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(Reina Pepiada) Chicken Avocado Arepa
5 from 3 votes

(Reina Pepiada) Chicken Avocado Arepa

Recipe for Reina Pepiada arepa or Venezuelan Chicken Avocado arepas, this traditional dish consists of crispy corn patties filled with a creamy chicken avocado salad.

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
40 mins
Servings: 4 large arepas or 6-8 small ones
Course: Main Course, Appetizer, Lunch
Cuisine: South American, Venezuelan

Ingredients

For the arepas:
  • 2 cups corn flour 290 grams=~10 ounces - PAN brand, precooked
  • 2 ¼ cups water 510 ml, warm
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons of oil
For the chicken and avocado “Reina Pepiada” filling:
  • 1 chicken breast shredded, about 300 grams or 10 ounces, roasted
  • 2 cilantro sprigs
  • 1 garlic small clove
  • 1 onion ~ 80 grams, medium
  • 1-2 avocado ~ 300 grams, ripe
  • 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon lemon
  • salt to taste

Instructions

To make the arepas:
    Cup of Yum
  1. Place the warm water in a mixing bowl. Then add the salt, and a tablespoon of oil, stir. Add the precooked corn flour, stirring constantly with a spoon. Knead until you obtain a dough with a nice smooth consistency, without any lumps. The arepa dough should come off the bowl easily.
  2. Divide the dough into six large balls of the same size and flatten them between your hands to form the arepas into a disk shape.
  3. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to a frying pan or a griddle pan, make sure the pan is evenly coated with the oil.
  4. Turn the stove on to medium-high heat, and add the arepas to the pan. Make sure there is enough space in between them (to be able to turn them easily). When the first five minutes have passed, turn them over and cook them covered for another five minutes on the opposite side. Remove the arepas from the pan and let them rest. Repeat if working in batches.
For the chicken and avocado “Reina Pepiada” filling:
  1. While the arepas are cooking you can prepare the filling. You can also prepare it ahead of time and have it ready to serve.
  2. Finely chop the onion and cilantro. Crush the garlic clove. Place them in a bowl and mix them with the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and mayonnaise.
  3. Save about ¼ of the avocados, to slice and decorate the arepas when serving; you can sprinkle a little bit of lemon juice on the slices to keep them from darkening. Mash the rest of the ripe avocados.
  4. Add the mashed avocado to the bowl with the chopped onion and cilantro mayonnaise mix. Mix everything until you have a smooth sauce. You could also make this sauce in a food processor.
  5. Mix the shredded chicken with the avocado sauce. Taste and adjust salt if necessary.
  6. Use a sharp knife to open the arepas lengthwise and fill each one with the chicken avocado salad. After filling the arepas with the chicken salad, add the extra avocado slices.

Notes

  • The original Álvarez brothers recipe called for petit-pois or green peas, but over time this ingredient was no longer added.