Reina pepiada arepa, aka Venezuelan chicken and avocado sandwiches where crispy, light and fluffy cornmeal buns are stuffed with a tasty avocado chicken salad!
Arepas are buns (or cakes) made from a dough consisting of pre-cooked white cornmeal and water that is formed into patties and grilled, baked, fried, boiled or steamed. They are great by themselves and can be served like a bun or a roll as a side for a meal, for dipping in soup, etc. and they can also by split in half to make sandwiches by stuffing them. Reina pepiada is a kind of arepa sandwich where the arepa is stuffed with an avocado chicken. I was first introduced to reina pepiada at a local Venezuelan restaurant and they were so good that I had to try making my own. I like to grill the arepas as that gives them a nice crispy outside and they finish cooking in the oven and the insides are so nice and soft, tender and fluffy! The filling is a very simple mixture of shredded chicken and mashed avocados along with some cilantro, lime juice, onions, garlic and peppers! Yum! These reina pepiada arepas are so easy to make and irresistibly delicious! They are best served while the arepas are still warm from the oven!
Add bacon!
Reina Pepiada Arepa (Chicken and Avocado Sandwich)
Prep Time:20 minutes Cook Time:25 minutes Total Time:45 minutes Servings: 4
Reina pepiada arepa, aka Venezuelan chicken and avocado sandwiches where crispy, light and fluffy cornmeal buns are stuffed with a tasty avocado chicken salad!
ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups pre-cooked white cornmeal (aka masarepa) (such as PAN)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 pound cooked and shredded chicken (poached or rotisserie are good)
- 1 large avocado, coarsely mashed
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons red bell pepper, diced
- 2 tablespoon onion (red or white), diced
- 1/2 jalapeno pepper, finely diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced or grated
- 1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- salt to taste
For the arepas:
For the avocado chicken salad:
directions
- Mix the flour and salt before mixing in the water until a dough is formed. If the dough is too sticky add more cornmeal and if it’s too dry add more water. It should not be so sticky that you cannot work with it and it should not be so dry that when you form the patties that they crack or crumble.
- Divide into 4 equal pieces and form into patties about 1 inch thick.
- Heat the oil in a large heavy bottomed skillet, add the patties and cook until golden brown on both sides before transferring to a baking sheet.
- Bake in a preheated 350F/180C oven until cooked through, about 5-10 minutes, before setting aside to cool for 5 minutes.
- Mix everything!
- Slice the arepas, stuff with the avocado chicken salad and enjoy!
For the arepas:
For the avocado chicken salad:
For the reina pepiada:
Option: Add bacon!
Option: Add corn to the avocado chicken salad.
