Arepas de Pollo

I made arepas once before, but I tried to pan fry and finish in the oven, and they turned out horrible. Stick with pan frying, and make sure the discs of dough are fairly thin when you add them to the pan.

Chicken:

2 chicken breasts

½ lemon

Sprig of parsley

Cumin

Red pepper flakes

Salt

Pepper

Add everything but the chicken in a pot of water, bring it to a boil, and drop in the chicken. Cover with a lid, turn off the heat, and let it sit for 20 minutes. Remove the chicken, and shred with 2 forks.

Sauce:

14.5 oz can tomato sauce

1 cup chicken stock

¼ cup finely diced onions

1 clove garlic, diced

½ habanero, diced (would’ve used a jalapeno if I had some around)

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon ancho chili powder

2 teaspoons oregano

½ teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon coriander

1 teaspoons salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

*N.B. I have no idea exactly how much of the seasonings I used. Measurements given here are pretty much guesswork

Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat, add some vegetable oil, then sauté the onion, garlic, and pepper for a few minutes until softened. Add in the tomato sauce, stock, and seasonings. Taste and adjust. When you’re happy with the taste, bring the sauce to a simmer and let it reduce, uncovered for 10 minutes or so. Once it’s at a consistency you’re happy with, add the shredded chicken and give it a stir to incorporate everything.

Arepas:

1.5 cups masarepa flour

1.5 cups water

1 teaspoon salt

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, bring the dough together with your hands, then cover and let sit for 5 minutes. Heat a skillet over medium, and add a lug or two of vegetable oil. Use your hands to shape the dough into six slim discs (3/4” or so thick) Pan fry the arepas for 8 minutes total, flipping half way.

Remove the arepas onto paper towels to sop up excess oil. Cut in half, top with chicken/tomato sauce mixture and queso fresco *cough*grocery store feta*cough*.