Jamaican Jerk Chicken Empanadas Recipe with Grace Foods

When it comes to dinner, I like creating dishes that don’t take a lot of time, are easy to make and packed with flavour. That’s why when Grace Foods sent me their Jamaican Jerk marinade and sauce, I was excited to try it out! I know a lot of people are purists and want to make things on their own, but when you’re out and about like I am and have less than an hour to get a meal prepped, having sauces and marinades is so handy.

From the get-go when I opened the marinade, it had this wonderful aromatic to it – particularly the garlic, nutmeg and cinnamon scents! I noticed recently that my sense of smell has heightened (more on this in a later blog post!) so cooking has become so much more enjoyable (but walking down the street has not).

For this particular recipe, I made it as quick and easy as possible to get a meal on your table within 45 minutes. Empanadas are Spanish (and in the same vein, Filipino) meat pies that are often deep fried or baked and I thought I’d mix the two cultures to create a savoury pie.

Jamaican Jerk Chicken Empanadas
Serves: 2
Time: Marinade overnight, 45 minutes cooking time

Ingredients:
1 bottle, Grace Foods Jamaican Jerk marinade
2 chicken breasts sliced
1 puff pastry roll, cut into two

Procedure:

1. In a bowl, coat chicken breasts with Grace Foods Jamaican Jerk marinade – refridgerate overnight.
2. Bake the chicken breasts in the oven at 400 degrees ferenheit for 20 minutes.
3. While you’re waiting for the chicken breasts to cool, roll out the puff pastry and cut into two.
4. Shred the chicken and add to the middle of each puff pastry half and fold to cover. Roll the sides and score with a fork.
5. Bake the empanadas in the oven at 375 degrees ferenheit for 15 minutes.
6. Serve hot, by itself or with Grace Foods’ Jamaican Jerk sauce.