A towering, golden-crusted savory pie filled with shredded chicken, olives, hearts of palm, corn, and hard-boiled eggs in a creamy sauce, encased in a buttery, crumbly crust.
Ingredients
Crust: 500g all-purpose flour
250g cold butter, cubed
2 egg yolks
1 tsp salt
3-4 tbsp ice water
Filling: 600g chicken breast, cooked and shredded
1 can hearts of palm, sliced
1 cup corn kernels
100g green olives, sliced
3 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
200ml heavy cream
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
Salt and pepper
1 egg yolk for glazing
Instructions
1Make the crust: pulse flour, cold butter, egg yolks, and salt in a food processor until crumbly. Add ice water until dough just comes together. Wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes.
2Make the filling: sauté onion and garlic in butter. Add flour to make a roux, then stir in cream. Add shredded chicken, hearts of palm, corn, and olives. Season well.
3Press two-thirds of the dough into the bottom and sides of a greased springform pan.
4Layer the chicken filling inside, arranging sliced hard-boiled eggs throughout.
5Roll out remaining dough for the top crust. Place over the filling, pinching edges to seal. Cut small vents.
6Brush with egg yolk glaze. Bake at 190°C (375°F) for 40-45 minutes until deeply golden.
7Let cool 10 minutes before unmolding and slicing.
Did You Know?
Empadão is the grand version of empadinhas (small individual empanadas), and Brazilian grandmothers are judged by the quality of their empadão crust — it must be short, crumbly, and melt-in-the-mouth.