Emily Roz: Chicken & Chorizo Bakes with a Chilli Lime Aioli

20 minutes

Serves 2-3

It is believed that the earliest mention of empanadas is in a 1520s Spanish cookbook; however, some suggest they have been enjoyed around 200–300 years earlier than this!

They’re a much-loved food, eaten across Latin American countries and I certainly ate my fair share when travelling across South America. One of my fondest memories was in Chile, when we stopped off at the tiny village of Machuca, located at 4,000 metres (13,000 feet) above sea level. We purchased a handful of homemade empanadas from the only little shop in one of the mud huts. They were toasty, comforting and a perfect snack to warm us up at the rather cold temperature of -15°C/5°F. This recipe is inspired by the empanada and filled with a spicy dosage of chicken and chorizo. Oh, and the chilli lime aioli is a must!

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Recipe from The World Is Your Dumpling by Emily Roz (HarperCollins, £20). Order here

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Method

1. First up, make the filling.

Heat the oil a large frying pan (skillet) over a medium heat, add the onion and garlic and fry for 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until soft. Add the chicken mince, chorizo, thyme, oregano, paprika and a big pinch of salt and a grind of pepper. Fry for 5 minutes until the chicken is cooked.

2. Pour in the chicken stock and peas and cook for 5 minutes, or until the liquid has evaporated. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.

3. Meanwhile, make your dough. Put the flour in a bowl and add in the diced butter. Rub the butter into the flour using your fingers until the flour becomes crumbly. Stir in salt and one of the eggs and give everything a mix until a shaggy dough forms. Add the milk and mix until you have a soft but not sticky dough. When you start working the dough, it might feel dry, but keep working it and it'll get more malleable. Wrap the dough in cling film (plastic wrap) and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

4. Turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface and form it into a log, then cut the log into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece out into a round wrapper, about 3mm (1/8in) thick and 15cm (6in) in diameter.

5. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F.

6. Take one of your wrappers and place 2 tablespoons of filling

on one half of the pastry circle. Spread into a half-moon shape, leaving a small border. Fold the wrapper over to form a semicircle and crimp the edges with a fork. Repeat for all the other wrappers. (If you’re looking for a more challenging crimp, fold the dumpling in half, seal and then press and twist the dough along the edge to form a cute little pattern.)

7. Arrange the filled and sealed dumplings on a baking tray. Lightly beat the remaining egg and then brush this over the dumplings. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or until golden.

8. Meanwhile, combine all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Taste and season accordingly.

Serve alongside the hot baked dumplings.