Chicken Fajita Empanadas
Chicken fajitas are a flavourful, Tex-Mex dish typically made with seasoned chicken, bell peppers, onions, and a mix of spices, all sautéed together for a savoury and aromatic filling. For this recipe, I take the classic chicken fajitas and transform them into something extra special by turning them into chicken fajita empanadas. Instead of serving the chicken fajita in tortillas, I stuff it into flaky, buttery puff pastry, adding cheese for that melty goodness. The result is a crispy, golden empanada that combines the smoky, spicy flavours of chicken fajitas with the irresistible crunch of a puff pastry. Perfect for a twist on a classic!
Here's how its made
Make the filling: To make these chicken fajita empanadas, sauté seasoned chicken, bell peppers, and onions in a hot skillet until tender and cooked through. Add fajita seasoning and a splash of lime juice to brighten things up.
Stuffing the empanada: Once the filling cools slightly, roll out sheets of paratha (or a buttery puff pastry). For smaller bite size empanadas you can cut them into circles but since the chicken fajita mixture involves larger pieces of chicken and long pieces of bell pepper, Its much more manageable to shape large empanadas instead. Spoon a generous amount of the fajita mixture onto each pastry circle, top with cheese, and fold the dough over to form a half-moon shape.
Cook the empanada: Seal the edges by folding and twisting or simple crimp with a fork. Then bake or fry the empanadas to golden crispy perfection.
What type of dough to use for the 'empanada'
Paratha dough: Paratha dough is a traditional south asian flatbread dough made from whole wheat flour, ghee, and water. Paratha dough has a good amount of ghee in it which makes these empanadas super crispy when baked or fried. The dough is typically thinner than the average puff pastry dough, however the extra fat and thinness of the dough may be more difficult to work with.This is my preferred dough to use for this kind of recipe because of how crispy it gets and I always have some in my freezer.
Puff-pastry dough: Puff pastry dough is made from a simple combination of flour, butter, water, and salt. The puff pastry doughs I have experimented with come out more flaky and less crispy than the paratha for example- slightly on the dryer end. This could be due to a lesser amount of fat being in the dough which affects the final outcome.
Home-made dough: Homemade empanada dough is typically made with flour, butter, water, and salt. This dough is firmer than puff pastry but still offers a nice texture when baked or fried. This would probably be my second choice if I didn't have access to the paratha dough.
Tortillas: Who says you have to make these into empanadas? The filling is delicious as is so stuff them into a tortilla as you would and make a fajita wrap or fold it into the tortilla with cheese and grill for fajita pockets.
Bake vs Fry
Baked: If you're looking for a lighter way to enjoy these, baking them in the oven is a great option. You will need to brush these with an egg wash to encourage browning of the the dough. The result will be a crispy chewy empanada that may feature slightly uneven browning on the top due to varying hot spots in the oven. Baking will also take slightly longer at about 15-18 minutes. If you use an air fryer, this could speed up the process down to about 12 minutes.
Fried: If you want an irresistibly crunchy empanadas thats ready in under 7 minutes, frying the empanadas is the way to go. The high heat of the frying oil will result in an evenly golden brown, crispy paratha.
Storage & freezing
This recipe will make about 15 or more empanadas depending on how large the empanadas are. If you're not cooking for a crowd, you will likely have some left to enjoy for later. Simply flash freeze on a tray for about 20-30 minutes and then store in a ziplock bag in the freezer for 2-3 months.
These Chicken Fajita Empanadas are a delicious twist on the classic fajita. Tender, seasoned chicken, sautéed bell peppers, and melted cheese are stuffed inside flaky, buttery puff pastry, creating the perfect crispy and savory bite. Ideal for a quick dinner or appetizer, they’re full of bold flavors in every crunchy, cheesy bite!
- 2-3 Chicken breasts
- 1/2 of a lime juice
- 1 garlic clove (large)
- 3-4 tsp fajita seasoning mix
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 1 Red bell pepper
- 1 Green bell pepper
- 1 Yellow/Orange bell pepper
- 1 Yellow onion
- Starch slurry (1/2 tsp cornstarch + 1/4 cup water)
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp Cumin
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- 1/2 tsp cayenne
- 1/2 tsp Oregano
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- Mozzarella Cheese
- Paratha/puff pastry dough
- Egg wash
- Frying oil
- 2 Avocados
- 1 Garlic clove
- 1/2 of a Lime juice
- 2 tbsp Mayo
- 1 Handful cilantro leaves (3-4 sprigs)
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- Make fajita spice mix by combining smoked paprika, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, oregano, salt, black pepper and sugar. Whisk to combine evenly.
- Cut up chicken breast into thin long strips. Season chicken with lime juice, minced garlic, 2-3 tsp fajita seasoning mix, and avocado oil. Marinate at least 15 minutes
- Chop up bell peppers and onions into thin long strips.
In a large skillet on medium high heat, add in marinated chicken. Cook for about 8-12 minutes until slightly golden. In the last 1-2 minutes, pour in a starch slurry and simmer to create a gravy sauce that will coat the chicken. Adjust salt and pepper to taste and transfer chicken to a plate.
- In the same pan on high heat, add in 1-2 tbsp oil and saute the chopped bell peppers and onions. Add in 1-2 tsp of the fajita seasoning mix and salt to taste. Saute for 2-3 minutes until veggies are cooked to your liking then add the chicken back to the pan and toss everything together.
- If using paratha dough, remove from the freezer and allow to thaw slightly at room temperature for 10-15 minutes. Do not let the dough become too warm or it will be difficult to work with. Once pliable, roll out to a slightly larger circle. Add in some of the fajita mixture to the center closer to one side and top with grated mozzarella. Fold the circle in half to create a half moon empanada shape. Fold the edges over to seal or simply press the edges with a fork or your finger to close.
- To bake the empanadas, brunch with an egg wash and sprinkle the top with salt. Bake in a preheated oven at 410° F-420° F for 15-20 minutes.
- To fry, gently drop the empanadas into frying oil at 340° F for 6-7 minutes until lightly golden. Transfer to a cooling rack and lightly salt.
- For the avocado mayo dip, combine avocado, garlic, lime juice, mayo, cilantro and salt and blend until smooth.