For Perfect Empanada Fillings, Pay Attention To 3 Key Factors

Savory or sweet... flour or corn dough... there are many styles of empanadas from various cuisines around the world. There are the classic Spanish empanadas sometimes stuffed with tuna, Colombian empanadas often made of corn dough and filled with various ingredients, and even Argentina has its own version of the food. However, sometimes homemade is best. Making homemade empanadas is a delicate process from forming the dough, cooking the filling, and then putting it all together for cooking. So, to find out the important components to pull off the filling effortlessly, Tasting Table spoke to Ronaldo Linares, a private chef and media personality who can be found on Instagram and TikTok.

"Here are my three key factors to look for when making empanada fillings to achieve a balanced texture that is flavorful, moist, and cohesive," says Linares. "The filling should be moist and juicy but not wet, if it's too wet the dough will get soggy. [When] seasoning the filling, you only get one shot at this, make sure your spices, herbs, and salt are on point." A final tip: "The filling should have a chunky consistency, not smooth. Make sure your filling is easy to work with," he says. 

To make sure the filling isn't too wet like Ronaldo Linares suggests, cook the ground meat or vegetables until it has thickened, then allow it to cool so that some of the juice is absorbed. Then, use a slotted spoon to fill the empanadas and meticulously allow the juice to flow through the bottom before it goes into the dough. To nail the flavor, since it's a wrap once the empanada is closed, taste as you cook the filling and adjust it to match your desired flavor profiles. And use the right ingredients according to your recipe so the filling is easy to fill the dough without falling apart and making it difficult to close each one.

The empanada dough is also important because it's the vessel for the filling, so test your new skills with Tasting Table's chicken empanada recipe with green chili recipe that uses a homemade flour dough flavored with sazón. To make it easier so you can focus on the filling tips from Linares, use canned biscuits to make the empanada dough easier — but know that you are compromising authenticity with the hack. You can also buy store-bought premade empanada dough to quicken the process — just make sure your filling isn't wet, is seasoned well, and has the right consistency for the perfect bites.