Spicy San Antonio: Spicy Chicken and Spicy Beef Empanadas from Fat Tummy

Bottom Line: The spicy empanadas from Fat Tummy in San Antonio are tasty and filling, and that chimichurri sauce kick things up to the next level.

San Antonio is well known for its Mexican food, whether it is Tex-Mex or more traditional cuisine from south of the border. But if you happen to be looking for an Argentinian favorite—the empanada—this town has you covered as well. Two immigrants from that country have set up shop just west of downtown, and they are making some tasty turnovers, both savory and sweet. I happened to be in the area a couple of weeks ago and stopped by to pick up a Spicy Chicken and Spicy Beef empanada and see how much heat they delivered.

The history of the empanada goes back to Europe and North Africa, and they are believed to have originated in Spain around the 7th century. This turnover became a staple in Latin American countries after the colonization of the Americas, and Argentina has since become well known for its version of the tasty pie. These can be baked or fried, and the ones that Fat Tummy makes come out of the oven.

Their Spicy Chicken empanada delivers some good tang from the meat, followed by some earthiness. The taste of the red and green peppers they include in the filling comes through, and there is some smokiness from the chipotle and adobo. The meat is well-seasoned with herbs and garlic, giving it a very full flavor. The crust of the empanada has some good chew from the baking process along with some flakiness, and it helps to bring everything together.

The Spicy Chicken does not have a lot of heat on its own, coming in below Mild on my scale. But it pairs quite nicely with the spicy chimichurri sauce, getting it to above Medium heat. That sauce has an immediate tartness followed by the strong taste of the herbs (mostly parsley and cilantro) and a nice punch of garlic. And it definitely has some heat on its own, coming in above Medium on my scale and approaching Hot. That stuff would go well with just about anything and really kicks up the flavor.

The Spicy Beef empanada is definitely quite beefy in taste, with the many seasonings coming together to make for a savory, tasty pie. It has a rich flavor, and that nice chew from the crust makes it an excellent alternative to a taco or burrito in a town known for the latter two. The heat is definitely more noticeable with this one, going above Mild and approaching Medium. And once you add that chimichurri sauce, which kicks up the flavor, this one is approaching Hot on my scale.

I would have been remiss if I had not tried at least one of their sweet empanadas, so I went with the guava and cream cheese. That one has a nice tartness followed by a little sweetness and the creaminess of the cheese. It is not overly sweet, but it is full in flavor, and the almost caramelized sugar on the crust tops it off perfectly. It is a little smaller than the savory empanadas—each of which is a meal in itself—and I could eat two or three of these if you handed them to me.

The savory empanadas go for around $5.50 each, and the sweet ones are around $2 per pie. As mentioned above, one savory turnover is pretty filling, but I wouldn’t fault you if you ate two in one sitting like I did. You may need to schedule some extra time on the treadmill, but it is certainly worth it.

Fat Tummy Empanadas
2922 W Commerce St
San Antonio, TX 78207

Phone: (210) 396-7288
Website: fattummyempanadas.com