Recipe Manuscript

Empanadas Rellena De Pollo

Name: Empanadas Rellena De Pollo
Prep time: PTPT2H
Cook time: PTPT25M
Yield: 8
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 450 g all-purpose flour; 450 g unsalted butter, cold; 1 egg yolk (plus extra for brushing); 60 ml cold water with a pinch of baking soda (substitute for tequesquite); 400 g chicken (poached, bones and skin removed); 50 g unsalted butter (for filling); 1 small onion, chopped; 60 g peas; 60 g carrot, diced; 40 g turnip, diced; 40 g cooked macaroni, chopped; Small handful fresh parsley, chopped; Black pepper, to taste

"Chicken-Filled Empanadas"

1886

From the treasured pages of Mexican Cooking Notebook: Manuscript de Manuela

Written by Heredia y Cervantes, Manuela

Age of Gastronomy (1800 - 1900)American Intermediate Dinner Lunch Snack

Original Recipe • 1886

Original Manuscript(circa Age of Gastronomy, 1800 - 1900)

As inscribed by the original author's hand, transcribed with care by Lost Kitchen Scrolls

Empanadas Rellena De Pollo

"1 una libra de arina, 1 libra de mantequilla, 1 yema de huevo una aguita de texquesquite, se revuelve esto y se amasa hasta que está ya suave, se palotea por 6 ú 8 veces, dandole el doblés, se corta en cuadro, se deja en grueso se delgadita, se extiende una lata y se le echa el relleno dandole la figura. De esto mismo es el relleno: Se pone a coser el pollo, se le quita los huesos se pone a calentar en un sarten, bastante mantequilla se frie una poquita de cebolla, allí se echa el pollo, chicharos, zanahoria, nabo, macarrones y peregil, y su pimienta se remuelve bien y se empieza á rellenar por encima, se le hacen sus figuritas, con la misma pasta, se le embarra con yema de huevo, y se mete al horno. Del mismo modo se hace la pasta para los volovanes dejandola del grueso de un dedo, cortandola con un molde de fierro."

English Translation

"1 pound of flour, 1 pound of butter, 1 egg yolk, a bit of tequesquite water; mix this and knead until the dough is soft, then roll it out 6 or 8 times, folding it each time. Cut into squares; leave it thick or thin as desired. Spread out in a pan and add the filling, shaping the empanadas. For the filling: Cook the chicken, remove the bones, heat plenty of butter in a pan, sauté a little onion, then add the chicken, peas, carrots, turnip, macaroni, parsley, and some pepper. Mix well, then fill the dough squares with the mixture, decorating the tops with shapes made from the same dough. Brush with egg yolk and bake. The same dough is used to make vol-au-vents (pastry shells), rolling it out to the thickness of a finger and cutting with a metal mold."

Note on the Original Text

This recipe, like many from the 19th century, is written with minimal measurements, assuming knowledge of technique and proportions. Ingredients are by weight (libras), and instructions blend making the dough and the filling in a single narrative. Terms like 'texquesquite' refer to indigenous culinary traditions; today, we use baking soda as a substitute. Spelling reflects the orthographic conventions of the period (“arina” for ‘harina’, “macarrones”, and “peregil” for ‘perejil’). The directions are concise yet rely on the cook’s experience to interpret steps such as 'palotear' (rolling and folding) and to determine when the dough is 'suave' (supple) or baked to perfection.

Modern Kitchen Interpretation

Recipe's Origin

Mexican Cooking Notebook: Manuscript de Manuela - Click to view recipe in book

Title

Mexican Cooking Notebook: Manuscript de Manuela (1886)

You can also click the book image above to peruse the original tome

Writer

Heredia y Cervantes, Manuela

Era

1886

Publisher

Unknown

Background

A charming 19th-century manuscript brimming with traditional Mexican recipes—think Sopa de chícharos, Relleno de ravioles, Sopa de lentejas, and Pastel de tuétanos—this notebook is a flavorful journey into Mexico’s culinary heritage, crafted by a masterful home cook.

Kindly made available by

University of Texas at San Antonio

Historical Background of the Recipe

Learn about old traditions

This recipe comes from an 1886 Mexican handwritten cookbook compiled by Manuela Heredia y Cervantes. The manuscript, a treasure trove of traditional dishes, captures the creativity and cosmopolitan ingredients found in the Mexican kitchens of the late 19th century. Empanadas de pollo, with their buttery, French-inspired pastry and hearty chicken-and-vegetable filling, exemplify the lively exchange between European techniques and Mexican flavors. Ingredients like 'tequesquite' (a natural alkaline mineral once used to aerate doughs) belie the ingenuity and resourcefulness of home cooks before industrialized products became the norm.

Culinary Tools when the Recipe was Crafted

Tools and techniques from kitchens of old

Back in the day, cooks would have used a wooden board and large rolling pin for making and folding the dough, a sharp knife for shaping the empanadas, a brazier or wood-fired oven for baking, and heavy cast iron pans for preparing the filling. Pastry cutters or an improvised mold made from tin or metal were used to shape both empanadas and 'volovánes.' Egg yolk was applied with a simple brush made of bundled straw or even a feather, and everything was baked on tin-lined trays or directly on greased clay or iron sheets.

Modern Kitchen Adaptation

Ingredients and techniques for today's cooks

ounces, cups, Fahrenheit

Prep Time

2 hrs

Cook Time

25 mins

Servings

We've done our best to adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, but some details may still need refinement. We warmly welcome feedback from fellow cooks and culinary historians — your insights support the entire community!

Ingredients

3 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, cold
1 egg yolk (plus extra for brushing)
1/4 cup cold water with a pinch of baking soda (substitute for tequesquite)
14 oz chicken (poached, bones and skin removed)
3 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter (for filling)
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup peas
1/2 cup carrot, diced
1/4 cup turnip, diced
1/4 cup cooked macaroni, chopped
Small handful fresh parsley, chopped
Black pepper, to taste

Instructions

Start by making a rough puff pastry: Combine 3 2/3 cups of all-purpose flour with 2 cups (4 sticks) of cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes, and one egg yolk.
For the liquid, use 1/4 cup cold water in which a pinch of baking soda (as a substitute for the traditional 'tequesquite') has been dissolved.
Mix to form a dough, handling it lightly to keep it flaky, and chill well.
Roll and fold the dough 6 to 8 times, resting in the fridge between each round, to achieve the desired layers.
Roll the pastry out to a thin sheet and cut into rectangles or squares.
For the filling, poach about 14 ounces of chicken (bone and skin removed after cooking) and shred the meat.
In a pan, heat 3 1/2 tablespoons butter, sauté a small chopped onion until soft, then add the chicken, 1/2 cup peas, 1/2 cup diced carrot, 1/4 cup diced turnip, 1/4 cup cooked short macaroni, a handful of chopped parsley, and a few cracks of black pepper.
Stir and cook until warm and fragrant.
Place spoonfuls of filling on pastry squares, fold into desired shapes (half-moons or rectangles), seal edges, decorate with pastry trimmings, and brush with egg yolk for shine.
Bake in a preheated oven at 400°F (200°C) until golden, about 20-25 minutes.

Estimated Calories

480 per serving

Cooking Estimates

It takes some time to chill and fold the pastry, plus chopping and cooking the filling. Baking the turnovers is fast, but prepping the dough and filling will take most of your time. Each serving is about one turnover, and they are filling. Calories are estimated per serving if you divide the dough and filling into eight portions.

As noted above, we have made our best effort to translate and adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, taking into account ingredients nowadays, cooking techniques, measurements, and so on. However, historical recipes often contain assumptions that require interpretation.

We'd love for anyone to help improve these adaptations. Community contributions are highly welcome. If you have suggestions, corrections, or cooking tips based on your experience with this recipe, please share them below.