Hatch Green Chile and Cheese Empanadas

Most of the empanadas I grew up eating and/or make are usually sweet. But I do love a great savory empanada which is why I have been testing dough recipes that would work for a spicy and savory filling.

The key ingredient in this delicious dough recipe is beer. It’s tender and flaky, but not overly flaky and combined with roasted green chiles and cheese making these empanadas heavenly.

I find it so ironic that an ingredient like chile peppers can look so appetizing when the skins are blistered. Its as-if you can smell the chile roasting – I wish you could scratch and sniff these babies.

The recipe below includes directions on how to roast chile on a grill, but if you do not have a grill you can always refer to this blog post and video to learn how to roast chile peppers in your broiler.

Three generations with three different preparations: My grandma roasted chile on a comal (iron griddle), but my mom roasts chile in the oven broiler, and I like to use my grill.

There is no right or wrong way to roast chile. The flavor is the same for each preparation.

Speaking of green chile I remember driving my grandma to a farmer in El Paso that grew Hatch chile. You would drive up to their home, honk the horn, and a sweet little lady who knew my grandma would come out.

She would greet us, and sell us freshly picked Hatch chile right to our window. Now that is what I call drive-through service that I wish still existed today.

Luckily for all of us, Hatch chile is in season and readily available at most stores. There are many great chiles to choose from, but if you’re looking for one with a fiery kick and a hit of bright citrusy acidity, the Hatch green chile is the pepper for you.

Be prepared to want to eat these Hatch green chile and cheese empanadas for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They are totally addicting – my family and I ate all of them in an embarrassingly short amount of time.

This post is in partnership with Kroger. As always, thank you for reading and for supporting companies I partner with, which allows me to create more unique content and recipes for you. All opinions are always my own.

Hatch Green Chile and Cheese Empanadas

5 (3 ratings)

The key ingredient in this delicious empanada dough recipe is beer. It’s tender and flaky, but not overly flaky and combined with roasted green chiles and cheese making these empanadas heavenly.

Print Pin Rate

Yield: 24 empanadas

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 35 minutes mins

Total Time: 45 minutes mins

Ingredients

Empanada Dough:

• ▢ 3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ ¾ cup lard
• ▢ 1 egg
• ▢ ½ cup dark beer

Green Chile and Cheese Filling:

• ▢ 10 Hatch or Anaheim chiles
• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 2/3 onion, chopped
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• ▢ 1 tablespoon flour
• ▢ 1 to 2 jalapeño peppers, roasted and peeled, chopped (optional for extra spice)
• ▢ 1/3 cup milk
• ▢ 1 cup shredded muenster cheese
• ▢ ½ cup shredded Oaxaca cheese
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt

Glaze:

• ▢ Egg white

Instructions 

Roasting Chile Peppers:

• Preheat grill.
• Select firm, meaty peppers without wrinkles. Rinse thoroughly to remove dust particles.
• Pierce each chile with a knife. Place peppers evenly in a single layer on the grill.
• Watch them closely as the skin will blister and turn black within minutes.
• Turn the peppers after 8 to 10 minutes to blister all sides evenly. When done, the pepper skins should be evenly blistered and mostly black.
• Place roasted peppers in a plastic bag, cover with a wet kitchen towel and when cool, peel off blackened skin. Discard seed pod and stem; chop peppers.

Green Chile and Cheese:

• Heat oil in a large skillet, add onions and cook, stirring, until translucent, about 2 minutes.
• Add garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly so as not to burn the garlic.
• Add flour and stir for another 2 minutes.
• Add the roasted Hatch chiles and jalapeño peppers and let simmer for 2 minutes, stirring constantly to combine all the flavors together.
• Add the milk and bring to a boil. Stir in the cheese. Cover and remove from the heat.
• Allow the cheese to melt. Add salt and taste for seasoning.

Empanada Dough:

• Using a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment, place the flour and salt in the bowl and turn the mixer on medium-low speed. Add the lard and then the egg. Add the beer, as needed, to ensure the dough is soft and smooth.

Assemble and Bake Empanadas:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Take out half the dough and split it into 12 equal balls of dough.
• On a floured surface, roll out the dough balls into small round circles. Place a small dollop of filling on one half of each of the dough circles.
• Wet the bottom edge of the circles with egg glaze to help seal the two halves. Fold over the dough to cover filling and seal off the edges with a fork pressing down along the edges or using a pastry cutter.
• Repeat with remaining dough and filling.
• Brush each empanada with egg glaze.
• Puncture the top of each empanada with a fork to allow steam to escape while baking.
• Place parchment paper on a cookie sheet; place the empanadas on the parchment paper and bake for 15 to 20 minutes on middle rack in the oven. If after 15 minutes you notice the bottoms of the empanadas starting to brown, move the cookie sheet to the top rack and continue to bake for the last 5 minutes, until golden brown.
• Enjoy the empanadas warm or at room temperature.

Notes

• The recipe  includes directions on how to roast chile on a grill, but if you do not have a grill you can always refer to this blog post and video to learn how to roast chile peppers in your broiler.
• Refrigerate baked empanadas for a few days. Reheat in a toaster oven or bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.

Calories: 109kcal, Carbohydrates: 16g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 12mg, Sodium: 311mg, Potassium: 39mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 126IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 45mg, Iron: 1mg

Author: Yvette Marquez

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: Mexican