Chicken, Black Bean and Corn Empanadas

We enjoy Latin food quite alot in this household, and I realized I had not made Empanadas for over a year.

I once read you can buy Empanada pastry rounds in a frozen format, and I finally found them. They just were not that great, I think using Puff Pastry works much better and is a tastier alternative. You could also use Frozen Pie Crust which I have successfully used in the past.

This makes a bunch of filling, so you may need more than 1 box of Puff Pastry. I still have a quart of filling in my freezer for next time!

1/2 onion, diced
1 can black beans, drained
1/2 can corn, drained (you could use a whole can I am just not a fan of corn)
2-3 breasts of chicken, poached in water, and diced into cubes
2 whole canned chilis, diced
salt and pepper
1 cup mexican blend cheese
1/2 cup Cotija cheese crumbled (you can get this just about anywhere)
2 jalepeno peppers, seeded and minced
1 tbl onion powder
1 tbl chives
1/4 cup tomato based salsa of your choice
2 tbl lime juice
2 tsp Franks Red Hot
Salsa Verde (to taste)
1 package puff pastry

Poach your chicken breasts, remove from pan, cool and dice, then place in a large bowl.

Add in the beans, corn, salsa, and remaining ingredients. Mix well, taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper. Add salsa verde by the spoonful until it is at the level of taste you desire.

You don't want this mixture loose and moist, keep it on the dry side. You can adjust any of the above ingredients or seasonings.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and use pan spray on your baking sheet

Place your room temperature puff pastry into a floured surface, roll it out a bit until the seams integrate. Cut into 4 pieces

You are going to fold them into triangles, so place several tablespoons of your filling in the middle of each piece.

Using your finger and a small vessel of water, dip your finger and run it around the edge of the pastry

Fold over and using your fork pinch and seal the edges

Cut several holes in the top for venting

Brush each empanada with a bit of vegetable oil and bake for 14 to 16 minutes, until golden brown and puffy