Pastelitos de Pollo

I call them little pockets of heaven! Pastelitos or empanadas as many like to call them are the best item to add to your appetizer table. As if the filling wasn’t enough, the flakey and delicious outer layer is what really makes these magical. I’ve shared a Picadillo & Maduro Empanada recipe here before but this variety is a close second. What’s different? The shell (dough) used for this recipe is typically fried and has a crispy throughout while the version shared in a previous post is typically baked and is made with a puff pastry style dough.

These pockets of deliciousness can be consumed for any meal of the day. In Dominican Republic workers grab these on the go in the morning to have a full stomach for a day’s work, enjoy them as appetizers at family functions and holidays, or grab them from a local street vendor after a late night on the town.

In my family, pastelitos are at every function and everyone is typically fighting for the chicken ones. They’re literally hiding them in to-go containers and in the microwave so that they can take them home to enjoy later or even to have more than one to enjoy lol . Fighting for their lives for some pastelitos lol.

I had some leftover Pollo Guisado from last night’s dinner so I decided to grab some empanada dough and remix leftovers to have something new and exciting for dinner- I get tired of eating the same thing over and over and this is how I make it work. I shredded the meat, added the meat to the dough, and fried them. Done and done! An easy and quick dinner option.

• You can use any filling of your choice for this recipe, the possibilities are endless. One of my favorites is stuffing the dough with Camarones a la Criolla (Dominican Creole Shrimp).

• This version, using this dough, is best fried as the dough creates bubbles in the hot oil for the ultimate crispy shell. However, you can bake these if you wish. The dough will still have a nice crisp to it but will be a bit dry. Spray with cooking spray before baking to help crisp the dough to get the best end product

• You can also opt to air fry these! If you are, spray with cooking spray and cook at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Flip pastelitos at the half way mark and spray with cooking spray as well to ensure that you get a nice golden color on the other side as well.

• To add some pizzaz: consider stuffing the empanada with a combination of flavors. Sometimes I add sweet plantains with the chicken and it’s so good. You can also add a few drops of your favorite hot sauce to make them a little spicy!

• You can typically find pre-made dough in the freezer section of your local supermarket. It’s typically in the section where international frozen foods are located.

Ingredients:

For the filling:

• 2 skinless chicken breasts, cleaned

• 1 tablespoons of homemade Sazon/Sofrito

• 1/2 teaspoon of Sazon seasoning

• 1/4 teaspoon of low-sodium soy sauce

• 2 garlic cloves, finely diced or mashed

• A quarter of an onion, sliced

• A quarter of a Cubanelle pepper (or red/green bell peppers), sliced

• 1 teaspoon of Dominican Oregano

• 1 teaspoon of red dry wine (optional) like Merlot, Pinot Noir, or Cabernet

• Juice of half of a lime

• Salt and pepper to taste

• 1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons of water, for cooking

• 1 tablespoon of cooking oil

• 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar

For the Pastelitos:

• Pollo Guisado, shredded

• 1 package of Empanada (Pastelito) Dough Discs

• 1 cup of oil, for frying

Directions

For the Filling

First we prep the chicken. After the chicken has been cleaned, add the chicken to a large bowl. Then, add the lime juice to the chicken and toss to ensure that it’s combined.

Next, we season the chicken. In the bowl, add the homemade Sazon, Sazon seasoning, soy sauce, garlic, Cubanelle pepper, onion, Dominican oregano, cooking wine, and salt & pepper. Toss the chicken in your bowl while stirring to ensure that all of the flavors are incorporated and that the chicken pieces are well coated.

Cover and marinate for at least 15-20 minutes!

It’s time to brown our chicken. Add oil and sugar to a large pot on medium to high heat. You’ll want to caramelize the sugar until its a nice brown color. This step is one you’ll want to be fully present for as the sugar browns fairly quickly and if not fully presented and watching over it, can burn very easily. The color you’re looking for here is a nice golden to rich brown. Once the sugar has reached this color, add in your chicken while reserving the leftover marinade and veggies in your bowl for later use.Toss the chicken in the caramelize sugar until your chicken is nicely coated and brown in color.

Now we braise/stew the chicken. Add the 1/4 cup of water to the pot along with the chicken and mix to ensure that all of the flavors are combined. Cover and simmer at medium heat for 20 minutes stirring occasionally to ensure that your chicken is nicely coated with the gravy in your pot and to continue building the gravy overall. You’ll want to watch this as you stir. If additional water is needed, add by the tablespoon to prevent your chicken from burning and to continue braising/stewing.

After the chicken has stewed in the cooking liquid, it’s time to add in the veggies and leftover marinade. Add two tablespoons of water to the leftover marinade and veggies leftover in the bowl where the chicken was marinating. Mix to combine. Then, add in this marinade mixture into the pot with the chicken. Bring heat down to low and cook for an additional 15 minutes.

At this point your chicken should be falling off the bone, you should have a nice thick gravy, and your veggies should be cooked through.

Shred your chicken with a fork and set aside.

Now, we make our empanadas!

For the Empanadas

First, we prep the dough. Lay out your empanada dough discs and prep them for filling. The dough should be fully thawed. Remove the discs from the packaging and away from the plastic wrap and lay flat on a working surface.

Next, fill the dough. Grab about a tablespoon of the stewed chicken and spoon in the center of each disc of dough.

Then, we close the dough to form the Pastelito. Grab one end of the dough and flip over at the half way point to form a semi-circle. Meet each ends of the dough and hold down followed by pressing a fork along the edge to seal the dough.

Now, we fry! Heat oil on medium to high heat in a skillet. Once the oil is hot, add in your sealed Pastelitos while making sure that you’re not overcrowding your frying pan. Fry the Pastelitos until golden brown on each side. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate and let cool for at least 5 minutes. Then, enjoy!

In the photo you’ll notice that I paired these with a sauce. You can find the sauce recipe here!