Empanadas Chilenas al Horno (Baked Chilean Beef Empanadas)

About This Recipe

Chilean empanadas al horno are the undisputed king of the Chilean bake — larger, fatter and more generously filled than their Argentine or Colombian cousins, with a distinctive pastry that is enriched with lard or shortening for exceptional flakiness and color. The filling — pino — is a lightly spiced mix of ground beef, white onion cooked low and slow until silky, cumin, ají de color, raisins and black olives. A quarter of hard-boiled egg is nestled inside each empanada before sealing, so cutting into one reveals a cross-section of filling and egg that is immediately recognizable as Chilean. The pastry is mixed with warm (not hot) beef fat or lard and a little warm water to produce a dough that is pliable, easy to roll and crisps to a deep golden shell without becoming dry or brittle. Chilean empanadas are sealed with the repulgue — a distinctive rope-braid fold along the curved edge that requires practice but becomes effortless with repetition. A final glaze of egg yolk mixed with a teaspoon of milk gives the shell its characteristic mahogany sheen in the oven. Empanadas chilenas are the food of September 18th, Chile's Independence Day, consumed by the millions at fondas (outdoor celebration stalls) and family asados. They are eaten standing up, usually with a glass of chicha (fermented grape juice) or red wine, with the filling hot enough to be blown on before each bite.

Ingredients

Serves 12

• 4 cupsall-purpose flour(plus more for dusting)
• 1 tspsalt
• 1 tspsugar
• 150 glard or vegetable shortening(room temperature)
• 1 cupwarm water(not boiling)
• 500 gground beef(80% lean)
• 4 largewhite onions(finely diced — onion should equal or exceed the beef by volume)
• 3 tbspvegetable oil
• 2 tspcumin
• 2 tspají de color or sweet paprika
• 0.5 tspblack pepper
• 1 tspsalt
• 4 tbspraisins
• 24pitted black olives
• 4hard-boiled eggs(peeled and quartered)
• 1egg yolk(beaten with 1 tsp milk, for glaze)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the pino filling

   Heat oil over medium-low heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, 20–25 minutes until very soft, golden and sweet — do not rush this step. Raise heat to medium-high, add ground beef and cook, breaking up, until no pink remains. Season with cumin, paprika, salt and pepper. Stir in raisins and 2 tbsp water. Cook 5 more minutes. Cool completely before filling empanadas.

   Pino must be completely cold when filling — hot filling makes the pastry soggy and impossible to seal.

2. 2

   Make the dough

   Combine flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Rub the lard into the flour with your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add warm water gradually, mixing until a smooth, non-sticky dough forms. Knead 5 minutes. Wrap in plastic and rest 30 minutes at room temperature.

3. 3

   Roll and cut discs

   Preheat oven to 200°C. Divide dough into 12 equal balls. On a lightly floured surface, roll each ball into a circle about 20 cm in diameter and 3 mm thick. The dough should be thin enough to see your hand through it very faintly.

4. 4

   Fill the empanadas

   Place 2 generous tbsp of cold pino in the center of each disc. Add one olive, one egg quarter and 2 more olives alongside. Leave a 2 cm border clear all around.

5. 5

   Seal with repulgue

   Fold the dough over the filling to form a half-moon. Press the edges firmly to seal. To make the repulgue, fold the edge over itself repeatedly in small pleats — about 10–12 pleats along the curved edge — pressing firmly as you go.

   Wet fingers help seal the pastry firmly and prevent it opening in the oven.

6. 6

   Glaze and bake

   Place empanadas on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Brush generously with egg yolk glaze. Bake 30–35 minutes until deep mahogany brown.

7. 7

   Cool briefly and serve

   Rest 5 minutes on the baking sheet — the filling will be scalding hot. Serve warm, not piping hot, so the flavors come through.

Variations

• •

  Empanadas de queso y jamón: fill with diced ham and mozzarella — popular in Chilean bakeries year-round.

• •

  Empanadas de camarones: fill with shrimp sautéed in butter, garlic and white wine — common in coastal Chilean cities.

• •

  Empanadas fritas: deep-fry instead of bake for a crispier shell — traditional in the north of Chile.

Storage

Baked empanadas keep refrigerated up to 3 days. Reheat in a 180°C oven for 10 minutes — they crisp back up perfectly. Do not microwave as the pastry turns rubbery. Unbaked empanadas freeze up to 3 months.

Frequently Asked Questions