birthday empanadas for Peggy!

by Linda Hopkins

Mini Chorizo-Chipotle Chicken Empanadas

Dough
2  1/4 cups flour
1  1/2 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon ground chipotle chile powder (optional)
1 stick (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 large egg
1/3 cup ice water
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

Filling
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large white onion, peeled and finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 orange or yellow bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 cup Spanish chorizo
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh minced oregano
1 cup finely minced cooked chicken
1 finely minced chipotle pepper with adobo sauce
Egg wash made with 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon of water

Dough: Place flour, salt, and chile powder into the bowl of a food processor and blend with a few pulses. Add in small butter cubes and pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse meal with some (pea-size) butter lumps. (as pictured below)

Add the egg and vinegar and pulse of couple times. With the machine running, add the ice water through the feed tube and pulse until the mixture almost begins to come together, but do not allow it to form a ball. Test to see that dough will hold together by grabbing a handful and squeezing. You can see the piece I tested on the right below.

Empty out dough onto a large sheet of plastic wrap. Use the wrap to bring the dough together and form dough into a flat rectangle and chill, enclosed in the plastic wrap, for at least 1 hour. (Although you will be rolling out little circles, by forming the dough into a rectangle, it is easier to divide into 24 equally pieces than it would be if you formed it into the usual flat disk)

While the dough is chilling, make the filling: Heat a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat, add oil and onion; cook, stirring frequently, until golden, about 12 minutes. Add garlic, bell peppers, salt, and oregano; cook, stirring frequently, until peppers are very soft, about 8 minutes. Add chorizo and stir to break up, until cooked through about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

In a small bowl, blend together minced chicken and chipotle. Add to skillet and stir to blend. Cool filling to room temperature.

Position oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Use a pastry scraper or knife to divide the dough into 24 equal pieces. Working with 4 pieces at a time, form each into a small flat disk, rounding out the corners by squeezing them in. Keep the remaining pieces covered in plastic wrap to prevent drying. Roll out the 4 disks on a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin into 3 1/2-inch rounds.

Spoon about 1 tablespoon of filling onto the center of each round and fold the dough in half, enclosing the filling. Press edges together to seal, then crimp with the tines of a fork. Transfer empanadas to a baking sheet. Make 20 more empanadas in the same manner, arranging them on 2 baking sheets.

Lightly brush empanadas with egg wash. (may be made ahead at this point and either refrigerated for up to one day or frozen on baking sheets, then transferred to freezer zip-lock bags for up to 1 month.)

Bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until golden, about 25 minutes. Transfer empanadas to a rack to cool for at least 5 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 24