These Spicy Chicken, Broccoli & Cheese Empanadas are little pockets of dough filled with a spicy, cheesy and nutritious combination and then cooked in an air fryer! A treat for your tastebuds in every bite.
Made with a whole wheat crust, these turnovers are a real guilt-free upgrade to the traditional Latin-American version.
Jump to Recipe
Recreated a revamped version of an old recipe for Cinco de Mayo today.
The original one I tried a while ago was just a spicy cheese empanada. That was a real recipe test if I should say. Before I get to that though, lets talk about empanadas.
Empanadas, in short, are fried or baked stuffed pastries of Spanish origin that are common in Latin America and the Philippines. They use a puff pastry crust and the most popular filling option for these is beef.
As far as my recipe goes though, I made quite a few variations to give it a health boost:
- A simple crust using whole wheat flour, greek yogurt and a bit of baking powder.
- Made a filling using chicken breast for lean protein, broccoli for some fiber and veggie intake, and a bit of shredded mozzarella (even used the reduced fat version) to get some nutrition while enjoying the meal.
- Used an almond milk (instead of egg) wash.
- Cooked them in an air fryer.
They turned out perfectly crispy in the air fryer. The baked version of these wasn’t as good though because it didn’t get that crunch.
Gather 
Combine 
Mix 
Knead 
Roll 
Fill
Back to my failure during the first attempt.Taste-wise it was just right, but looks? Let’s not go there.
Forgot to flour my surface, rolled the dough too thin, and then overstuffed the filling on top of that. So closing it up, applying the wash and then moving it to the air fryer was a real … adventure I would say.
That thing just ripped in so many places, and that too on both sides. A total un-photograph-able disaster.
Had a little more patience this time, modified some of the ratios, added chicken and brocc to the filling, and ended with 8 perfect babies.
Perfectly spicy, perfectly flavorful, perfectly crispy, and perfectly delicious!
The only regret is that I didn’t have even more!
Spicy Chicken, Broccoli & Cheese Empanadas (Air Fryer)
Ingredients
Filling:
- 1 cup Broccoli Florets, Chopped small, 90g
- ½ cup Chicken Breast, Cooked and Shredded, 40g
- ½ cup Shredded Mozzarella, 56g
- ¾ tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- ¼ tsp Paprika
- ⅛ tsp Cumin Powder
- ⅛ tsp Cayenne Pepper
- ⅛ tsp Black Pepper
Dough:
- 6 Tbsp Whole Wheat Flour, 75g
- ¾ tsp Baking Powder
- 7 Tbsp Non-Fat Greek Yogurt, about 85g
- 2 Tbsp Egg Wash or Almond Milk
Instructions
Prepare filling:
- Transfer to a bowl and add in the cheese and spices.
- Place broccoli in a bowl, cover with a damp paper towel and microwave on high for 1 minute. Set aside.
- Once cooled, add in chicken, cheese and spices and toss to mix well. The cheese should get a hint of red color on it.
Make dough:
- Uniformly mix the flour and baking powder in a large bowl.
- Add the yogurt a little at a time, mixing with a spoon. Don’t let it get too sticky.
- Knead with hands to until uniform.
- Divide into 8.
Assemble:
- On a floured surface roll out the dough into circles.
- Pour 3 Tbsp of filling on one half, leaving about half an inch from the end.
- Cover the filling with the other half, and press down the edges with a fork.
- Apply the egg wash or almond milk on both sides.
- Transfer to base of air fryer (work in batches if needed) or lightly greased baking sheet.
- Air-Fry for 325°F for 12 minutes
Notes
- Servings: 8 4” empanadas | Serving size: 2 empanadas
- Calories: 137kcal
- Fat: 3.7g | Saturated fat: 1.6g
- Carbohydrates: 16.5g | Fiber: 2.6g | Sugar: 1.1g
- Protein: 11.1g
Hey! I'm Haylee
Google Software Engineer
I use my passion for baking (and eating) to create healthy, high-protein, good-for-you and diet-friendly desserts and sweet treats that are actually delicious.
Come join me in Hayl's Kitchen and let's eat high protein, sweet and guilt free!