Friday, April 29, 2011

Easy Weekend Meal: Chicken Potpie Empanadas

Sometimes you just need a recipe that is quick and easy to throw together.  As much fun as it is to spend a couple hours in the kitchen working on a grand masterpiece, it can also be just as rewarding to mix together a few ingredients and get back to relaxing!  If you don't already subscribe to Real Simple's recipe of the day, you should!  I have discovered several super easy recipes this way and they are great to pull out when I want something tasty but quick to make.  Today, I am sharing with you a recipe for chicken potpie empanadas.  It uses a premade pie crust, shredded rotisserie chicken and a mix of frozen peas and carrots.  Ain't no shame in keepin' it simple!


  
Chicken Potpie Empanadas
from Real Simple

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 tablespoon flour
3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 10-ounce box frozen peas and carrots
1 3- to 4-pound store-bought rotisserie chicken, meat shredded
kosher salt and black pepper
2 refrigerated 9-inch piecrusts (from a 15-ounce package, such as Pillsbury)

Heat oven to 400° F. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes.

Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.

Slowly stir in the broth. Cook until thickened, about 3 minutes. Add the peas and carrots, chicken, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Remove from heat.

Cut each piecrust in half. Spoon the chicken mixture over one side of each half-circle, leaving a ½-inch border.
Using your fingers, wet the border with water. Fold the crust over the chicken. Press to seal. Make three 1-inch slits in the top of each.
Transfer the empanadas to a baking sheet. Bake until golden, 15 to 18 minutes.
 
Notes:
This recipe could easily be adapted to make it a bit fancier.  I would like to try it with rosemary roasted chicken and maple glazed sweet potatoes in place of the peas and carrots next time.
If making for children, you can cut each piecrust into thirds and to make smaller servings (they were quite filling!).
  
Enjoy!
Hope you all have a great weekend!  What's your favorite easy recipe?

7 comments:

  1. Those are such a unique take on potpies! Love it. I need to subscribe to that too.

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  2. How novel! I really love this idea. I like this type of food and would love to sample your empanadas. I hope you have a great weekend. Blessings...Mary

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  3. They turned out lovely! nice and golden brown!
    I like making easy one-pot veggie explosions :)

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  4. These look so professional! What a great post!

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  5. I would love one of these for lunch today! They look so hearty and delicious and it's wonderful to have a super simple recipe to throw together for dinner sometimes. Thanks for sharing!

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  6. Oooooh...this looks so good! And I think it's perfect with peas and carrots! :) My favorite easy recipe?

    Well...besides peanut butter and jelly (ha ha!) I'd have to say Russian salad.

    A friend of ours gave me the recipe and ever since then, I make all the time, usually on days that we work double shifts.

    All you do mix together some chilled hard boiled eggs, any kind of cooked meat (or deli meat, rotisserie chicken, hot dogs, smoked sausage, etc), a can of peas and carrots (drained), some diced pickles, and your choice of salad dressing (we usually use chipotle mayonnaise).

    It's incredibly good and takes very little time at all to make. :)

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  7. These are really nice. Great idea. Really nicely presented recipe. Thanks.

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