Blogabetic

Baked chicken empanadas are a great finger food appetizer or meal on the go. They can be cooked in a large batch and reheated throughout the week, making it very easy to plan meals ahead of time. Serve with a side salad to round out a main course. This recipe comes to us from the American Diabetes Association, you can find the original recipe here or read on below!

Ingredients

• 8 oz chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
• 4 cups chicken broth (fat-free, low-sodium)
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 medium yellow onion (finely diced)
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• Cooking spray
• 1 lbs premade whole wheat pizza dough (thawed if frozen)
• 16 green Spanish olives (such as Manzanilla, pitted)
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp water

Directions

1. Add the chicken breasts and chicken broth to a large sauce pan over high heat. Bring to boiling, then reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the pan from the heat and let the chicken cool to the touch in the broth (about 20 minutes).
2. Shred the chicken into small pieces and mix in 2 tbsp of the chicken broth from the pan; set aside.
3. Add the oil to a saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion, paprika, cumin, chili powder, and 1/2 cup of the chicken broth. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until onions are soft and clear, and the liquid is evaporated. Stir in the chicken to yield 2 cups of filling.
4. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
5. Separate the whole wheat pizza dough into 16 golf-ball size pieces, and roll each one into a smooth ball.
6. Using a rolling pin, roll each ball of dough into a 6-inch-diameter circle.
7. Spoon 2 tbsp of the filling into the middle of the circle and press 1 olive into the middle of the filling. Lightly brush with water the bottom edge of the dough along one half of the circle. Fold the top half of the dough over the filling to form a semi-circle, and press edges firmly together. Crimp the edges with a fork to seal in the filling. Place the empanadas on a baking sheet.
8. Lightly beat the egg with 1 tbsp water and brush a thin layer of the mixture over the top surface of each empanada.
9. Bake the empanadas for 20 minutes, until lightly browned.