Empanadas

Empanadas are little pockets of deliciousness. Okay, really they are a great Mexican food staple. You can fill them with anything from chicken to chocolate, and you can even make some amazing dips for them. The idea is that you make them from scratch, and make a bunch of them and freeze the ones you don't eat. Well, around these parts I like the find the easy way. The recipe I found was from Paula Deen on food network, and instead of making your own crust, you use refrigerated pie crusts so these little beauties are super simple.

This specific recipe calls for chicken, but we used chorizo because chorizo is delicious! This makes enough to feed a family of 6 for a meal, or a small crowd for an appetizer.

Empanadas

3 cups chopped, cooked chicken
1 (8-ounce) package shredded Colby and Monterey Jack cheese blend
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 (15-ounce) package refrigerated pie crusts
Water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Lightly grease a baking sheet. In a large bowl, combine the chicken and next 7 ingredients. Unroll 1 piecrust onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into a 15-inch circle. Cut out rounds, using a 3-inch cookie cutter. Re-roll dough as needed. Repeat procedure with remaining piecrusts, making 12 to 15 circles total. Arrange 1 round on a clean, flat surface. Lightly brush the edges of crust with water. Place 1 heaping teaspoon of chicken mixture in the center of the round. Fold the dough over the filling, pressing the edges with a fork to seal. Repeat with the remaining rounds and chicken mixture. (Up to this point, the recipe can be made ahead and frozen for up to 1 month). Arrange empanadas on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes.