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(19) Chicken Empanadas

Updated December 21, 2025 / By Holly Erickson & Natalie Mortimer

Tender, juicy shredded chicken, onions, peppers and garlic make a hearty, savory filling for our easy chicken empanada recipe. Categories

• Spring
• Fall
• Lunch
• Dinner
• Appetizers
• Freezer Meals
• Kid Friendly

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A Few More Easy, Shredded Chicken Recipes

• Baked Chicken Quesadillas

• Creamy Chicken Soup

• Chicken Divan

• Chicken Salad Recipe

Meaty Little Pockets of Delicious.

Loaded with shredded chicken, onions, peppers and garlic, these chicken empanadas are fast favorites. A hearty, meaty, Argetinian-inspired chicken-and-veggie filling tucked into a buttery baked crust—chicken empanadas are a hand-held party food / dinner food / anytime food that the whole family will love. Be sure to check out our Best Shredded Chicken Recipes for more inspiration! If you’re more of a beef person, try our Beef Empanadas! And for an even easier weeknight chicken, try our chicken tinga!

Argentinian Chicken Empanada Ingredients—Simplicity is Key.

Our chicken empanada filling is all about simple ingredients and bold flavors. Nothing out of the ordinary here—in fact, you might have all of these on-hand already! In addition to some olive oil and salt, here’s what you’ll need:

• Shredded Chicken Breast: or use leftover Poached Chicken, or Roast Chicken

• Onion

• Bell peppers

• Garlic

• Cilantro

• Chicken bouillon

• Tomato paste

• Onion powder

• Garlic powder

• Egg

3 Options for Your Chicken Empanada Dough

One of the biggest barriers to making empanadas at home is the question of dough. But it doesn’t need to be! We’ve got three—yep, THREE!—great options for you, and they’re all pretty easy.

1. Goya empanada dough shell. If you can find it, this frozen empanada dough is a great store-bought option.

2. Store-bought pie crust. A bit of a cheat, but it works!

3. Homemade empanada dough. Homemade is always best—if you’ve got the time, try our homemade empanada dough recipe.

How to Make Chicken Empanadas

Now that you know how easy the empanada dough can be, it’s time to actually try your hand at making these delicious Argetinian chicken empanadas! Baked chicken empanadas are a cozy, comforting meal, and (bonus) they’re actually kind of fun to make, too! Here’s how it’s done:

1. Make the chicken empanada filling. Start with peppers and onions in a Large skillet, then add garlic, cilantro, shredded cooked chicken, bouillon, tomato paste, onion powder, and garlic powder. The whole lovely pan will simmer away and imbue that shredded chicken and veggie filling with fragrance and flavor.

2. Roll out the dough.

3. Fill the empanadas! Take care not to over-fill—we recommend about 1/3 of a cup of filling per 6-inch dish of empanada dough.

4. Seal the empanadas! Egg wash with a Pastry brush, and use the tines of a fork to firmly press the edges closed.

5. Bake the empanadas, on a Baking sheet 375° F for 35 minutes.

6. EAT the empanadas! The best part! OR, you can eat a few and freeze the rest for later. They freeze beautifully.

How to Store + Tips

1. Make ahead and freeze. Prepare the empanadas according to the recipe. Let the empanadas cool completely, then add to a freezer bag or airtight container in a single layer. Store frozen for up to 6 months. When ready to bake, thaw the empanadas for 30 minutes at room temperature. Preheat the oven to 400°F and bake the empanadas on a lined baking sheet for 20 minutes.

2. Make the filling ahead of time! Follow the recipe until step 3, then store refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months. When you're ready to make the empanadas, just pick up at step 4! (If you freeze, just make sure you thaw the filling first!)

3. Chicken empanadas dipped in sauce! We love dipping these babies into: Burger Sauce, Romesco Sauce, Homemade BBQ Sauce, sour cream or even homemade Ranch Dressing. Don’t knock it till you try it!

Did Someone Say Dough?

The word ‘empanada’ comes from the Spanish verb empanar, which means to enrobe or wrap in pastry or bread. And who doesn’t love meaty, savory fillings wrapped in a sheet of pastry? This week, we’re swooning over these pockets of deliciousness:

• Beef Empanadas

• Keto Ham and Cheese Hot Pockets

• Pierogi Recipe

• Pigs In A Blanket

• Beef Empanadas Tender, flaky homemade empanada dough surrounding a mixture of warmly-spiced ground beef filling, this beef empanada recipe is the best ever. It’s freezer-friendly, too!
• Keto Ham and Cheese Hot Pockets Homemade crust, warm ham and cheese all ready to be held in your hand. Did we mention these keto ham and cheese hot pockets are low-carb and gluten free?
• Pierogi Recipe Natalie’s grandma’s traditional pierogi recipe includes fresh mint and seasoned potatoes. She fondly remembers her family gathering to eat the fresh, pillowy pierogi as soon as they hit the table.
• Pigs In A Blanket Flakey croissant dough wraps around mini cocktail sausages for the party appetizer that seems to fly off the hot trays first: pigs in a blanket!

Did You Make These Chicken Empanadas?

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Chicken Empanadas Recipe

Updated December 21, 2025

By Holly Erickson & Natalie Mortimer

• Serves: 10
• Prep Time: 30 min
• Cook Time: 35 min
• Calories: 212

Description

Tender, juicy shredded chicken, onions, peppers and garlic make a hearty, savory filling for our easy chicken empanada recipe. Print Recipe Pin Recipe

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Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• ½ cup minced onion
• 1 red bell pepper, minced
• 1 yellow or orange bell pepper, minced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons freshly minced cilantro
• 2 cups shredded chicken breast, about 1½ pounds
• 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 10 Empanada Dough Shells, store-bought or homemade, rolled into 6-inch rounds (we like Goya)
• 1 egg

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 375° F with a rack in the center position. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and bell peppers and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cilantro and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.

3. Add the chicken, bouillon, tomato paste, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and 1 cup water. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring often, until the liquid has mostly evaporated, but the mixture is not dry, 5-8 minutes.

4. Working with one dough shell at a time, add a heaping ⅓ cup of filling to one side of the dough, leaving a ¼ inch border around the edge.

5. In a small bowl, beat the egg with 1 tablespoon of water. Brush the egg wash on the dough edges, reserving the remaining egg wash, then fold the dough over the filling. Using a fork, firmly press the edges together to seal. Place the empanadas on the prepared sheet. Brush each empanada with the remaining egg wash, then bake for 35 minutes, or until golden browned.

Related Recipes

Nutrition Info

• Per Serving
• Amount

• Calories 212
• Protein 9 g
• Carbohydrates 27 g
• Total Fat 7 g
• Dietary Fiber 1 g
• Cholesterol 40 mg
• Sodium 307 mg
• Total Sugars 1 g

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Chicken Empanadas

Questions & Reviews

Rated 4.9 stars by 19 readers

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Questions 21 Reviews 18 Avg: 4.9 / 5

• Chelsea

  if using a pie crust, which one would you recommend? and would the pie crust need to be cut into smaller pieces to use? Thanks!

  We wouldn't recommend pie dough. But you could get Goya empanada dough shell if you don't want to make the dough. Here is the amazon link https://amzn.to/38XW8qE

• Lourdes

  do i shred the chicken afterwards?

  You use cooked shredded chicken in this recipe.

• Rich

  When do I shred the chicken and prep to shed. Ala cook first???

  Hi Rich, you will need to cook the check then shred it. We added our "shredded chicken" recipe link to the ingredient list. It should have been in there. Thanks for bringing this to our attention, we hope you enjoy!

• Marianne

  Can I airfry these? And at what temp for how long

  We have not tested these in the air fryer, sorry Marianne!

• Rita

  Can I fry these instead of baking? If so how would you recommend frying them? Thank you 😊

  We haven't tested frying them.

• Karen

  This recipe was good but sadly it was bland. I ended up adding a 2nd tbspn of tomato paste and 1 tsp of oregano and 1 tsp cumin. That made this recipe the bomb! This was great because it was so easy. Thanks!

  Thanks Karen, glad you could change it up to your liking.

• barsness

  is the chicken pre cooked?

  Yes, you can buy pre-cooked chicken or follow the instructions for shredded chicken to cook it yourself. Hope you enjoy!

• John

  If you are already using fresh onion and garlic, why add onion and garlic powder?

  It just enhances the flavor.

• Gerry

  What can you have to eat ñwith a chicken empanada

  You could serve with guacamole for dipping. Steak fajitas, instant pot pinto beans and restaurant style mexican rice, tex mex salad or taco salad. Hope this helps Gerry!

• Tammy

  Pls can anyone tell me the saturated fat content of this dish

  2grams per serving. Hope you enjoy Tammy!

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• Jackie

  5-star rating

  The recipe looks great! What sauce would you buy or make for the chicken empanadas?

  Thanks, we love these! We've served with guacamole, sour cream, salsa or chimichurri.

• Angela

  5-star rating

  Made these omg theyre so good we had to use shredded cooked chicken thighs .because we dont like chicken breast. gonna be making these again.buffalo bills fans snacks at my house oh the love em.great job .gonna look for more of your recipes

  Thanks Angela, we are so glad you love these!

• Maureen

  5-star rating

  Delicious! So fun to make!! This is definitely a recipe I will make again!!!

  Thanks Maureen, we are so glad you love it!

• Bruce

  5-star rating

  Too much liquid, this goes in the never again box,pretty bland

  Sorry you experienced too much liquid. The recipe states to simmer until most of the liquid is gone. Lots of seasoning in there, sorry to wasn't flavorful enough for you.

• Amy

  5-star rating

  We LOVED this. I have never made epanadas before. Followed the recipe exactly as it is listed. I slow cooked my chicken breasts before to get it nice and shredded. The whole family loved it. I had a lot of extra mixture after making the empanadas and we will have taco salads with it. Delish!

  Thanks Amy, so happy you loved these!

• Janet

  5-star rating

  This was excellent. First time making an empanada of any kind. I did have molds so I used them with a refrigerated pie crust. Only ingredient I added was cheese. I made the Chipotle Crema with this and it is over the top. I did add the cumin. Thanks for the recipe. Definitely a keeper.

  Thanks Janet, we are so glad you loved it!

• Bill

  5-star rating

  Great flavors

  Thanks Bill, we are so happy you love it!

• Dellie

  5-star rating

  Delicious! Highly recommend this recipe. 👍

  Thanks Dellie, so glad you loved it!

• Willow

  5-star rating

  These turned out great! I doubled to recipe so I could freeze half. I did use pre-made pie crust from Walmart; one package with 2 crusts made about 10 empanadas. Make sure to really cook off as much liquid as possible; I thought I had cooked it enough but when it came time to assemble the empanadas, the retained liquid in the chicken mix made the dough very soggy and it would tear easily. I ended up squeezing out/draining extra liquid from the chicken mixture. Great recipe; worth a try!

  Thanks WIllow, glad you enjoyed it!

• Lee

  5-star rating

  Made using the Beef Empanada dough recipe. Very tasty!

  Thanks Lee, glad you liked it!

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