Chicken Empanadas with Olives and Raisins

This is a really easy recipe for Spanish style empanadas which used wonton or gyoza wrappers for the dough. I have a really good recipe for empanada dough that uses beer given to me by my aunt, but it requires some resting time for the dough. (this is what I use when I am in a hurry). The recipe makes about one dozen large empanadas which I then cut in half and served with Arriba brand Chipotle salsa, (that is my favorite store bought salsa- I like spicy!).

I had inadvertently run out of pimento stuffed olives so I used Jalapeno stuffed olives instead. This made the filling a lot spicier- which I loved, but if you aren't a fan of spicy food you might not want to make the substitution. Pretty much every time I make the filling it changes a bit, reflecting what's in the pantry, something I left out this time which I always love is the cubed potato. (cube and boil about 1 cup of potato in salted water and add to filling).

The Wonton wrappers are square so I had to cut them into circles. I stacked about 5 together at a time, placed a small bowl for a guide over them and cut around the bowl with a paring knife. The Gyoza wrappers are usually round so you don't have to cut those and because they are smaller the recipe will yield about 24 empanaditas. While these don't really look like a traditional empanada, they have all the flavors of one without taking all day to prepare. The other thing I thought about doing with them is rolling them into a little egg roll- which would have been fun as well.

Quick Chicken Empanadas with olives and raisins

8 oz. chicken breast, diced into 1" cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup chopped yellow onion
1/4 cup chopped red or orange bell pepper
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley
1/4 cup chopped pimento or jalapeno stuffed olives
3 tablespoons raisins
1/2 cup white wine
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Wonton or Gyoza wrappers
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten

1. In a large skillet over medium heat combine olive oil, chicken, onion and bell pepper. Saute a few minutes until onions start to become translucent. Add cumin, salt, pepper, and tomato paste, stir well to combine. Add garlic, cilantro, raisins, and olives and saute 3 minutes longer.



2. Add wine and scrape around edges of pan to de-glaze, (a lot of the good flavors are usually in the sticky stuff on the pan- adding liquid releases it and incorporates it back into the mixture).

Continue to cook stirring occasionally until all of the wine is absorbed. Check for seasoning, then remove from heat and set aside to cool.

3. When filling has cooled, place about 2 tablespoons of it on wonton wrappers which have been cut into circles. (read above). Brush edges of dough with the egg. Fold in half and crimp with a fork. At this point the empanadas can be refrigerated and fried later.



4. Heat 1/2 cup vegetable oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Fry empanadas a few at a time, turning them in pan until golden and lightly browned; place on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb extra oil. Serve with your favorite salsa and chopped Cilantro.