season with extra salt if necessary.
• Add the cream, and stir to combine.
• Remove the cooked sausage from the heat and let it cool down to room temperature.
• Stir the cheese into the cooled down sausage filling. Set aside until ready to make empanadas.
• Make the empanada dough as written here, and chill the dough for at least 1 hour.
• Roll out the chilled empanada dough until it's about 2 - 3 mm thick.
• Cut 3.5 inch circles from the rolled out dough.
• Fill the middle of each circle with a little sausage filling.
• Dab the edges of the empanada dough circle with water and fold over the pastry to seal in the filling.
• Press down the edges to seal, and use a fork to crimp the edges.
• Place the empanadas in one layer, on a baking tray.
• Keep it covered with plastic wrap and keep it in the fridge until you are ready to fry, IF you will be frying these within 24 hours.
• Heat remaining oil to deep fry the empanadas to 350°F / 180°C.
• Fry the empanadas in the hot oil, 2 minutes per side, until the pastry turns a golden brown.
• Drain excess oil by placing the fried empanadas on paper towels or newspaper.
• Heat remaining oil to deep fry the empanadas to 350°F / 180°C.
• Fry the frozen empanadas for about 4 minutes per side, until the pastry turns golden brown (maybe slightly darker).
• Drain excess oil by placing the fried empanadas on paper towels or newspaper.
• Enjoy while hot with dipping sauce!