Salteñas, a national dish of Bolivia, are golden-hued football-shaped empanadas. These savory pockets are stuffed with a stewy mixture of meat and vegetables, in this case chicken, potatoes, and peas.

Football-shaped Bolivian Salteñas empanadas arranged on a white rectangular platter.

(This post was originally published in May 2015, but was updated with new photos and content and an updated and improved recipe in 2024).

Salteñas are baked Bolivian empanadas. They feature a slightly sweet golden-hued dough and a rich, stew-like filling usually made with either beef or chicken. The filing also typically includes chunks of potatoes, peas, and other herbs, spices, and seasonings. Additionally, salteñas sometimes contain raisins, olives, and/or hard-boiled eggs.

They’re shaped like chubby footballs with a folded or braid-like seam along the top, rather than the typical flat crescent-shaped empanadas from other Latin American nations.

This recipe for Salteñas de Pollo uses shredded chicken and chicken broth or stock as the main components for the stewed filling. You could easily use shredded or ground beef and beef broth or stock to make a beef version if you prefer.

Gelatin is used to jell the filling, making it easier to assemble once the filling cools and solidifies. Salteñas de pollo can be a bit time consuming to make, as you need to chill the filling thoroughly before you can begin assembling them.

After baking, the broth in the filling melts back into a liquid, resulting in a juicy pocket of chicken and potato stew. The slightly sweet dough yields a crispy contrast to the savory filling. Bolivian empanadas salteñas are often served for breakfast or enjoyed as a midday snack.

Salteñas can be notorious for making a mess while you eat them. To do so like a pro, hold the pastry upright, bite off the top corner and sip the stew as you consume the rest of the pastry.

Ingredient notes

Ingredients for Bolivian Salteñas de Pollo on a grey background.

Chicken: You’ll need shredded chicken for the filling. You could use poached, roasted, or rotisserie chicken and shred it into smaller pieces. Although I prefer using the breast meat, you could use the dark meat if that’s what you prefer.
Broth: Store-bought chicken broth or stock will work perfectly fine here, but if you have homemade, that works too!
Potatoes: Use waxy potatoes, such as Yukon gold or yellow potatoes rather than floury potatoes such as Russets. The waxy potatoes are better at holding their shape after cooking, and won’t fall apart in the stew.
Peas: These salteñas also feature green peas in the filling! Frozen peas work perfectly, and you don’t even need to thaw them before adding.
Gelatin: Gelatin is required for getting the filling to gel into a solid. If you have homemade stock that includes a lot of natural gelatin (and already gels when it’s cold) you could skip this part, but otherwise add a packet of powdered gelatin to your broth.
Annatto: Annatto is the key ingredient which gives the dough its iconic gold color. They won’t be salteñas without that characteristic trait. Use ground annatto in both the dough and the filling. If you can only find the whole seeds, you can grind them in a spice grinder.
Salt: I just want to highlight that the measurements provided for the salt are specifically for Diamond Crystal brand, which features larger crystals of salt than some other brands, like Morton. I always recommend using my measurements as a guide, but tasting and seasoning based on your preference (and salt type). Start with less and add more as needed. The saltiness of your broth will also impact how much salt you’ll need to add to get the seasoning just right.

Cross-section of a salteña empanada showing off the chicken filling with peas and potatoes.

How to make the filling

In a large, heat-resistant glass or ceramic bowl, combine broth and gelatin. Let it sit for 2 minutes to bloom, then heat the gelatin mixture in the microwave on high for 1 ½ minutes, until the gelatin dissolves. Set aside.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped onions and peppers and cook until softened. Add paprika and annatto.

Sautéed chopped onion and green pepper in a stainless steel pan.

Sautéed onion and pepper with paprika and ground annatto in a pan.

Next, add the broth mixture, stirring until the spices dissolve.

Finally, add diced potatoes, shredded chicken, peas, parsley, sugar, oregano, salt, cumin, and black pepper.

Adding shredded chicken, parsley, peas and other ingredients too a pan of broth.

Shredded chicken with peas and potatoes in broth before simmering.

Bring to a boil and cook, uncovered, until the potatoes are tender. Adjust seasoning as necessary.

Shredded chicken with peas and potatoes in broth after simmering.

Transfer the stew to a bowl or container with a lid and cool completely. You’ll have about 6 cups of filling. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight (the mixture will jell).

Chicken stew with potatoes and peas in a rectangular plastic container.

A spoon lifting up some gelatinized chicken stew with peas and potatoes.

How to make the dough

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine butter and annatto and melt to infuse the butter with color. Remove and set aside to slightly cool.

Annatto infused butter in a saucepan with a spoon lifting some out.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center and add an egg yolk and the slightly cooled butter.

A metal bowl of flour with an egg yolk and annatto-infused melted butter in the center.

Using a wooden spatula, begin to mix everything together while slowly adding hot water. The dough should come together into a smooth ball after kneading it together for a couple minutes, and should spring back when gently pressed with a fingertip.

Mixing together an orange-hued dough with a wooden spoon in a metal bowl.

A large ball of smooth orange-colored dough in a metal mixing bowl.

How to assemble and bake the salteñas

Line 2 to 3 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Divide the dough into 20 equal portions (about 70 grams each). Fold each piece of dough onto itself to create smooth balls.

Round balls of orange dough arranged in rows on a black cafeteria tray.

Work with one piece of dough at a time and cover the remaining balls of dough. Flatten the ball slightly into a disc. Line a tortilla press with a zip-top freezer or sandwich bag that has been cut open on two sides so that it opens like a book. Place the disc in the middle of the tortilla press between the plastic and press the dough into a 6-inch disc about ⅛-inch thick (or roll it out with a rolling pin).

Pressing orange-hued dough balls into flat circles in a cast iron tortilla press.

Place about ⅓ cup of jelled filling in the middle of the disc. If desired, add a slice of hard-boiled egg, an olive, and/or a spoonful of raisins.

Chicken stew filling on top of an orange empanada wrapper.

Bring the edges of the pastry together, letting the dough gently stretch over the filling. Enclose the filling (press the filling down with your forefinger to compact it). Form a half-moon and, holding it by the top edges, stand it on its bottom, flattening it so it can stand without toppling.

Pinching an empanada closed with some filling peeking out one side.

An empanada with orange dough and the seam running along the top.

Pinch the edges tightly, and press to form a small rim, about ½ inch wide. Then pinch and fold sections of the rim decoratively to seal it well. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.

An empanada with pleating pinched along the seam at the top.

Arrange the salteñas on the prepared pans, cover and chill them in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes (or up to 2 hours). Do not crowd the salteñas together on the baking sheets, or their sides will stick when they bake.

Bolivian Salteñas arranged on a baking sheet before baking.

Preheat the oven to 500°F (260°C) with the rack in the center. Brush the salteñas evenly with egg wash.

Bolivian Salteñas arranged on a baking sheet and brushed with egg wash.

Bake each pan individually (keeping the others in the refrigerator until needed) for 20 to 22 minutes, or until they are golden. Cool salteñas for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe (in a printable recipe card) including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.

Eight Bolivian Salteñas empanadas arranged on a white rectangular platter.

Expert tips

I recommend baking the salteñas in batches, one pan at a time on the center rack, so they will bake more evenly rather than rotating the pans. Keep the unbaked salteñas in the fridge until you’re ready to brush with egg wash and bake them.

Although salteñas often include hard boiled egg, olives, and/or raisins, I leave them out because I like them plain. If you decide to add these ingredients to yours, you certainly can. Just keep in mind that the filling is usually plenty to fill the dough wrappers, and you might need to add a bit less filling to make room for other ingredients before sealing them closed.

Even if a few of your salteñas leak while baking, don’t panic! They will still be delicious and juicy inside. This can easily happen at weak spots in the dough, particularly along the seam. Even if you press it closed really well and pleat it, inevitably a few salteñas may still leak.

Store leftover salteñas in a covered container in the fridge for 4 to 5 days. Reheat them in a 350°F oven or toaster oven until heated through, about 10 minutes.

Freeze the baked salteñas in a single layer. When solid, transfer to containers and freeze for up to 4 months. Reheat them in a 350°F oven or toaster oven until heated through, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Bolivian football-shaped empanadas with golden dough and pleating on top.

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