At home we love chicken and bacon empanadas because it is a preparation that solves your dinner in a simple and delicious way or the meal when you stay at work. They admit almost any filling and are very easy to prepare.
At this article, we prepare this time a chicken, bacon and mushroom empanada, and we use puff pastry sheets that greatly simplify the work. Do you dare and prepare it with us? You will surely love the result!
Ingredients to make Chicken, Bacon and Mushroom Empanada:
• 400 grams of chicken breast
• 125 grams of bacon
• 1 can of sliced mushrooms
• 1 onion
• 200 milliliters of cream to cook
• 1 egg
• 1 splash of extra virgin olive oil
• 2 sheets of puff pastry
• 1 dessert spoon of thyme
• 1 dessert spoon of oregano
• 1 dessert spoon of rosemary
• 1 dessert spoon of cumin
• 1 dessert spoon of black pepper
• 1 pinch of salt
• 6 slices of cheese
How to make Chicken, Bacon and Mushroom Empanada:
We are going to start by preparing the mixture of spices with which we are going to season the filling for the chicken and bacon empanada. We pass through a spice grinder until they are reduced to powder.
Trick: If we want we can prepare more quantity and we will have them ready for other dishes.
Peel the onion, cut it into pieces and put it in the grinder. Carefully so that it does not end up pureed, chop it finely. In a frying pan put a few drops of olive oil and put on the fire. When hot, add the onion and fry.
Trick: If we don’t have a mincer we can chop it by hand.
We drain the mushrooms, we put them in the mincer and we make them finite without making them puree. Add them to the pan, along with the onion, stir well and leave on the heat.
Trick: If we prefer, we can use natural mushrooms or other types of mushrooms to put in the chicken and mushroom empanada.
We review the chicken breasts that should be skinless, we cut them into pieces and put them in the grinder as well. Be careful when chopping them or we will end up making a dough. When we have the minced meat we add it to the pan. Add a couple of tablespoons of the mixture of spices that we have made, stir well and let cook. Meanwhile, cut the bacon into small cubes and add it to the pan as well.
Trick: We can use bacon that is already cut.
Stir the contents of the pan frequently and when the chicken meat is done, add the cream, mix well and adjust the salt. Let cook for a while longer, until the milk cream reduces since the filling of the chicken, bacon and cream empanada cannot be very liquid although it should be creamy. Remove from heat and let at least warm, and if possible cool almost completely.
Tip: If it seems appropriate, we can add more of the spice mixture and leave it to our liking.
When the mixture is almost cold, crack the egg, put it in a bowl and beat it as if we were going to make an omelet. Add a third or so to the filling and mix well. We reserve the rest to paint the puff pastry for the mushroom and bacon pie. We take the puff pastry sheets out of the refrigerator, unroll the one that is going to serve as the base and pour the filling of the chicken and bacon empanada little by little, leaving at least one centimeter without filling on all the edges.
You can make this easy and inexpensive puff pastry recipe yourself instead of buying it ready-made.
We cover with slices of cheese that melt well (I usually use the ones that are sold individually wrapped to prepare sandwiches) and put the other sheet of puff pastry on top. Fold the edges inwards and then press them with the tines of a fork to seal them and prevent the chicken, bacon and cream empanada from opening during baking. With the help of a kitchen brush, paint the chicken and bacon empanada with the beaten egg all over the surface and the edges and put it in the oven preheated to 180ºC. Bake until the puff pastry is golden, which will take approximately 25 to 30 minutes. Let the chicken, bacon and mushroom empanada cool before serving. It can also be served immediately but the filling will be looser and the portions may break when divided. Bon Appetite!
