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Empadinhas are bite-size pies with a crumbly, buttery crust and a creamy filling, baked in little fluted tins. They are a staple of Brazilian bakeries, beach vendors and party tables. This almond flour crust melts in your mouth just like the original, and the chicken and heart of palm filling is classic.
Per serving: 355 calories · 4.5 g net carbs · 18 g protein · 29 g fat (calculated from the ingredients)
What You’ll Need
Ingredients
- Crust: 1 1/3 cups blanched almond flour
- 1 1/2 tablespoons coconut flour
- 5 tablespoons cold butter cubed
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Filling: 9 ounces boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1/4 cup requeijão cremoso or cream cheese
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped onion
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 small tomato seeded and diced
- 1/3 cup diced hearts of palm
- 6 green olives pitted and chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 egg yolk for brushing
Instructions
- Simmer the chicken in salted water for 15 minutes until cooked through, then shred finely.
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet and cook the onion and garlic for 3 minutes. Add the tomato and cook 2 minutes, then add the chicken, hearts of palm and olives and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the requeijão and parsley and cool.
- For the crust, pulse the almond flour, coconut flour, salt and butter in a food processor until crumbly. Add the egg and pulse until the dough comes together. Chill for 15 minutes.
- Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Press about two thirds of the dough into 12 mini muffin cups or empadinha tins, covering the bottom and sides. Fill each with the chicken mixture.
- Roll the remaining dough between parchment sheets and cut 12 small rounds for lids. Lay them on top, pinch the edges to seal and brush with egg yolk.
- Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, until golden. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes before lifting out, as the crust is fragile while hot.
Notes
Nutrition
About This Dish
Empadinha is the small version of the empada, a covered pie that Brazil inherited from Portugal. Chicken is the most common filling, followed by shrimp and hearts of palm. On Rio's beaches, vendors walk the sand selling empadinhas from insulated boxes. Many Brazilian bakeries still use small fluted metal tins that give the pies their scalloped sides. Hearts of palm, or palmito, are a beloved Brazilian ingredient, and they turn up in pies, salads and pizzas across the country.
This recipe is from The Ultimate Brazilian Keto Cookbook by Gisele Costello, Chapter 2: Snacks & Street Food (Historic Ouro Preto). See all Brazilian recipes