Chicken Arepa

Man this summer has been busy, so Chef K and I thought it was a good time to take a break and enjoy the Seattle sun. Personally all the posting was starting to feel like a job and I felt like I was sacrificing quality for quantity, so I really want to focus on creating fun recipes that we are really proud of sharing like this one!

When I started Cringey Kitchen with Chef K, I wanted to show him that there were a lot of dishes from other cultures that were naturally gluten free. During one of Chef K’s trips to the Bay Area, he stumbled across a restaurant that was 100% NATURALLY gluten free. They are famous for their Venezuelan arepas.

I had never heard of an arepa until Chef K sent me pictures of this little pocket stuffed with grilled chicken. Chef K raved about this dish and months later, he wants us to make it now.

So here we are, two amateur chefs trying to replicate a top chef’s Chicken Arepas dish. This dish has quite a few components, but they are all easy to make. The assembly part is really the trickiest part of this recipe.

Keep your guacamole in your arepa, not the floor,
Your favorite alternative chefs, K & T

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Chicken Arepa

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings 6 arepas

Ingredients

Arepa

• 3 cup pre-cooked white cornmeal
• 3 cup warm water
• 1½ tsp salt
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1½ tsp turmeric optional
• Additional oil for light pan frying

Chicken

• 5 chicken breasts
• 1 cup chicken broth or water
• 1 tsp Salt

Black Bean Puree

• 1 can black beans drained
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion diced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 cup chicken broth
• ¼ cup cilantro
• 1 tsp cumin
• ½ tsp paprika
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• Dash of cayenne
• Salt to taste

Guacamole

• 2 avocados mashed
• ½ red onion diced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 limes juiced
• ½ cup cilantro
• 3 to matoes sliced

Instructions

1. In an instant pot, add the chicken breast, broth (or water), and salt. On HIGH pressure, cook on manual for 10 minutes. When completed, let natural release for 10 minutes, then open the pressure release valve to empty the remaining pressure.
2. Let chicken cool before pulling it apart.
3. Next you will start your dough. Combine all dough ingredients into a large bowl. Using your hands, slowly knead the ingredients together until you form a nice dough ball. Let sit for 5 minutes.
4. For the black bean puree, heat oil in medium saucepan. Saute onions for about 5 minutes or until tender. Add in garlic and saute for another minute. Next add in ½ of the chicken broth with the black beans and bring to a simmer. When the beans start to absorb the broth, add the other ½ of the broth along with the cilantro and spice. Heat through, then pour mixture into a blender. Blend until smooth.
5. For the guacamole, add all ingredients into a bowl and mix. Done!
6. Divide the dough ball into 6 smaller balls. Flatten each ball between two pieces of parchment paper until they are about a ½ inch thick. Heat up some oil in a pan. Fry your arepa for about 5 minutes on each side.
7. Cut cooked arepa open to create a pocket. Put a spoonful of black bean puree on the bottom, then chicken, sliced tomatoes, and guacamole in that order.