Venezuelan smoky chilli chicken empanadas

Woolworths is committed to sustainability via our good business journey. Seasonal (and other) products might not always be in stock.

Ingredients

For the dough:
240 g cake flour
1 t salt
2 T sugar
95 g butter, cubed and chilled
½ cup water
1 free-range egg yolk
For the filling:
2 red peppers
4 T olive oil
2 x 70 g Woolworths Spanish chorizo chunks punnets, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
400 g Woolworths skinless chicken mini breast fillets, roughly chopped
200 g Rosa tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 t smoked paprika
¼ cup tomato purée
1 T chipotle Tabasco
½ lime, juiced
4 T sour cream

Cooking Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180°C. To make the dough, sift the flour into a large mixing bowl, then add the salt and sugar. Add the butter and, using 2 knives, cut the butter into the flour until it is evenly distributed without any large lumps.

Whisk the water and egg together in a separate bowl and slowly pour into the flour mixture, mixing together to form a soft dough.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead lightly for 3 minutes. If the dough is too wet to knead, add extra flour until it can be handled without sticking to your hands and the work surface. Cover with clingwrap and chill for 1 hour.

While the dough is resting, prepare the filling. Halve the red peppers and coat with 2 T olive oil. Place on a roasting tray and roast for 35–40 minutes, or until the skins have charred slightly. Place the peppers in a bowl and cover with clingwrap. Allow to steam for 10 minutes, then remove the skins and seeds and roughly chop.

Heat the remaining oil in a pan over a medium heat. Add the chorizo and allow the oils to colour the olive oil, then add the garlic and chicken. Cook for 3 minutes, then add the red pepper, tomatoes, smoked paprika, tomato purée and Tabasco.

Cook for 5 minutes, then add the lime juice. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Remove the dough from the fridge and roll out on a floured surface. Using a 20 cm side plate as a guide, cut out 4 rounds of dough. Divide the cooled filling between the four rounds, placing it in the bottom half of each round.

Fold the dough over the filling and crimp closed by hand, or use a fork to seal the edges. Place on a greased baking tray and bake for 20 minutes, or until the pastry is cooked and golden brown.

Top the empanadas with the sour cream before serving.

Cook's note: "I always make a triple batch of these. I like to make them a little smaller and then pop them in the freezer, as they're perfect lunch-box fillers."