Chicken Empanadas

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen

I have started to watch lots of cooking shows recently. This is a recipe I want to try. It looks really yummy and easy to make. I will let you all know how it turns out once I make it.

So I made this recipe last Monday night for dinner. It made soooooo much. We had leftovers for the rest of the week. It made about 20 Empanadas, which was way to many for just the two of us. I would suggest halving it if you don't need that many. They were way good though. Jason and I don't do peppers that well so I just left out the bell peppers and jalapenos. I did put a little bit of cumin in for flavor. They were great like that. I'm sure you could put what you want in them. Here's what mine looked like when cooked. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
3 cups chopped, cooked chicken
1 (8-ounce) package shredded Colby and Monterey Jack cheese blend
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 (15-ounce) package refrigerated pie crusts
Water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Directions:
Lightly grease a baking sheet. In a large bowl, combine the chicken and next 7 ingredients. Unroll 1 pie crust onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into a 15-inch circle. Cut out rounds, using a 3-inch cookie cutter. Re-roll dough as needed. Repeat procedure with remaining pie crusts, making 12 to 15 circles total. Arrange 1 round on a clean, flat surface. Lightly brush the edges of crust with water. Place 1 heaping teaspoon of chicken mixture in the center of the round. Fold the dough over the filling, pressing the edges with a fork to seal. Repeat with the remaining rounds and chicken mixture. (Up to this point, the recipe can be made ahead and frozen for up to 1 month). Arrange empanadas on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes.