This recipe makes about 20 to 24 empanadas

Dough, ingredients

• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons salt
• 2 sticks (1 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 cup cold water

Dough, preparation

Put the flour in a large bowl and add the salt. Mix in the butter with a fork or by hand. Put the egg, water and vinegar in a bowl and beat well. Add this mixture to the flour and mix it in using a fork until it is just incorporated. Place the dough on a floured surface and knead by hand. Don’t knead too much, the dough should just come together. Wrap the dough in plastic or put in a covered bowl. Chill the dough in a fridge for 1 hour.

Filling, ingredients

• 3 whole chicken legs, including thighs
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 2 large garlic cloves finely chopped
• 1/3 cup Spanish chorizo, diced in small cubes
• 1/4 cup green olives, pitted and chopped
• 1/2 cup reduced chicken broth
• 1 large bay leaf, or 2 small ones
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika powder(Pimenton Dulce)
• 1/2 cup dry white wine

Filling, preparation

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large saucepan or skillet and brown chicken. The chicken should be browned for 3 to 4 minutes each side. Take out the chicken and let it rest. Leave the oil in the pan and add the onions, garlic and bay leaf. Brown them in 5 minutes until the onions are softened.

Add the chorizo and paprika powder and cook for another minute while stirring. Now add the chicken broth, wine and olives and bring it to a boil. Put the chicken back in the pan and let it simmer for about 30 minutes. After 15 minutes the chicken has to be turned over.

Take the chicken out of the pan. The sauce in the pan has to have a thick consistency, like thick gravy. If not, let it simmer a little longer. If the chicken is cool enough to handle, take of the skin and remove the bones and chop the meat roughly. Put the meat back in the pan and season with salt and pepper. Now is also a good time to take out the bay leaf. Let the filling cool for about an hour.

Empanadas, preparation

Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut the dough in 20 to 24 even pieces and roll them into a ball. Flatten them on a floured surface into 5 inch disks, about 1/8 inches in thickness.

Put about 2 tablespoons of the filling in the center and fold over the disk, enclosing the filling. Press edges together to seal. Crimp the edges with your fingers using the repulgue technique (see picture below). If this is too difficult you can also use the tines of a fork to crimp the empanadas. Beat 1 egg with 1 tablespoon of water and brush the empanadas with this. Bake the empanadas for about 25 minutes until golden.

repulgue technique