Pastelitos (Chicken/Steak)

Name: Pastelitos (Chicken/Steak)
Total time: 3600 s
Yield: 8 People
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 Pk. Empanada Discs; 1 1/2 Cups Steak; 2 Cups Chicken; 1/3 Cup Peppers; 1 Small Onion; 4 Mushrooms; 3 Cloves Garlic; 1 1/2 Cups Cheese; Seasoned Salt; Black Pepper; 4 Heaping Tbs. Tomato Sauce; Oil

Karl @knice1on1

Boston, USA

Growing up, I had this dish one way or another. Either from a friend’s mother or from the corner store. It wasn’t until I was a teenager that I discovered how to make these on my own. It wasn’t until my uncle from Virginia started experimenting with fillings that I realized that things other than ground beef can be used as a filling. I think this is a great way to repurpose things. I had a bbq yesterday and had some chicken and steak. Rather than just eat the same ol’ meal, I transformed it into this. By no means is this “authentic”, but it is delicious.

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Ingredients

1 Hour

8 People

1Pk. Empanada Discs
1 1/2 CupsSteak
2 CupsChicken
1/3 CupPeppers
1Small Onion
4Mushrooms
3 ClovesGarlic
1 1/2 CupsCheese
Seasoned Salt
Black Pepper
4Heaping Tbs. Tomato Sauce
Oil

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Steps

1 Hour

1

Prep ingredients as seen below. (I used cooked bbq meats, so they were already seasoned. I seasoned the veggies with seasoned salt and black pepper. I recommend seasoning your meat if it’s not pre-cooked). Divide and sauté veggies in two pans.
2

Add meats, respectively and heat through. Finish with 2 Tbs. Tomato Sauce in each pan. Stir and let cool to room temperature. Set up a flat work station and get some flour on it.
3

This is the challenging part. Don’t listen to your mind. Your mind will tell you to stuff the hell out of these, but don’t. The maximum you can put in these is about 2 1/2- 3 Tbs. of filling. So, do that and put some cheese on top. Keep everything centered then fold it over as seen. Pinch the edges hard with a fork. Be careful not to pierce the middle. You don’t want them opening up in the hot oil.
4

I used a cast iron skillet with an unquantifiable amount of oil. Get the oil hot and begin frying. Just be sure that you can cover at least 3/4 of the pastelitos. If you have a deep fryer, even better. (Yes, you can bake these. And it’s sinful, but yes, you can probably put them in the air fryer). Fry for a few minutes on each side.
5

Remove when golden brown. Not too brown, just brown enough. The browning will continue when removed. Also, I found the best way to drain is by placing them on a rack with paper towels underneath. That way, they’re not sitting in a oil-soaked pad of paper towels.