buffalo chicken empanadas

I enjoy putting a twist on Filipino recipes such as my mom’s empanadas and pancit. Now that I’m a new mom, I’ve started to streamline my cooking by minimizing chopping and using my slow cooker more. Pulled chicken has become quite a staple in our household. For the Super Bowl, I’ve always loved eating buffalo wings or buffalo dip, so my Filipino mom adaptation will be…slow cooker buffalo chicken empanadas! This makes ~20 depending on how big you roll them.

Dough (2 batches of my mom’s recipe)
6 cups all-purpose flour
0.5 cup sugar
1.5 cups water
1 cup butter (cut into small cubes)

Chicken
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast
1 cup buffalo sauce, divided into two 1/2 cup portions
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 onion, diced
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp Penzeys roasted garlic
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper

Other Ingredients
2 cups blue cheese crumbles
1 bunch scallions, chopped
3 carrots, diced
1 beaten egg (for egg wash)
Blue cheese dressing and more buffalo sauce for dipping

These pre-chopped onions from Whole Foods worked great, and I might try the mirepoix in filling next time I make it!

1. Put buffalo chicken ingredients (one of the half cups of sauce) into slow cooker and cook for 8 hours on low. Shred with forks. Add the other 1/2 cup of sauce. I realized that this makes a lot of extra filling–it turns out great in lettuce wraps, tacos, salads, and egg scrambles though!

2. Mix dough ingredients in food processor (I do two batches to make sure it fits and mixes evenly) and form into a large ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for about 30 minutes.
3. Roll out dough circles about 6 inches in diameter (from small handfuls of dough).
4. Place 1 or 2 heaping tablespoons of chicken onto the rolled-out dough. Top with blue cheese, scallions, and carrots.
5. Fold the dough circle over to start forming the empanada. Press fork along the curved edge to create a border.

6. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes on pans lined with parchment paper. After 15 minutes, brush empanadas with beaten egg for coloring, then put them back in the oven to finish baking.