Arepas Reina Pepiada

📝 Ingredients

• 260 g pre-cooked white maize flour
• 560 ml lukewarm water + 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• 500 g chicken breast (4 fillets of about 125 g each)
• 1 chicken stock cube + 800 ml cold water
• 2 very ripe avocados (about 200 g each)
• 150 g 2% Greek yoghurt
• 1 lime
• ½ red onion (about 75 g)
• 1 garlic clove
• 15 g fresh coriander
• Salt, black pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Saucepan
• 2 mixing bowls
• Non-stick frying pan
• Baking tray and baking paper
• Serrated knife
• Forks

📖 Steps

1. Put the chicken breasts in the saucepan with the stock cube and 800 ml of cold water. Bring to a simmer over a medium heat, then cook gently for 12 min without letting it boil. Turn off the heat and leave the chicken in the stock: the meat stays juicy.
2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200 °C. In a mixing bowl, combine the lukewarm water and salt, then gradually sprinkle in the maize flour, stirring with your hand. Knead for 2 min and leave to rest for 5 min: the dough should be soft like modelling clay, without being sticky.
3. Divide the dough into 8 balls of about 100 g and flatten them into discs 1.5 cm thick. Smooth the edges with wet fingers. If they crack, the dough is too dry: add 1 to 2 tbsp of water and knead again.
4. Heat the frying pan over a medium heat and spread half the oil over it with kitchen paper. Cook 4 arepas for 5 min on each side without moving them, until a dry golden crust forms, then repeat with the rest of the oil.
5. Place the arepas on the lined baking tray and bake for 15 min at 200 °C: they are done when they sound hollow when tapped. Meanwhile, drain the chicken and cut open the thickest fillet: it should no longer be pink in the middle; if it is, return it to the simmering stock for 3 min.
6. Finely shred the chicken with two forks, along the grain. Very finely chop the red onion, garlic and coriander. Halve the avocados, remove the stones and scoop out the flesh with a spoon.
7. In the second mixing bowl, mash the avocado flesh with a fork together with the lime juice, Greek yoghurt, onion, garlic and coriander. Add the shredded chicken, season with salt and pepper and mix well: the filling should be creamy.
8. Slit each hot arepa three-quarters of the way through with the serrated knife to make a pocket, without cutting it in two. Fill generously with the reina pepiada and serve straight away, 2 arepas per person.