Appetizers

I’ve been in appetizer mode all week. The big game is tomorrow and I’ve trying out different recipes to serve during the game. Buffalo Chicken is a must but I wanted something a little different than wings. Since I’m a little obsessed with Phyllo Shells right now (I may or may not have a freezer full of them), I thought Buffalo Chicken Bites were in order.

Do you have  a favorite Buffalo Chicken recipe?

Dawn

Disclosure: This is a compensated campaign in collaboration with Farmland® and Latina Bloggers Connect. All opinions are my own.

Next weekend my house will be full of some football fans and even though none of our teams are playing this year, it will still be a fun party with some of our closest friends and family. Of course, I’m in charge of cooking so this weekend, I’ve been busy planning out our menu. Since I’ve been on a bacon kick lately, I made this Chicken & Bacon Mini Empanadas with delicious  Farmland® Bacon. These little bites of chicken and bacon deliciousness will be the hit of your next party. They are that good!

Empanadas or Pastelillos (depending on what you call them) are a favorite of mine. I love how versatile they are and you can really make them any way you want, with any filling you want. Instead of making them their typical size, I made them into bite sized pieces perfect for an appetizer and for dipping. And I made them with bacon. Delicious Farmland® bacon. Bacon just makes everything better doesn’t it? Farmland® Bacon is slow smoked over real hardwood for maximum flavor.

See that yummy bacon in there? Mmmm. So good! For decades, Farmland® has taken pride in perfecting their curing and smoking technique and you can taste the difference in every bite. That’s why Farmland® is my favorite choice for bacon.

Even taking the extra step to make them mini sized, they were still an easy appetizer to make. I had to stop my family from running into the kitchen and sneaking them off the plate while I was cooking them.

First you need to cook your chicken and bacon. I cooked about 1 pound of chicken breast to equal the 2 cups of shredded chicken you’ll need for the recipe. I simply boiled the chicken to make it easy to shred.

While the chicken is cooking, cook about 6-8 pieces of bacon.

While the chicken is cooking, roll and cut out your discs. You could totally make homemade dough for these or if your pressed for time, the frozen discs you pick up in the spanish section of the grocery store are fine too. Since I was using the pre-made discs, I made sure to roll them out to about 7 inches round and used a circular sandwich cutter to cut two smaller circles out of each piece.  them aside until you are ready to fill them.

In a frying mix 2 tablespoons of Sofrito, 1 packet of Sazon and  1/4 teaspoon of Adobo with two chopped scallions, the bacon and chicken and 3 tablespoons of water.

Let that cook together for about 5 minutes stirring together to allow all the seasonings to mix.

Remove from heat and transfer to a small bowl. Heat about 1/2 inch of vegetable oil in a frying pan and begin filling the empanada discs.

• 2 cups of shredded chicken breast (about 1 pound)
• Farmland® Bacon (6 pieces cooked and crumbled)
• 1 package of empanada discs
• 2 scallions chopped
• 2 tbsp. Sofrito
• 1 packet Sazon
• 1 tsp. Adobo
• 3 tbsp. water
• 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese

Makes approximately  mini empanadas.

Step 1: Cook your chicken and shred. Cook 6 pieces of bacon and crumble once cool.

Step 2: Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a frying pan. Add Sofrito, Sazon, water and scallions to the pan and whisk it around.

Step 3: Add chicken and Farmland® bacon. Mix together very well to coat the chicken and bacon in the seasonings. Allow to simmer until the excess water burns off. About 3-5 minutes. Remove filling from heat and place in a bowl.

Step 4: Heat about 1/2 inch of vegetable oil in a frying pan while you assemble the empanadas.

Step 5: Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the Chicken & Bacon filling into each empanada shell. Top with a little shredded cheese and fold over. Make sure you seal the edges well so nothing leaks out. Use a fork press the edges together.

Step 6: By now, the oil should be nice and hot. Using a slotted spoon or pair of tongs, gently place the empanadas into the oil. Allow them to cook about 2-3 minutes on each side. Check them so they don’t cook too fast and burn. If the oil isn’t hot enough, they may need to cook a few minutes longer on each side. I cooked them in batches about 10 at a time.

Step 7: Remove empanadas from the oil and allow to drain on a paper towel lined plate. Once all the empanadas are cooked, serve with some salsa and enjoy.

A few things to note for this recipe. First, you totally don’t have to make mini empanandas. If you want more of a meal or just like them bigger, follow the same instructions and use each empanada disc as is (you still need to roll it out a bit). Second, you can also bake these in the oven. Before you ask, yes I did try them both ways and they are both delicious. If you decide to cook them in the oven, brush the empanadas with a little olive oil and cook in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until they start to turn a nice golden brown.

Do you have a favorite empanada recipe? I’d love to hear your favorites!

Dawn