Chicken Tinga Empanadas

Chicken Tinga Empanadas are flaky, golden brown hand pies stuffed with smoky shredded chicken. The perfect Mexican appetizers for game day or your next Taco Tuesday party.

Chicken Tinga Empanada Recipe

Chicken Tinga is a classic shredded chicken dish that is usually used as a taco or tostada filling. This recipe takes all that yummy flavor and wraps it up with cheese and spices in empanada dough.

They are filled with the flavors of smoky chipotle chilies and adobo and finished off with a creamy avocado crema for dipping. Always a crowd pleaser!

When you need a little spice in your life, reach for this chicken tinga empanadas recipe. Empanadas are versatile little hand pies that make great appetizers or you can pair them with a salad for a light dinner.

If you are not familiar with empanadas, now is the time to get acquainted. Some of my favorites are Argentinian Beef Empanadas, Street Corn Empanadas, Taco Empanadas, and my sweet Caramel Apple Empanadas.

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Ingredients Needed

Ground chicken or turkey – This recipe calls for ground chicken breast or turkey, but this recipe would be ideal for using up any leftover rotisserie chicken.

Mexican Oregano – Substitute regular oregano if desired.

Chipotle sauce – This gives the empanadas a little heat. You can also use 4 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and finely chop them to get that spicy flavor.

Tomato sauce – You can mix 1 part tomato paste and 1 part water as a substitute for tomato sauce.

Mexican cheese blend – This is usually a combination of Monterey Jack, Cheddar, Queso Quesadilla and Asadero cheeses. 

Puff pastry – Use frozen puff pastry sheets or try this homemade empanada dough recipe. Look for actual empanada dough or “discos” in your grocery store to make these easier.

Mexican crema – Substitute sour cream if you can’t find it.

Cilantro – Fresh is always best!

Lime zest – Use a grater or zester to get just the bright green peel off of the lime. You don’t want the bitter white pith.

Pantry staples – Olive oil, white onion, salt, large egg, avocado.

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How to make Chicken Tinga Empanadas

First: Preheat the oven to 375° and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray or line with parchment paper.

Second: Cook the onion in oil in a large pan over medium heat until soft. Add the chicken and cook until no longer pink. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the chipotle sauce and tomato sauce and simmer for 5 minutes or until the sauce is thicker. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes.

Third: Unfold the puff pastry sheet. Cut 3 inch circles from the dough. Place spoonfuls of filling into the center of the empanada discs and add some cheese.

Wet all around the edge of the pastry circle. Fold over and seal the edges by crimping with a fork.

Fourth: Brush empanadas with beaten egg. Place the empanadas on the cookie sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.

While baking, make the avocado dipping sauce. Mash the avocado in a bowl and add remaining ingredients, stirring until smooth. Serve with the empanadas. Enjoy!

For the full recipe and detailed instructions, please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

What is an Empanada?

The word empanada translates to “enbreaded”. An empanada has roots in Spain, Portugal and Latin America.

Similar to a hand pie with a sweet or savory filling that is wrapped in dough or coated in bread.

Is it better to bake or fry empanadas?

This truly depends on your preference! Baked chicken empanadas are definitely easier and you can bake a bunch of them at the same time.

Baked is also lower in calories and fat without all of that oil.

But there is certainly something about a fried empanada! If you do choose to bake your empanadas, don’t forget the egg wash because it will give it that golden brown color.

And, now that air frying is so popular (and with good reason) this is a great option. Especially for just one or two empanadas at a time.

Storage

• Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
• Freeze for up to 3 months.
• Reheat in the oven at 350F until warmed through.

Tapas Tips & Tricks

• You can also substitute store bought pie crust, however it may not result in the flaky pastry crust that puff pastry is known for.
• Spray the baking sheet with nonstick spray or line with parchment paper.
• Keep the puff pastry covered with a slightly damp towel as you are working to keep the dough from drying out.
• You can use the extra dough after you cut out the empanadas, just roll it back out and cut more circles.
• Along with the lime zest, you can also squeeze a little bit of lime juice into the avocado sauce.
• You can also serve these with salsa or sour cream – salsa verde would be tasty!
• If you prefer a spicier empanada you can add chili powder or extra chipotle chile sauce to your filling.
• If you want a creamier filling, you could replace half of the Mexican blend cheese with cream cheese. Simply stir it into the empanada filling after it has cooled a bit.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

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With cooler weather coming, try this comforting recipe with its warm spices and savory, cheesy filling. The avocado crema is the perfect finishing sauce. Delicioso!

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