HomeBlog recipeArepas reina pepiada: or, how to do chicken salad with verve

Arepas reina pepiada: or, how to do chicken salad with verve

chuck cushman's avatar by on

Chicken salad is a staple for sandwiches, brunch, and the like. Sometimes it is pretty boring though! Saw a version of this Venezuelan chicken salad on a cooking show and started salivating. That means research and build a recipe so I can make this at home.

Arepas are cousins to tortillas, but they tend to be fatter, and you make them with a different flour. PAN seems to be the brand that’s everywhere. Using Mexican masa harina for tortillas or tamales will not work right, so hunt you some PAN. The recipes comes together quickly and it is really just delicious.

Print

Arepa Reina Pepiada

Recipe by Chuck Cushman
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

15

minutes
Cooking time

20

minutes

Ingredients

  • For the Arepas:

  • 2 cups Arepa flour (PAN brand, for example)

  • 2 1/4 cups water

  • 1 tsp Kosher salt

  • Filling:

  • 2 whole chicken breasts, skinless and boneless

  • 2 bay leaves

  • 1 Tbsp Kosher salt

  • 1 bunch cilantro, rough chopped

  • 3 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 medium onion, chopped finely

  • 1 whole cubanelle or poblano pepper, chopped finely

  • 1 whole avocado, chopped finely

  • 2 Tbsp mayo

  • 1 Tbsp crema (or sour cream if you don’t have crema)

  • 1 Tbsp olive oil

  • 2 cups shredded cheese of your choice

  • 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice

  • q.b. salt and fresh black pepper to taste

Directions

  • Make the arepa masa (dough): Mix the ingredients together until you have a soft, pliable dough. Cover and rest it for 20 minutes.
  • Make the filling: Put the chicken in a small pot, cover with water, add two bay leaves and 1 Tbsp salt. Poach the chicken breasts over medium heat, about twenty minutes. Take the chicken out and let it cool to room temp.
  • Put the rest of the filling ingredients in a large bowl and mix them together. Then shred the chicken with a fork and incorporate that into the mix.
  • Cook the arepas: divide the masa in six equal parts, and form the parts into discs about 5-6 inches in diameter. In a shallow skillet, on a griddle, or a comal heated over medium heat, spritz the cooking surface with some oil then put the arepas in, making sure not to crowd them (do batches if they won’t all fit). Cook the first side for 6-8 minutes, then flip them, cover them to let them steam, and go for another 8 minutes or so.
  • Arepas, Assemble: cut a pocket into the sides of the arepas (or if you are like me and this doesn’t work too well, just pile the filling on top), then stuff each with 1/6 of the filling. Serve immediately.

Leave a Reply