Chicken And Black Bean Empanadas

Total Time: 24 mins Preparation Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 14 mins

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed well
• 1 1/2 cups finely shredded cooked chicken
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1/2 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 (2 sheet) package prepared puff pastry
• flour, for rolling out pastry
• salsa, for topping
• sour cream, for topping
• green onions or chives, for topping

Recipe

• 1 heat oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. saute onions and garlic until onions are soft and translucent, about 4 minutes. add spices, stir to mix fully, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. add black beans and chicken and season with salt and pepper, to taste. cook until black beans are heated through, about 5 minutes, then remove from heat and let mixture cool fully. add cilantro and stir well.
• 2 preheat the oven to 375 degrees f.
• 3 lay out a sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured surface. flour the top of the dough and roll out the puff pastry until it is about 1/16-inch thick and about 12 inches by 16 inches.
• 4 trim edges to size, if necessary. cut 4-inch strips crosswise and lengthwise making 12 (4 by 4-inch) squares. make sure the squares are well floured and stack them in a little pile.
• 5 to form empanadas: fill a little dish with some room temperature water. imagine each square you work with is separated in half by a diagonal. place a couple tablespoons of filling in the top half. dip a finger into the water and moisten the edges of the top half with water. fold the bottom half to meet the edges of the top half. use a fork to pinch and seal the edges. lightly brush the tops with vegetable oil. place finished pockets on a nonstick baking sheet and bake about 12 to 14 minutes, or until golden brown and puffy.
• 6 serve with salsa, sour cream and green onions.