Saturday Street-Cart Masa Empanadas (Quick Pan-Fried Chicken & Cheese)
Growing up, weekends in Oaxaca meant hitting the streets for fresh, deep-fried empanadas. They were shatteringly crisp on the outside and molten on the inside. Now? I am a Brooklyn mom with a small kitchen and a healthy fear of splattering oil. But listen, we are not suffering for lunch. I needed that Saturday street-cart energy without the mess, so I developed these pan-fried masa pockets. The secret is taking whatever shredded chicken is hanging out in your fridge—rotisserie is my ultimate Bodega Mode move—and tossing it in a two-minute chipotle-tomato shortcut sauce. You fold that smoky, steamy chicken and a fistful of stringy Oaxaca cheese into fresh masa, then give it a quick shallow pan-fry. The crunch is real, mis amores. What makes this so special to me is the mom-math efficiency: you get authentic Oaxacan texture in the time it takes the kids to actually agree on a movie. Want to make it your own? Swap the chicken for garlicky mushrooms or creamy black beans (frijoles make the absolute best filling). Just remember to hit them with a squeeze of fresh lime and a spoonful of bright salsa right out of the pan. Taste it—then decide if you need more heat. Ándale, let's eat!
Featured Recipe
Saturday Street-Cart Masa Empanadas (Quick Pan-Fried Chicken & Cheese)
Saturday street food energy, but we’re doing it in a Brooklyn apartment without a deep fryer. We’re taking leftover shredded chicken, hitting it with a two-minute chipotle-tomato shortcut, and folding it into fresh masa pockets. A quick pan-fry gives you a shatter-crisp shell that yields to gooey Oaxaca cheese and smoky, steamy chicken—because we're not suffering for lunch.
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Timeline
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups masa harina(Like Maseca (white or yellow corn is fine))
- 1.25 cups warm water(Warm from the tap)
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt(Divided use (1/2 tsp for masa, 1/4 tsp for chicken, pinch for cabbage))
- 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken(Skin removed, meat roughly shredded)
- 1 tbsp chipotle in adobo(Finely chopped, plus a little sauce)
- 1 tbsp tomato paste(The secret to instant depth)
- 1 clove garlic(Grated or finely minced (or sub 1/2 tsp garlic powder))
- 3/4 cup shredded Oaxaca cheese(Low-moisture mozzarella works perfectly as a backup)
- 1/3 cup neutral oil(Avocado, canola, or vegetable for shallow pan-frying)
- 1 cup shredded green cabbage(Essential for texture contrast)
- 1 whole lime(Cut in half)
- 1/4 cup Mexican crema(Or sour cream thinned with a splash of water)
- 1 tbsp chopped chipotle in adobo(referred to as 'chipotle in adobo' in ingredient list)
- 1 clove grated garlic(referred to as 'garlic' in ingredient list)
- 1/2 lime lime juice(referred to as 'lime' in ingredient list)
- 1/2 lime lime wedges(referred to as 'lime' in ingredient list)
Instructions
- 1
In a large bowl, mix 1.5 cups masa harina, 1/2 tsp kosher salt, and 1.25 cups warm water. Knead with your hands for a minute until it feels like soft Play-Doh. If it cracks, add a splash more water. Cover the bowl with a damp paper towel so it doesn't dry out.
3 min
Tip: Masa is forgiving. Don't be intimidated—you literally just add water until it feels right.
- 2
In another bowl, toss together 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken, 1 tbsp chopped chipotle in adobo, 1 tbsp tomato paste, 1 clove grated garlic, and 1/4 tsp kosher salt. Mix well. This is our cheat-code tinga; the raw tomato paste 'cooks' perfectly inside the steamy masa later.
2 min
Tip: If your chicken is straight from the fridge and super cold, microwave it for 20 seconds so it mixes easily.
- 3
Divide the dough into 6 equal balls. Using a tortilla press (or a heavy flat-bottomed skillet and a cut-open ziplock bag), press each ball into a 5-inch circle. Spoon the chicken mixture into the centers, then divide 3/4 cup shredded Oaxaca cheese evenly among them. Fold the masa over like a half-moon and gently pinch the edges to seal completely.
10 min
Tip: Keep the chicken strictly in the center. If oil touches rogue chicken sticking out of the seal, it will spit at you.
- 4
Pour 1/3 cup neutral oil into a large skillet over medium-high heat. Let it get shimmering hot.
3 min
Tip: We are shallow pan-frying here. Less oil waste, same beautiful golden crunch.
- 5
Carefully slide the empanadas into the hot oil in batches so you don't crowd the pan. Pan-fry until deeply golden and shatter-crisp, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Listen to the sizzle—if it’s spitting wildly, turn the heat down a notch.
8 min
Tip: Use a fish spatula or two forks to flip them gently so you don't puncture the masa shell.
- 6
While the empanadas fry, grab a small bowl and toss 1 cup shredded green cabbage with the juice of 1/2 lime and a 1 pinch kosher salt.
2 min
Tip: Do this right before eating so the cabbage stays crunchy.
- 7
Transfer the fried empanadas to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain briefly. Plate them up, top generously with the limey cabbage, a drizzle of 1/4 cup Mexican crema, and wedges from the remaining 1/2 lime. Taste it—then decide if you need extra hot sauce. You probably do.
2 min
Tip: Eat these immediately while the cheese is still pulling.
Chef's Notes
Pantry Mode: If you don't have Oaxaca cheese, low-moisture mozzarella is the exact right substitute (ándale, use those string cheese sticks if you have to). Do NOT use fresh mozzarella; the moisture will turn your empanadas into a soggy, dangerous mess in the oil. The masa might seem like a 'weekend project' ingredient, but Maseca is in almost every grocery store now and it literally takes two minutes to hydrate. We're unlocking real Oaxacan street flavor with Brooklyn bodega accessibility.
María “Mari” Santiago
Oaxacan comfort, Brooklyn shortcuts, weeknight bright.
María “Mari” Santiago was born in Oaxaca, where her earliest kitchen memories are measured in scent: chiles toasting on a comal, cinnamon and chocolate blooming in mole, and the warm, nutty snap of a tlayuda folded in half for the walk home. She learned by watching—first her tías, then her abuela—picking up the small, practical rules that never made it into written recipes: how to tell when the garlic is *just* right, how to rescue a too-spicy salsa, and why you always taste the broth before you add the salt. Now in Brooklyn, Mari cooks the food she grew up on while raising two little kids and juggling real-life time limits. Her style is “real flavor, real life”: traditional Oaxacan and everyday Mexican dishes—moles, caldos, frijoles, enfrijoladas, salsas, and crispy tlayudas—made weeknight-friendly with smart shortcuts, brighter salsas, and more vegetables without losing the soul of the dish. She’s not precious about rules, she’s big on swaps, and she’s on a mission to prove that you can cook deeply flavorful Mexican food with what you can actually find at a normal grocery store (and still get dinner on the table before a meltdown). Mari’s recipes read like a friend texting you from the produce aisle: clear, funny, and unpretentious, with a side of abuela wisdom. If there’s a hard-to-find ingredient, she gives you a realistic alternative, tells you what will change (and what won’t), and keeps the focus where it belongs—on food that tastes like home, even when home is a small Brooklyn kitchen.