Weeknight Recipe: Homemade Buffalo chicken empanadas

I’m so excited to bring you these Buffalo chicken empanadas. This was such a fun recipe to dream up. The base of the recipe is my Buffalo chicken dip, which I hope to share with you during football season this fall. It is my sister’s favorite recipe, and she is constantly asking me to make it for her. I wanted to bring Buffalo chicken to her in a whole new way.

The empanadas are special for a number of reasons. The empanadas are filled with a gooey Buffalo chicken filling that is spiced with homemade ranch seasoning. You can buy the ranch seasoning from the store, but making it at home adds a tanginess that is special when it’s homemade. The blue cheese surprise is quite delicious, too. That pop of blue cheese when you bite into the empanada is glorious, and it creates so much flavor. The empanada dough is sprinkled with cracked black pepper, and the egg yolk enriches the dough to make it sturdy and delicate at the same time. 

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Buffalo Chicken Empanadas

Preparation time: 1 hour

Cook time: 35 minutes

Inactive time: 35 minutes

Servings: 10 empanadas

INGREDIENTS

Empanada dough

• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 6 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 8 tablespoons cold butter (salted or unsalted), diced into small chunks
• 1 egg plus 1 tablespoon water

Ranch seasoning

• ½ cup dried buttermilk powder
• 1 tablespoon freeze-dried parsley
• 1 tablespoon freeze-dried dill
• 1 teaspoon freeze-dried chives
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoons onion powder
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

Buffalo chicken filling

• 2 pounds chicken breast
• 1 cup water
• 8 ounces plus 1 tablespoons of Frank’s RedHot (or other Buffalo sauce)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 8 ounces sour cream
• 2 tablespoons ranch seasoning
• ½ cup blue cheese crumbles

STEPS

Empanada dough

1. Add dry ingredients to a food processor and pulse 2 to 3 times to combine everything.
2. Add diced butter and pulse a few times until the butter is pea-sized.
3. Add egg yolk, water and lemon juice. Pulse for 15 seconds, until the dough is fully incorporated, and starts to form a ball.
4. Place in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to up to 2 hours.
5. Mix remaining egg and 1 tablespoon of water together in a small bowl and set aside.

Ranch seasoning

1. Mix everything together and set aside.
2. Save this ranch seasoning to add to your cooking at anytime. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 6 months. I like to put it in a Mason jar.

Buffalo chicken filling

1. Place chicken breast in a bowl of an electric multicooker (such as an Instant Pot).
2. Add 1 tablespoon of Buffalo sauce and 1 cup of water to the pot.
3. Cook at high pressure for 6 minutes, and let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes before pressing the button to release the remaining pressure.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add cream cheese, sour cream, ranch seasoning and remaining Buffalo sauce.
5. Mix on low speed until chicken is shredded.

Assembly

1. Roll dough to ¼-inch thickness.
2. Use a 4-inch round cutter to cut the dough into circles.
3. Using a medium Oxo scoop, scoop about 1½ tablespoons of the Buffalo chicken filling onto the empanada dough.
4. Add 1 piece of blue cheese in the middle.
5. Fold the dough over to enclose the filling and make a half-moon shape.
6. Crimp edges with a fork, and poke a hole in the top of the dough to allow the steam to escape.
7. Place on a baking sheet and continue assembling the remaining empanadas.
8. Brush the empanadas with egg mixture and bake at 375 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes.
9. Serve with either chimichurri or ranch dressing.

Enjoy!