Chicken Empanada Pizza Pie

If you've never tried empanadas before, then you're missing out! This delicious savory pastry can come filled with your favorite seasoned meat, cheese, or veggie filling, all served in a small, single-serving, dippable pocket. While we love traditional empanadas, we love bringing together two of our favorite dishes even more, so please allow us to introduce you to our delicious chicken empanada pizza pie! From its deliciously tender pulled chicken, cheese, and veggie filling to its delicate pizza crust exterior, this dish is truly the best of both worlds. Why settle for one delicious dish, when you can have two at the same time?! 

Yield: 1
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Difficulty Level: Moderate

Ingredients:

For the pulled chicken:

  • 1 bunch of cilantro
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 8 oz tomato sauce
  • 2 chicken breasts
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • 8 oz garlic & herb butter

For the chicken empanada pizza pie:

  • 2 sheets of pizza dough
  • 8 oz shredded Monterey Jack cheese
  • 3 oz fresh spinach
  • 3 oz roasted red peppers
  • 1 white onion, sliced
  • 8 oz sliced green olives
  • 4 hard-boiled eggs, diced
  • pulled chicken
  • 4 red jalapeño peppers, sliced
  • chili oil to taste

Instructions:

1. For the pulled chicken, add the cilantro, onion, garlic, and tomato sauce to a food processor or blender and mix until combined. Pour the seasoned tomato sauce into a small, oval casserole dish and place the seasoned chicken breasts in the sauce. 

2. Roll the cold garlic & herb butter out into a flat, oval sheet that has the same diameter as the casserole dish and place the butter sheet on top of the casserole dish. Transfer the casserole dish to a preheated oven and cook at 250°F for 45 minutes.

3. Let the chicken cool and then use 2 forks to shred the meat.

4. Line the bottom of a round 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper and then place the first sheet of pizza dough inside the pan so that the ends hang over the edge of the pan. Sprinkle ⅓ of the Monterey Jack cheese over the pizza dough on the bottom of the pan and top with layers of fresh spinach leaves, roasted red peppers, sliced onions, sliced green olives, diced hard-boiled eggs, shredded chicken, and another ⅓ of the Monterey Jack cheese.

5. Place the second sheet of pizza dough over the top of the springform pan so that the ends hang over the edge of the pan. Arrange the sliced red jalapeño peppers around the inner edges of the pan and sprinkle the remaining Monterey Jack cheese on top. Use an empanada folding technique to fold the hanging dough edges in on top of the pizza pie. Brush the chili oil over the top of the chicken empanada pizza pie, transfer the springform pan to the warm oven, and cook at 350°F for 1 hour until golden brown.

Let's be honest, you really can't go wrong if you're combining the powers of both pizza and empanadas, so let's just say that this mouthwatering chicken empanada pizza pie definitely won't disappoint!

Get the recipes for the Chicago-Style Pizza Pot Pies featured in the bonus video.

Comments

Also hefty