This chicken empanadas recipe is a simple, flavorful dish made with seasoned ground chicken tucked inside soft biscuit dough and fried until golden and crisp. It is one of those recipes that feels fun enough for a party appetizer but easy enough to make for a casual family dinner.
I love recipes that do not require complicated ingredients or hours in the kitchen, and these empanadas keep things simple. That is usually the kind of recipe I come back to most, whether it is a crispy appetizer like this or an easy protein option I can serve a few different ways during the week. The filling is made with ground chicken, onion, tomato paste, and a few pantry seasonings, while the biscuit dough makes the outside quick and easy. They are the kind of recipe that works just as well for a family dinner as it does for an appetizer or party snack.
Why You’ll Love These Chicken Empanadas
Chicken empanadas are a great option when you want something a little different from the usual weeknight dinner. They are crispy on the outside, savory on the inside, and easy to serve with salsa, chili sauce, or your favorite dipping sauce.
They also work well for parties because they are small, easy to pick up, and fun to share. If you enjoy serving easy appetizers, these would fit right in with recipes like Spicy Cheeseburger Dip or a tray of easy party appetizers when you are putting together a casual spread.
Ingredients You’ll Need
The nice thing about this chicken empanadas recipe is that it uses simple ingredients you can usually find at any grocery store. Ground chicken keeps the filling light but flavorful, while garlic powder, paprika, brown sugar, salt, pepper, and tomato paste give it a savory, slightly sweet flavor.
Premade biscuit dough is the shortcut that makes this recipe so easy. Instead of making dough from scratch, you simply divide the biscuits, roll them out, fill them, seal them, and fry them until golden. It is a great shortcut when you want homemade flavor without making the whole recipe more complicated than it needs to be.
How to Make Chicken Empanadas
Start by cooking the chopped onion in a little oil until it begins to soften and lightly brown around the edges. Add the ground chicken, tomato paste, and seasonings, breaking the chicken into small pieces as it cooks. Once the chicken is fully cooked, taste the filling and adjust the salt if needed.
Let the chicken mixture cool before filling the empanadas. This helps keep the dough easier to handle and prevents the filling from making the dough too soft. While the filling cools, roll out the biscuit dough into small circles, add a spoonful of chicken filling to the center, fold the dough over, and press the edges together.
Tips for Sealing Empanadas
A good seal makes all the difference when frying empanadas. After folding the dough over the filling, press the edges together firmly with your fingers, then use the back of a fork to crimp the edges. This helps keep the filling tucked inside while the empanadas fry.
Be careful not to overfill them. It is tempting to add extra chicken, but too much filling can make the dough harder to close and may cause the empanadas to split open in the oil. A heaping teaspoon of filling is usually enough for small biscuit dough empanadas.
What to Serve with Chicken Empanadas
These chicken empanadas are delicious served hot with salsa, chili sauce, sour cream, or a simple dipping sauce. You can serve them as a main dish with a salad, rice, or roasted vegetables, or keep them as a fun appetizer for game day, family night, or a casual get-together.
If you are planning a meal with a Latin-inspired feel, these would pair nicely with something like a rotisserie chicken quesadilla or another easy chicken recipe. For a kid-friendly dinner spread, you could also serve them alongside baked parmesan chicken nuggets for a mix of crispy, bite-sized favorites.
Can You Make These Ahead of Time?
You can cook the chicken filling ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator until you are ready to assemble the empanadas. This makes the recipe easier if you are preparing them for a party or trying to get dinner on the table faster.
For the best texture, I would wait to fill and fry the empanadas until just before serving. The dough fries up best when freshly assembled, and the outside stays crispier when served hot from the pan.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
Store leftover chicken empanadas in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They are best enjoyed within a few days, especially since fried dough can soften as it sits.
To reheat, use an oven or air fryer if possible. This helps bring back some of the crispiness better than the microwave. The microwave will work in a pinch, but the empanadas will be softer.
Easy Chicken Empanadas for Dinner or Appetizers
These easy chicken empanadas are a fun way to turn simple ingredients into something crispy, savory, and satisfying. Whether you serve them as a party appetizer, afternoon snack, or family dinner, they are easy to customize and even easier to enjoy.
The biscuit dough shortcut keeps the recipe approachable, while the seasoned chicken filling gives each bite plenty of flavor. Serve them warm with your favorite dipping sauce and enjoy a recipe that feels a little special without being hard to make.
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Chicken Empanadas Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ lb ground chicken
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp paprika
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- ½ cup red onion finely chopped
- 1 tbsp canola oil
- 1 pkg butter biscuit dough
- 1 tsp Nigella Seeds optional
- Oil for frying
- Salsa or chili sauce for serving
Instructions
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a saute pan.
- Add chopped onion and saute until light brown at the edges.
- Add ground chicken and all the seasonings and cook breaking chicken into small pieces, until chicken is fully cooked. (about 6-8 minutes).
- Once the chicken is fully cooked, taste and adjust salt.
- Remove into a plate and let it cool completely.
- In the meantime, take out the biscuit dough on a flour-dusted board.
- If using Nigella seeds, sprinkle seeds on dough before rolling.
- To make 16 empanadas, divide each biscuit into two small dough balls.
- Roll each to 2-3 inch diameter circle.
- Set oil to heat for frying.
- Place a heaping teaspoonful of cooked chicken in the center of each rolled dough circle.
- Fold the circle in half and press the edges together to make a tight seal.
- To ensure no leaking while frying, I also seal the edges with the back of a fork.
- Keep placing folded empanadas on a flour-dusted tray.
- Repeat this step to finish folding all 16 empanadas.
- Deep fry empanadas 3-4 at a time until crisp and golden, 2-3 minutes for each batch.
- Place the cooked empanada on a paper towel-lined plate to absorb excess oil.
- Serve hot with chili sauce or tomato salsa! Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information has been calculated using an autogenerating online calculation and is intended for informational purposes. For accurate nutritional information, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used.