Curried Chicken & Cheese Empanadas

I guess I’m on a curry kick these days… making dishes with curry is exciting, I love the spice! I developed this recipe for my love of Empanadas and my love for curry and I’m bringing them with me today to a party where I’m a guest for a change.   These little flaky pastry bundles filled with a creamy curry chicken and cheese mixture with a bit of spiciness are perfect for so many parties.  This is a Happy New Year’s get together with friends that I’m attending with a buffet of different foods; I thought they could use a nice appetizer as people mingle when they arrive.

Ingredients

8 ounces of cream cheese, softened

3/4cup of shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 cup of spicy mango chutney

1 tablespoon yellow curry powder

1 teaspoon cumin

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon coarse black pepper

¼ cup chopped pimentos from a jar, drained

¼ cup of chopped cilantro

3 green onions, chopped

2 cups chopped, cooked chicken, make it easy and buy some precooked chicken from the market, like a rotisserie chicken

2 package refrigerated pie crusts (contains 2 crusts in each package)

1 egg

3 tablespoons Sesame seeds

 

Instructions

1. In a mixing bowl combine the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, chutney curry powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper, mix well.
2. Add the pimentos, cilantro, green onions and chicken and combine.
3. Lay out one pie crust on a board and with a 3 inch round cutter, cut 8 rounds out, and repeat with the other pie crusts. You should have 32 in total.
4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
5. Place one round on a flat surface and put 1 teaspoon (a standard tea spoon, not one used for baking) of chicken filling in the middle, with a little water, brush half the pastry dough on the flat edges, fold in half over the chicken and press down the edges and with a fork, press down the edges lightly, repeat this with the remainder of all the pie crust rounds and chicken filling.
6. Place the empanadas on 2 silicone lined or parchment lined sheet pans.
7. Scramble the egg with one tablespoon of water and brush each empanada with the egg wash and sprinkle the tops with a bit of sesame seeds.
8. Place them in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown.
9. Makes 32 and Serves 10 to 12 as an appetizer