Buffalo Chicken Empanadas Recipe

Rebekah Garcia Kalinowski | Kitchen Gidget

Easy buffalo chicken empanadas with a spicy chicken empanada filling! They're a fantastic app for your next game night.

I admit I’ve been obsessed with buffalo-flavored foods recently, but the spicy flavor is so addicting! It never gets old and I hope you like it too since I have several more “buffalo” recipes I want to share!

First up, these buffalo chicken empanadas. These tasty hand pies are currently at the top of my list thanks to the generous chicken filling and crispy fried shell.

Buffalo Chicken Empanadas Photo

Plus, they are really simple to make yet packed with so much flavor.

These are going to be a hit at your next party, as part of your game day eats, or an inspiring way to use up leftover chicken.

Let’s walk through the recipe really quick and you’ll be on your way to flavor town.

Buffalo Chicken Empanadas Picture

Chicken

The chicken should be already cooked and shredded for this recipe. I love to make a large batch of chicken in my Instant Pot and use it for various recipes throughout the week.

You can use chicken breasts or thighs. I prefer the flavor and juiciness of thighs.

If your chicken is not already seasoned, sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic powder before adding to the filling mixture. You can also use adobo seasoning or seasoning salt.

One of the tricks to good cooking is to season each component of your dish so you achieve maximum flavor.

Buffalo Chicken Empanadas Image

Hot sauce

Frank’s Red Hot is my preferred brand, but the taste is up to you. Different hot sauces will lend different flavors so experiment away.

I use 2 tablespoons per 1 cup of chicken. If that’s too spicy for you (or the kids), you can dilute it with butter. So 1 tablespoon hot sauce + 1 tablespoon melted butter per 1 cup of chicken.

Blue cheese

I love the sharpness blue cheese crumbles add to these empanadas. I realize not everyone likes the flavor, so feel free to leave it out, or make some with and some without.

Buffalo Chicken Empanadas Pic

Empanada discs/shells/wrappers

These can be found in the frozen section of many grocery stores. It doesn’t take long, but make sure these are thawed ahead of time.

You can also follow my recipe for homemade empanada dough. Make a double batch while you’re at and freeze some discs for later use!

This particular recipe is for fried empanadas. If you want baked empanadas, there are discs you can buy that are labeled for baking or you can use pie crust.

Assembly and cooking

After combining the spicy chicken filling, place a couple tablespoons in the center of an empanada disc and fold in half.

Make sure you seal the edges well by crimping with a fork. Sometimes I crimp on both sides just to be sure there won’t be any leaks.

Next, you’ll want to add enough oil in a frying pan to come halfway up the sides of the empanadas so they cook evenly. You can also deep fry them.

They only take a few minutes to cook, so prepare a cookie sheet with paper towels to drain them after removing from the oil.

For serving, they’re great dipped in extra hot sauce, blue cheese or ranch dressing. For the pictures I drizzled some with our sauces because I’m extra like that and we ate them right away. Delicioso!

Planning a dinner party and need some inspiration?

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Buffalo Chicken Empanadas Recipe

    10 Servings

Ingredients

  • 3 cups Cooked Shredded Chicken
  • Salt and Pepper, optional
  • Garlic Powder, optional
  • 6 tablespoons Hot Sauce
  • 3 tablespoons Crumbled Blue Cheese
  • 10 Empanadas Dough Discs
  • Vegetable Oil, for frying

Directions

  1. If your chicken has not been seasoned, season to taste with salt, pepper and garlic powder.
  2. In a large bowl toss the chicken, hot sauce and blue cheese until combined.
  3. Place 2 heaping tablespoons of chicken in the center of 1 empanada disc. Fold in half and press edges with a fork to seal. Repeat with remaining filling and discs.
  4. In a medium frying pan over medium-high heat, add enough oil to come halfway up the sides of the empanada, about 1/2" or so depending how thick they are.
  5. Working in batches, add empanadas in a single layer and cook approximately 2 minutes per side, or until dough is golden brown and no longer raw. Drain on paper towels.
  6. Serve with blue cheese or ranch dressing and extra hot sauce for dipping.

 

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Published:
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Cooking Method:
Fried
Cuisine:
Mexican
Category:
Pastry
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Related Recipes:
Cheese Recipes, Chicken Recipes, Spicy Recipes, Mexican Recipes, Pastry Recipes, Fried Recipes, Easy Recipes, Appetizer Recipes, Party Food Recipes
Recipe Yields:
10 servings
Prep Time:
Cook Time:
Total Time:
Related Post:
Published:
Author: Rebekah Garcia Kalinowski
Recipe Yields: 10 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 empanada
Servings Per Recipe 10

Amount Per Serving
Calories from Fat 49
Calories 210

% Daily Value*
9%
Total Fat 6g
13%
  Saturated Fat 3g
9%
Sodium 205mg
7%
Total Carbohydrate 22g
0%
  Dietary Fiber 0g
  Sugars 0g
34%
Protein 17g

* Percent Daily Value are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrition Facts are estimated based on ingredients and data provided by Fat Secret. Please consult a doctor if you have special dietary needs.
Rebekah Garcia Kalinowski

About Rebekah

Rebekah is the blogger behind Kitchen Gidget, an all-encompassing food blog dedicated to her Midwestern roots and Hispanic heritage. She adores cheese (who doesn't?!), so we asked her to be our Cheese fanatic. Time to get excited!

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