Chicken Enchilada Empanadas

Place chicken in an even layer in a saucepan. Fill the pan with water just above the chicken. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Continue to cook chicken until all of the water is gone, about 20 minutes. Go ahead and start on the next step—you don’t have to worry about checking it. Just wait until you start to hear a sizzle. That’s the last of the water sizzling away. Remove pan from heat and transfer chicken to a cutting board. Pull chicken apart to give a shredded appearance.

While chicken is simmering, in a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and add onion. Cook onions until they start to turn brown and caramelize. This will take a while which will allow you to finish up the chicken. Then add the shredded chicken and enchilada sauce and mix well. Add chili powder in small increments. I like it a little spicier, so a full 2 tablespoons might be too much for you. Continue adding chili powder as well as salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer and continue to cook until the sauce has reduced by about half, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat.

If you have the time, let the mixture set overnight, refrigerated. I find the flavors really have a chance to blend together and taste amazing the next day. If you do this, warm the mixture before continuing to the next step.

Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or use a silicone baking mat.

You can cut your pie dough by hand, but I like to use a pie pocket crimper. Either way, you’ll want to cut 3 pockets out of each circle of dough. So first, roll out the dough and place crimper open flat towards the outer edge of circle of dough. Press down to cut through dough. Repeat this step two more times on each sheet of dough. Set aside the leftover pieces of dough. Repeat this process on the second sheet of dough. Combine leftover dough together and roll out into a circle slightly larger than your crimper. Using the same procedure, cut out a seventh pocket.

Place one pocket flat on the top of the crimper (or on your work surface if not using a crimper). Gently push center of dough down to make a well. Fill with approximately 1 tablespoon of cheese and about 2 tablespoons of chicken filling. Fold crimper in half and seal the dough edges. Or if you are doing this by hand just fold over the dough and use your fingers to crimp the edges. If you use too much filling, the pocket will burst open on the back side. Carefully remove filled pocket from crimper and place on the lined baking sheet. Repeat until all seven pockets are filled. Cut two slits on the top of each pocket to allow steam to escape. Using a pastry brush, brush the top with a little bit of water.

Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven. Serve with rice and beans, salsa, sour cream, guacamole or whatever other accompaniments you desire. Enjoy!