Chicken Empanadas

I cannot even explain how great these things are...sooo good!! And, after preparation and before cooking, you can freeze and save them for a month, which makes these so easy for lunches and parties. I've made a few changes; some times I use green chilies instead of jalapenos or I will use a rotisserie chicken instead of cooked chicken breast. It's a fun and easy recipe that can be customized in lots of ways so have fun with it!

Oh and the best part, I am still trying to collect cooking tools so I had to be creative in cutting the circles from the dough so I used a martini glass; perfect size :)

Ingredients

• 3 cups chopped, cooked chicken
• 8 ounces shredded cheese (my favorite to use is habanero cheddar)
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 (15-ounce) package refrigerated pie crusts
• Water

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Lightly grease a baking sheet. In a large bowl, combine the chicken and next 7 ingredients. Unroll 1 piecrust onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into a 15-inch circle. Cut out rounds, using a 3-inch cookie cutter. Re-roll dough as needed. Repeat procedure with remaining piecrusts, making 12 to 15 circles total. Arrange 1 round on a clean, flat surface. Lightly brush the edges of crust with water. Place 1 heaping teaspoon of chicken mixture in the center of the round. Fold the dough over the filling, pressing the edges with a fork to seal. Repeat with the remaining rounds and chicken mixture. (Up to this point, the recipe can be made ahead and frozen for up to 1 month). Arrange empanadas on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes.