Arepas stuffed with chicken and avocado (reina pepiada)
Venezuelan corn breads made with precooked corn flour, cooked on a hot griddle, split and stuffed with reina pepiada – shredded chicken with avocado and mayonnaise. They've become everyday food in Argentina with Venezuelan immigration; also filled with shredded beef (carne mechada), black beans and cheese.
- 40 minTime
- 31 minHands-on
- 4Portions
- 44 gprotein per portion
- 810kcal per portion
Ingredients for 4 portions
- 600 gChicken breast
- 400 gPrecooked corn flour (arepa flour)
- ≈ 600 mlWater, lukewarm
- to tasteSalt
- 1 tbspRapeseed oil
- 2Avocados, ripe
- 4 tbspMayonnaise
- ½Yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 cloveGarlic, crushed
- 15 gCoriander, chopped
- 1Lemon, juiced
- to tasteBlack pepper
Method
- Put the chicken breasts in a saucepan, cover with cold water and add salt. Simmer under a lid for 20 minutes, until cooked through.
- Meanwhile, pour the lukewarm water into a bowl and stir in some salt. Add the corn flour a little at a time and knead to a soft dough that doesn't stick to your hands, about 3 minutes. Leave the dough to rest for 5 minutes.
- Divide the dough into 8 balls and flatten each into a round about 1.5 cm thick, smoothing any cracks at the edge with damp fingers.
- Brush a large griddle or two frying pans with the oil. Cook the arepas over a medium heat for 7–8 minutes per side, until they have a golden crust and sound hollow when tapped.
- Meanwhile, lift out the chicken and shred it with two forks.
- Mash the avocados and mix with the mayonnaise, onion, garlic, coriander, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Fold in the chicken.
- Split the arepas through the side with a sharp knife, without cutting all the way through, and fill generously with the chicken mixture.
